Freedom Has A Cost
General Summary
-As the twins get ready to leave with some of the party, Koji approaches and questions them about what they're doing, to which Shiro explains that it was just some innocent fun and learning of the village. Koji reluctantly agrees to allow this and takes his leave for the bar.
-The twins give Hika, Shirohebei, and Hasashi a tour of Kusagakure, making banter and chatting along the way.
-As they're exploring the village, they spot a shop where animals are being sold. Hika is entranced and rushes forward with the twins as Shirohebei sneaks away to speak to Koji.
-As she enters the bar, she sees Takowa Sensei who would interrupt her current goal by approaching her. "Shirohebei, I didn't expect to find you in a bar! Are you even the legal drinking age?" He asked surprisedly.
"I don't know, are you going to report me if I'm not?" She taunted him questionably. The man felt himself become flustered facing the Kunoichi again. "S-so uhm.." He began, fumbling over his words as Shirohebei grinned.
"I need to go speak with my sensei, Takowa." Her pale violet eyes mesmerized him as she spoke in a soft voice. As she passed him, he turned to look at her.
"W-wait!" He yelled out, grabbing her attention just enough for her to give him a moment's time. "Why don't you come to the tower inn here in the village later? We could meet up or something." He said half heartedly as he blushed brightly and scratched the back of his head nervously.
Shirohebei's grin turned into a look of thought. "Perhaps, Takowa Sensei.." The tension held in the air heavily as she continued. "I'm a busy woman, after all."
-Koji is approached as he sits down, drinking cheap alcohol mid day. He eyes her carefully as she gets closer and sits across from him, a serious look on her face. "What do you want? Didn't I dismiss you?" He said half annoyedly as he took a drink from his bottle. "I want to discuss the terms of my contract."
Koji scoffed at this, finding humor in her words as he refused to take her seriously.
"And what terms would those be?"
Shirohebei stared intently, her gaze unshifting. "Payment."
"And how exactly do you intend to pay that?" He sneered.
"With ryo, dumbass. So, how much is it?" She retorted aggressively as she leaned forward. The smell of alcohol was strong on Koji's breath as he sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"5,000." He stated simply as he took another sip of the beverage in hand. At this, Shirohebei tossed a bag full of ryo onto the table. As the sound of metal clanging together rang out, Koji's eyes widened in surprise despite his half drunken state.
"Where the hell did'ya get all that?" He asked suspiciously as he stared Shirohebei down. She smirked and waved her hand dismissively as she leaned back.
"Someone had to pick up the slack around base, you know? Besides, after doing some missions of my own accord, and speaking with Kali myself I can assure you that I have the means to pay my way to freedom."
The two looked at each other with scrutiny and disdain, tensions clearly rising despite the calm demeanor of their conversation. Finally, Koji relented and stood from the stool, grabbing the bag of ryo from her as he demanded her to wait there. A few minutes later, Koji emerged from the bar with another bottle of cheap booze and two shot glasses which he promptly filled after setting them down. As Shirohebei watched, she asked what he was doing.
"If we're doing this, we do it my way." He started, sliding one of the shot glasses towards the kunoichi.
"And I'd like to celebrate with a drink before we terminate your contract."
Koji grinned as he held up his own shot glass and tipped it toward her in acknowledgement before throwing his head back and drinking down the alcohol in one gulp. Shirohebei looked at the liquid and then back at the man before her. She felt annoyed, but had the feeling that it would be better to comply as to not cause any issues that may ruin her plans of buying her freedom.
After a few shots of booze, and over half of the bottle being drank between the pair, Koji stood up one final time and motioned for Shirohebei to accompany him as he took his leave.
"C'mon, then." He said, moving towards an apartment which appeared to be his. As she stepped into the front room, she would notice the difference in size and niceness compared to her own apartment that was just down the hall.
"Take this, I'll be back. Feel free to drink some." Koji said as he handed off the bottle and retreated into one of the other rooms. Once he returned, he revealed a scroll that he quickly unraveled across a table before her.
He then lit some candles around them and asked her to kneel before the scroll. While Shirohebei was doing this, Koji grabbed a kunai and sat in front of her as he came back to the table and took her hand.
"This is going to require blood from each counterpart." He said, looking at her to ensure her understanding as she nodded. Koji then proceeded to slice both his and her palms and placed them on the scroll above each of their names. The formula on the scroll began to glow, but somehow, Shirohebei could feel that the contract was not yet broken.
At this, she glares at Koji quizically, who is now grinning at her with a look of malicious intent. "I'm not about to let you go that easily, Shiro."
She felt her heart drop at his words and change of tone. "Especially one who is as talented as you are."
"What are you doing?" She asked angrily.
"I still have the power to activate the command seal, but until you give me what I desire, you will remain here with me."
Shirohebei stared at the man, clearly annoyed. "So, I've just got to sleep with you and you'll let me go?" She asked him bluntly, seeing no point in dodging his goal.
"What?" He asked, surprised by her reaction.
"Well, yes, but aren't you worried?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shirohebei shrugged, sighing loudly. "Listen. I'm drunk enough, and to be quite frank, if it's between fucking a pleb like you or being a slave, I'd rather not weigh out my options with too much thought."
At this, Koji would shrug and sigh as he nodded lightly. He took the bottle of booze from earlier and took a swig before tossing it to the side and throwing himself on top of the kunoichi.
Later that evening, Koji gathers all of the other slaves and presents each of them with a key to their own apartment. As each person took their own key, Koji explained to them that they are to assume their roles not only as shinobi, but also citizens of Kusagakure. "We'll be staying within the village from now on, so you better keep up with appearances." He snapped.
