The natural lighting outside did little to liven up the proceedings inside the small interrogation room, but that was a tall order regardless given the awkward situation all four of the individuals inside now had to live through. The Annitou Agent put in charge of the investigation sat behind a bare metal table adorned with only a few sheets of paper on it, whereas crammed on the other side were the culprits of this particular incident. “Metsina, huh?” Usual practice was to interview suspects separately. The tense atmosphere in the room was certainly not condusive to a proper questioning. It had been the insistence of Gou (who really needed his cadets back out in the field to continue their immigration inspections) to have Ringo, Hajime, and the esteemed General Daisuke all answer for their antics at the same time. Gekko, being a good boy, wasn't in trouble and didn't have to sit in at all. With a stuffy voice the Annitou agent continued. “Good eye, kids. We’ve been busting those Agents for weeks, that damned country just doesn’t know when to let up.”
“I know, isn't it such a drag?” Daisuke spoke up for the first time. All morning he had kindly allowed the two Annitou brats barf out their side of the story, but now he was feeling antsy to get out of this suffocating room. While Hajime and Ringo sat upright like prim and proper students, Daisuke was hunched over and trying to resist the urge to kick his legs up onto the investigators pile of papers. “Bunch of war-mongering expansionists, think the whole world belongs to them. Metsina of the Trees, more like Metsina of the Thieves, am I right?”
Hajime’s face lit up as if suddenly realizing some secret of the universe. He leaned over to conspire with Ringo. “Hey, that rhymes! That can’t be a coincidence can it?”
As if disgusted the girl only responded with a look of pure derision before returning her attention to the investigator. Hajime didn’t notice and now seemed lost in thought, perhaps trying to think of other words that rhymed that could reveal some greater truth about the universe.
“I’d say Garion isn’t much better.” The investigator conducting the interview sighed and brought his attention back to Daisuke after fiddling with a few papers on the table. “It’s an honor to have a general from Garion in my office, sir, but you really ought to know better...”
“I was looking for a friend, right? Is that a crime?” Daisuke pushed off the floor with his long feet, briefly flirting with disaster as the chair rocked back on two legs. He let it land with a quiet thud then cracked his knuckles and cleared his throat. “Besides, I have all my paperwork in order. Your country permitted me entry last week. If anything, you should be thanking me for taking out that spy before he could do some real damage with his jutsu.”
“Yes, quite.” Papers were shuffled back and forth again, this time for no purpose at all. “Although, reading your file here, you claim quite the list of talents yourself. Let's see here...” The investigator held up a paper to the light and squinted. "I'm reading you claim to harnass a 'Divine Wind', that you hold domain over all 'Hellfire', possess psychic powers, are immortal..." The investigator realized there were another three pages of Daisuke's dossier and groaned, flipping through the rest with disinterest. Each jutsu he listed sounded more ridiuclous than the last, especially given what had transpired only hours ago. "...what does this one say? 'Unconcious mind control'? Really? Is this a joke to you?"
"I made you say that." Daisuke winked and shot the Agent a confident thumbs up. "Prove I didn't."
“Yeah, sure, I buy it.” the agent exhaled and put the papers aside. “Regardless, as per your agreement with our country, General Daisuke, as long as you stay out of Annitou military affairs, you are free to go as you please. Just don't let us catch you doing this...'dark demon dragon god transformation' stuff, and we'll all be on good terms.” No suspicion lingered in the expression or tone of the investigator, though an accusing eye looked sideways from Ringo. Even so she kept her mouth shut. Daisuke did his best not to brag, but since that was entirely his thing he couldn’t keep a little bit of it some seeping out.
“Don’t worry about me, officer. I’ll keep my hands and hundreds of jutsu to myself during my stay on the island, I can assure you of that..”
“Nobody has more than one jutsu!” Ringo’s chirp came out more as a squawk this time. “Lying to the investigator is a crime!”
“Really?” Daisuke was trying to hide a grin now, having gone through this multiple times throughout his career. “My country will back up all my claims. Maybe Annitou's gods just aren't as generous with their divine blessings as Garion's are. I'd take it up with your overly litigious management.”
“General Daisuke, please." The investigator felt more like a babysitter than a law enforcer, given how often he was having to crack his whip. "Do not disparge Annitou's faithful.” Unlike most of the interview this particular comment seemed to ruffle the investigator quite a bit, which brought more than a little pleasure to the fey Daisuke. 'Anger inducement' was on that list of jutsu he claimed to possess, after all!
Only catching portions of the conversation Hajime once again went to Ringo for support. “What the heck does litigious mean?” Obienent as always Ringo leaned back and whispered something to the boy. He shook his head and frowned in disagreement. “No, that’s not what it means. Thanks anyway.” He resumed listening intently, leaving Ringo with a baffled look on her face.
“As I was saying, sir,” Daisuke resumed his toying with the furniture in a manner very unfitting of one of the highest ranking officers in his country. “I didn’t use any of the many, many jutsu at my disposal, as per our agreement. Even if your own cadets don’t seem capable of holding to that same standard.”
“We’re Annnitou Agents too!” Ringo’s tiny veins seemed ready to pop out as she broke her attempt to remain silent yet again. It was unfortunate Daisuke couldn’t seem to rile up the rather clueless looking Hajime, otherwise he would have been able to piss off the whole room purely for his own amusement. “We can use our jutsu! It’s-”
“Agents in training, Miss Ringo. Hence the cadet rank.” The Annitou investigator finally got his attention of Daisuke to jump back to the young soldiers. “Neither of you are authorized to freely use possibly dangerous techniques, especially with so many civilians present.”
