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Cosmos Quest (Naruto/Lupin III)

This arc did seem to be dragging, though I couldn't point to any one thing and say 'I wish this wasn't a thing.'
 
Honestly, I liked it. I gave a feeling of a well developed world just ebyond our view and all we had to do was walk out at look at it, as opposed to following rails in the voting options and playing the meta-game. It was very organic.
 
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My intention was to emulate the atmosphere of a Lupin TV special or movie; they're always a little more serious than the tv series, with self-contained plots that don't necessarily have to connect to the rest of canon.

I can take a hint that they aren't everyone's cup of tea, though. The next arc will be more of a return to form.
 
Bored.

Boredboredbored.

If you'd told yourself eight hours ago that by now you'd miss the arriving guests you'd have laughed.

Normally you'd try to relax with a game of shogi, but your main partner on the team left around ten, claiming to have a hot date, much to Ami's indignation. "He's out of the village three days and already he's cheating on Kurenai-san!"

"Don't go ratting him out, now, miss," an old man with a mop of white hair chides her gently, chuckling as he lays down a row of tiles on the makeshift table before him and draws more from the pile. "What happens in Tan-ge' stays in Tan-ge'."

Back in the initial planning, you did make provisions for the horses that now pack the stables; none of the traps set for potential intruders are nearer the stalls than they have to be.

What you hadn't taken into account were the footmen and grooms. Most of them are out on the town or sharing hotel rooms offsite, but two of them are 'on-call', so to speak; a couple of the guests in attendance dote on their horses to what seems to you an insane degree, and wouldn't dream of letting them spend the night alone.

How the hell a horse can be 'alone' in a stable full of other horses, a cat, a puppy, and three ninja is beyond you, but you have your suspicions that it's less about a stallion's sensitive temperament and more about the fact that you and your team are a bunch of shinobi brats who can't be permitted the opportunity to soil a thoroughbred with their dirty fingernails.

The footmen themselves seem like okay guys. They warm up to Ami pretty quickly when it becomes clear she finds horses fascinating, and one of them is very impressed with how well-behaved and bright Akamaru is; apparently he breeds Lightning Blue wolfhounds for his boss' hunting lodge.

"He's gonna be a big one when he's older," the old man comments, scritching the puppy behind the ear before turning back to the game. "You Inuzuka folk know your stuff in that department. Shame that more of ya don't become full-time breeders."

"... I've been thinking about it," Kiba says. You glance at him, surprised; that's certainly news. Kiba's never talked about wanting to be anything but a jounin, doing fieldwork. Last week he was even musing that it might be nice to have one of his sister's kids on his first team of students for the payback potential.

Did you mention you're really bored? At this point there's really nothing to do; the nurse gave Asuma-sensei the run-down on the 'acid' (turns out it was a home-made attempt at the temporary-blinding eyedrops migraine sufferers and intense martial artists use for short term sensory-deprivation relief), Ami got the fake jewels (didn't manage to talk to Sorato's squeeze, though - girl wasn't taking clients today) and goggles to protect against the acid in the unlikely event he uses the same trick twice, and now you're just... waiting for the guy to show and get his ass kicked.

Menka is inside the carriage, sleeping on top of your gear. You're contemplating joining him when one of the footmen stands, stretching, and announces, "I'll be back in a bit. Gonna stretch my legs."

[X] Send Kiba with him.

[X] Go with him yourself

[X] Set a password. You'll be able to sense if an imposter tries to pose as him, but it wouldn't do to advertise your skills so blatantly.

[X] Just let him go.
 
hmm, GM just said that he's planning to kick things into high gear to get this over with, so this might actually be important.


we could go with him, but honestly, he's probably going to take a piss, so having a little girl following him around isn't great.


do we really need to set a password for the stable-hand?


[X]ask Kiba to go with him
 
Nice fluff for interacting with the footmen.

Not sure what to do here....Ino is not combat specced and while we can Body Flicker away fine, we're not gonna be protecting the footman. Kiba would, be he's still the melee guy against a group of taijutsu enthusiasts. Even subpar fighters are still likely to be dangerous, and there could be more than one. Plus, Kiba ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.

But just setting up a password is kinda letting the footmen get burned, even if it ultimately makes our job easier, and that info may get around.

And just letting him go....same as above, maybe we look a little better for not doing a halfway measure at the expense of revealing a trick. Unless nothing happens to the guy at all. I suppose that's possible.

Honestly though, I don't THINK these people will try and henge or something like that. I mean...taijutsu enthusiasts. Better in a fight. So either they try an open fight, like a diversion with Sorato's flunkies or they make a loud noise knocking out a footman to try and draw people aw, while Sorato sneaks in to steal shit.

Hard call.
 
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*waves* Heya, I am back lurking for this amusing quest. :)


[X] Send Kiba with him.
 
Hymn of Ragnarok said:
Nice fluff for interacting with the footmen.

Not sure what to do here....Ino is not combat specced and while we can Body Flicker away fine, we're not gonna be protecting the footman. Kiba would, be he's still the melee guy against a group of taijutsu enthusiasts. Even subpar fighters are still likely to be dangerous, and there could be more than one. Plus, Kiba ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.