-After their meeting, the party disbands and is left to check out their own apartments or to do their own business. however it is noted khepri was not at the meeting.
-The twins give Hika, Shirohebei, and Hasashi a tour of Kusagakure, making banter and chatting along the way.
-As they're exploring the village, they spot a shop where animals are being sold. Hika is entranced and rushes forward with the twins as Shirohebei sneaks away to speak to Koji.
-As she enters the bar, she sees Takowa Sensei who would interrupt her current goal by approaching her. "Shirohebei, I didn't expect to find you in a bar! Are you even the legal drinking age?" He asked surprisedly.
"I don't know, are you going to report me if I'm not?" She taunted him questionably. The man felt himself become flustered facing the Kunoichi again. "S-so uhm.." He began, fumbling over his words as Shirohebei grinned.
"I need to go speak with my sensei, Takowa." Her pale violet eyes mesmerized him as she spoke in a soft voice. As she passed him, he turned to look at her.
"W-wait!" He yelled out, grabbing her attention just enough for her to give him a moment's time. "Why don't you come to the tower inn here in the village later? We could meet up or something." He said half heartedly as he blushed brightly and scratched the back of his head nervously.
Shirohebei's grin turned into a look of thought. "Perhaps, Takowa Sensei.." The tension held in the air heavily as she continued. "I'm a busy woman, after all."
-Koji is approached as he sits down, drinking cheap alcohol mid day. He eyes her carefully as she gets closer and sits across from him, a serious look on her face. "What do you want? Didn't I dismiss you?" He said half annoyedly as he took a drink from his bottle. "I want to discuss the terms of my contract."
Koji scoffed at this, finding humor in her words as he refused to take her seriously.
"And what terms would those be?"
Shirohebei stared intently, her gaze unshifting. "Payment."
"And how exactly do you intend to pay that?" He sneered.
"With ryo, dumbass. So, how much is it?" She retorted aggressively as she leaned forward. The smell of alcohol was strong on Koji's breath as he sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"5,000." He stated simply as he took another sip of the beverage in hand. At this, Shirohebei tossed a bag full of ryo onto the table. As the sound of metal clanging together rang out, Koji's eyes widened in surprise despite his half drunken state.
"Where the hell did'ya get all that?" He asked suspiciously as he stared Shirohebei down. She smirked and waved her hand dismissively as she leaned back.
"Someone had to pick up the slack around base, you know? Besides, after doing some missions of my own accord, and speaking with Kali myself I can assure you that I have the means to pay my way to freedom."
The two looked at each other with scrutiny and disdain, tensions clearly rising despite the calm demeanor of their conversation. Finally, Koji relented and stood from the stool, grabbing the bag of ryo from her as he demanded her to wait there. A few minutes later, Koji emerged from the bar with another bottle of cheap booze and two shot glasses which he promptly filled after setting them down. As Shirohebei watched, she asked what he was doing.
"If we're doing this, we do it my way." He started, sliding one of the shot glasses towards the kunoichi.
"And I'd like to celebrate with a drink before we terminate your contract."
Koji grinned as he held up his own shot glass and tipped it toward her in acknowledgement before throwing his head back and drinking down the alcohol in one gulp. Shirohebei looked at the liquid and then back at the man before her. She felt annoyed, but had the feeling that it would be better to comply as to not cause any issues that may ruin her plans of buying her freedom.
After a few shots of booze, and over half of the bottle being drank between the pair, Koji stood up one final time and motioned for Shirohebei to accompany him as he took his leave.
"C'mon, then." He said, moving towards an apartment which appeared to be his. As she stepped into the front room, she would notice the difference in size and niceness compared to her own apartment that was just down the hall.
"Take this, I'll be back. Feel free to drink some." Koji said as he handed off the bottle and retreated into one of the other rooms. Once he returned, he revealed a scroll that he quickly unraveled across a table before her.
He then lit some candles around them and asked her to kneel before the scroll. While Shirohebei was doing this, Koji grabbed a kunai and sat in front of her as he came back to the table and took her hand.
"This is going to require blood from each counterpart." He said, looking at her to ensure her understanding as she nodded. Koji then proceeded to slice both his and her palms and placed them on the scroll above each of their names. The formula on the scroll began to glow, but somehow, Shirohebei could feel that the contract was not yet broken.
At this, she glares at Koji quizically, who is now grinning at her with a look of malicious intent. "I'm not about to let you go that easily, Shiro."
She felt her heart drop at his words and change of tone. "Especially one who is as talented as you are."
"What are you doing?" She asked angrily.
"I still have the power to activate the command seal, but until you give me what I desire, you will remain here with me."
Shirohebei stared at the man, clearly annoyed. "So, I've just got to sleep with you and you'll let me go?" She asked him bluntly, seeing no point in dodging his goal.
"What?" He asked, surprised by her reaction.
"Well, yes, but aren't you worried?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shirohebei shrugged, sighing loudly. "Listen. I'm drunk enough, and to be quite frank, if it's between fucking a pleb like you or being a slave, I'd rather not weigh out my options with too much thought."
At this, Koji would shrug and sigh as he nodded lightly. He took the bottle of booze from earlier and took a swig before tossing it to the side and throwing himself on top of the kunoichi.
-After their meeting, the party disbands and is left to check out their own apartments or to do their own business. however it is noted khepri was not at the meeting.
Report Date
20 Sep 2024
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