But just setting up a password is kinda letting the footmen get burned, even if it ultimately makes our job easier, and that info may get around.

And just letting him go....same as above, maybe we look a little better for not doing a halfway measure at the expense of revealing a trick. Unless nothing happens to the guy at all. I suppose that's possible.

Honestly though, I don't THINK these people will try and henge or something like that. I mean...taijutsu enthusiasts. Better in a fight. So either they try an open fight, like a diversion with Sorato's flunkies or they make a loud noise knocking out a footman to try and draw people aw, while Sorato sneaks in to steal shit.

Hard call.
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Yeah, but how does the saying go? 'Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there AREN'T ninja in the bushes waiting to burn off your face'?

We expect Sorato, but that doesn't mean somebody else won't make a play. Of course, if we're being paranoid, then any password we ask for could be overheard...

Of course, since we can tell an imposter anyway, might as well
[X] Set a password. 'Hey bud, password is banana.'
 
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[X] Set a password. You'll be able to sense if an imposter tries to pose as him, but it wouldn't do to advertise your skills so blatantly.

The guy who mentioned the footman just wanting to go take a piss?

....Yeah, entirely possible. Been there on long camping trips. So that kinda strikes going ourselves with him, and we're not a fighter anyway.

Kiba gets a strike because I think he's too easily goaded and manipulated.

So, password. Even though after Sorato's vicious performance against the one kid, I'm half expecting him to pull a kidnapping, force us to divide forces to rescue the guy or be assholes, and take advantage of our split forces to steal the loot. At least Kiba will be available for tracking.

Man, I don't think there's any winning with this choice.
 
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[X] You can take a walk with me

"Kiba?"

Your friend nods.

The footman makes a face. "That's all right, miss ninja; I don't need backup for this mission." And he snickers, the other groom joining in.

"Aw, I gotta piss anyway," Kiba says, getting up. "If someone's goin' after the loot we don't want 'em takin' ya hostage, after all."

"Sheesh," the guy says, "are you kids always this paranoid? What's in that carriage that's so special, your birthday presents?"

"Wanna know a secret?" you ask, grinning and leaning forward. "It's not just a carriage. It's a time machine."

"Ha! Serves me right for askin'." And he and Kiba leave.

"His loss," you declare, patting the carriage affectionately. "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 36 ri an hour, we're gonna see some serious shit."

The remaining footman blinks, and looks to Ami, who just sort of lifts a hand in your direction, the expression on her face one of weary resignation.

=

Not even ten minutes go by before the tinkler is back, with Kiba and Akamaru nowhere in sight.

"Hurry," he gasps, skittering to a stop and leaning his hands on his knees. "Bathrooms. Too many. Sent me to get help...!"

He's not actually out of breath. He's nervous as all hell, but his clothes are mussed, which suggests one of two things; one, someone got past Kiba to attack this guy but didn't manage to knock him out, or two, he mussed himself up to make the situation look more urgent.

[X] Go to the bathrooms to help out Kiba.

[X] Ask Mr Clever to lead you to the bathrooms. Hey, you're a girl; why would you know where the men's washroom is? ;)

[X] Send Ami to help out Kiba.

[X] Kiba's a big boy who can take care of himself; prepare for enemy arrival.
-> [X] Living Under Bridge Technique
-> [X] Acting practice time! Be all official and serious and stuff.
 
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[X] Ask Mr Clever to lead you to the bathrooms. Hey, you're a girl; why would you know where the men's washroom is? ;)

Ami is better at combat stuff, right? Makes sense to leave her with the fake jewels, in case someone comes to take them.
 
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Hum. Ami is better at combat, but lacks our sensing. And we still have Menka.

So this guy is putting on a show and was probably in cahoots from the word go? Shows us for not checking out everyone else staying in the stables, I didn't even think of anyone else camping out here.

Having him lead us back at least means this attempt falls flat, but it's still effectively bleeding us dry of manpower.

Mmmm. Hard call. Being on the defensive is a pain.

Also, what is this the living under bridge about anyway What do we do there?
 
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[X] Ami, we always knew that as ninja, we'd have to do things we didn't want to do. I have to ask you for this sacrifice now. You need to go... into the men's restroom to check on Kiba, make sure he didn't fall in or something.
Also, give her the 'don't trust this guy' high-sign. We developed one of those, right? We've been pulling candy heists with her for a while.

I admit, the amusement she derives from it is at least 40% of why Lupino chose to send the prim and proper Ami.
 
[X] Ami, we always knew that as ninja, we'd have to do things we didn't want to do. I have to ask you for this sacrifice now. You need to go... into the men's restroom to check on Kiba, make sure he didn't fall in or something.
Also, give her the 'don't trust this guy' high-sign. We developed one of those, right? We've been pulling candy heists with her for a while.

This sounds about right to me.
 
FurikoMaru said:
Oh, y'know, eatin' billy goats, usin' your green thumb to save Central Park...
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Nooooooot that I don't get the reference, how is that related to our capabilities?

Or is this one of those mysterious "Try it and see" options?

Also, I find it suspicious that apparently these restrooms are so far away we cannot hear Kiba being attacked. WTF. What happened to just pissing against a tree dude? Kinda feel like sending Ami just means she's likely to fall for the trap too. Or fall into her own trap. None of these options really appeal to me because they're all sending our people into a trap of some kind, and Kiba may already be in one.

What the hell.

[X] Kiba's a big boy who can take care of himself; prepare for enemy arrival.
-> [X] Living Under Bridge Technique
 
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[X] Ami, we always knew that as ninja, we'd have to do things we didn't want to do. I have to ask you for this sacrifice now. You need to go... into the men's restroom to check on Kiba, make sure he didn't fall in or something.
 
So....you guys really thinking sending away over half of our offense is a good idea? I mean, to taijutsu specialists Ino probably ain't too hot so she's relying entirely on Menka, AND she can't afford to let him get close. Also, losing to Sorato in any way is embarrassing.

Much as I don't like leaving Kiba out there, throwing the majority of our offense, Ami, Kiba, and Akamaru, sounds really damn foolish.
 
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Hymn of Ragnarok said:
So....you guys really thinking sending away over half of our offense is a good idea? I mean, to taijutsu specialists Ino probably ain't too hot so she's relying entirely on Menka, AND she can't afford to let him get close. Also, losing to Sorato in any way is embarrassing.

Much as I don't like leaving Kiba out there, throwing the majority of our offense, Ami, Kiba, and Akamaru, sounds really damn foolish.
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You don't leave a teammate hanging. Worse than trash and all that. So, the way I see it is that either we go or Ami goes. Ami is very good with the violence, making her the natural person to send to a fight. We are okay with the violence, but are better at chakra sensing, making us an excellent guard.

So, send violence girl after the thugs while we guard using our chakra sensing. We aren't a pushover, so we should be able to handle whoever attacks. If we can't, werekitty is our ace in the hole. He should be able to surprise our attacker and create an opening we can capitalize on.

Or that's my amateur tactical analysis.
 
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Disminded said:
You don't leave a teammate hanging. Worse than trash and all that.
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We're not under Kakashi, and the thing is we don't KNOW how Kiba is doing.

Considering he has Akumaru with him and they can work together, he might very well be doing fine. And if this is a diversion, we'll just be sending majority of fighters to handle one trap while the main force hits the jewels, the real target.

So, the way I see it is that either we go or Ami goes. Ami is very good with the violence, making her the natural person to send to a fight. We are okay with the violence, but are better at chakra sensing, making us an excellent guard.
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Noooooot really. Yes, we're better and noticing people coming forward, but against a sufficiently overwhelming opponent that's not unlike knowing the exact mass and speed of an incoming wrecking ball. We're gonna be relying pretty heavily on Menka for whatever comes.

Also, it assumes Ami actually FINDS Kiba. If violence girl can't find the field of battle, it's a moot point.

So, send violence girl after the thugs while we guard using our chakra sensing. We aren't a pushover, so we should be able to handle whoever attacks. If we can't, werekitty is our ace in the hole. He should be able to surprise our attacker and create an opening we can capitalize on.

Or that's my amateur tactical analysis.
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That'd be fine for one attacker, but pile on enough and we're probably gonna be in trouble. And since we can't actually afford to get into melee with the taijutsu specialists and especially Sorato, that means our one reliable attack is genjutsu because we have no ninjutsu to speak of.

I'm not seeing a perfect solution to begin with (I ultimately decided I didn't want to send anyone out at all), but sending out more guys feels like we're playing right into a trap. Kiba going down would be bad, no question, but if these people are worth a damn they're just drawing us off so someone can hopefully steal the jewels and make a clean getaway.

Honestly, at this point I hope Sorato opts for sneaky and falls for the fake stuff. I'm totally fine with letting him walk away with that, last laugh is ours and all, but if it doesn't work we're gonna be looking mighty vulnerable. It all depends on how many flunkies Sorato can throw at us as distractions.
 
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As I recall, while we're not too good at taijutsu persay... we are VERY good at 'Not getting hit' and 'Stealing your secret techniques so we can use them against you'.

As far as I'm concerned, that makes us an EXCELLENT combatant.
 
Vindictus said:
As I recall, while we're not too good at taijutsu persay... we are VERY good at 'Not getting hit' and 'Stealing your secret techniques so we can use them against you'.

As far as I'm concerned, that makes us an EXCELLENT combatant.
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Except for the whole bit where we have NOT been able to steal Turtle style's techniques and we've seen them plenty. Ino is still mystified. And Turtle practioneers are who we're gonna be facing, plus Sorato apparently has a unique bloodline or something.

So yeah. We seem good and truly stymied on the whole "Put down the taijutsu enthusiasts" besides hoping Menka lives up to his boasts.
 
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[X] Ask Mr Clever to lead you to the bathrooms. Hey, you're a girl; why would you know where the men's washroom is? ;)
-[X] leave ami on guard with the fake jewels, she's better at straight combat.


wait, the jewels are fake, do we even need to leave anyone to guard them?

hell, where ARE the real jewels anyway?
 
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