“Dangerous?” Hajime, his mind finally having caught up and traced the conversation to a coherent location, jumped at the chance to contribute. “You're calling bubbles dangerous? And I can’t even do anything cool with mine, it just gets me punched in the face a lot!”
“And Gekko doesn’t even have a jutsu!”
“And Gekko- no, come on Ringo.” Hajime frowned. “We agreed that was mean, don’t say that.”
A heavy knock came at the wooden door to the office. The sound shattered the thick animosity in the air as everyone present remembered they were supposed to be military soldiers, and not bickering schoolchildren. The booming bass voice of Gou rumbled out from behind the door. “I need my soldiers, are you finished in there?”
“He’s too big to fit through the door, you know.” Daisuke whispered in an aside to the investigator. “I bet if we pretended we weren’t in here, he’d go away.”
“Everyone is dismissed.” The agent let out a relenting sigh. “Please, just stay out of trouble. Jinchi is full of enough problems without high ranking government officials adding to the chaos.”
As everyone prepared to leave Daisuke gave one last glare to Ringo, who hadn’t stopped emitting her aura of killing intent ever since the general claimed to possess far more power than any person in history had ever laid claim to. Daisuke didn’t stick his tongue at her because that would be beneath his station and rank. He didn’t need to anyway- the smug look on his face was more than enough to incense the small girl. He had to keep from laughing on his way out as the girl’s impotent frustration could go nowhere productive, and she started hissing something unpleasant to her clueless teammate instead. This one was a victory for Hashimoto Daisuke!
-
Fresh air at last! Daisuke stepped back out into the chaotic streets of Camp Monog and took in the scenery, then immediately wished he hadn’t. The Annitou government’s block of buildings in the camp was little more than a long row of temporary structures thrown together from dismantled ship parts, a theme that repeated itself all throughout what some people deigned to call a ‘town’. The island of Jinchi had only been in existence for a few months, after all. Not a whole lot of time for a human settlement to focus on looking pretty. It was hard to believe that Annitou’s block of upturned and repurposed ship hulls was the most visually appealing part of Camp Monog, but nearly everywhere else you went you were met by mud roads, tin shacks, or at best piles of ill-fitting concrete blocks. There were other priorities to focus on that meant all the structures had a very utilitarian look to them. Looting the resources of the island took precedence over pretty architecture.
Once could even watch such looting take place not five steps in front of the Annitou’s government’s main office! As throngs of people walked those filthy paths, so too did the scoundrels and pickpockets looking to turn an easy buck. Although Camp Monog was an active trading hub for now, its relatively lawlessness meant it bred criminals almost as fast as it bred rats and disease. As Daisuke pushed his way through the street in an effort to make his way, a pair of unwelcome hands found themselves deep within his pockets within seconds. A small price to pay for looking so good- Daisuke’s crisp (mostly) clean garments made him a tempting target for any would-be thief or thug.
In Garion, such thievery was an offense punishable by death. As was almost every other offense, really. Garion was not a friendly place to the laweless. Daisuke resisted he urge to do the usual Garion thing and obliterate whatever ruffian was now trying rifle through his belongings. Instead he simply snatched out with his own hand to catch the thief before his wallet disappeared. As Daisuke twisted the arm around he balled up his other fist, ready to deliver a little bit of Garion style justice to Jinchi’s frontier criminals. Death was a bit much; he would make do with breaking the offender’s nose or jaw instead.
His fingers caught the offending wrist, which appaeared to be attached to some dirty teenage boy and, deciding the lad was old enough and looked plenty sketchy, Daisuke prepared to lay down some hard surrogate parenting. Annitou might claim their right to sovereignty was granted to them by their sea god, but here on Jinchi justice was doled out on a personal level!
A few seconds faster and Daisuke's righteous fist would have planted right into the face of the interloper. Yet right as Daisuke began his wind-up another stranger entered, knife drawn, and took the child's place. A raspy voice escaped from the stranger, directed at the quivering thief. "Resist and I will not hestiate to end you." Still unsure of what to make of the development Daisuke kept his fist cocked and ready to plow into this newcomer's face. One could never be too careful.
The hood of the cloak turned upwards, away from the now captured child, and looked at Daisuke square in the face. “Are you okay, General Hashimoto Daisuke?” The cloaked figure offered only a token bit of concern despite Daisuke looking ready to knock his head clean off. The new assailant didn’t flinch although the kid certainly did, the tip of the man's knife biting slightly into the young boy’s skin as the child suddenly became aware of his predicament. “I did not think you had noticed. I apologize for surprising you.”
“Geh!” Daisuke instinctively shivered and withdrew his fist. Such was a natural reaction to seeing this particular man here, of all places. “Bloody hell, Motonubu, what the hell are you doing here? You trying to lose more teeth?”
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The hooded Motonubu barely moved, keeping his knife pointed at the pickpocketing teen he’d just captured. His words came out in a growly yet understated tone, like a dog barking in its sleep. “I am protecting Garion assets, like any Agent should. I heard you were arrested and came to assist.”
Daisuke looked down at the kid Motonubu held, who now looked absolutely terrified at how wrong his little encounter turned out. “Let him go, Motonubu. That’s an order.”
“Of course.” Motonubu’s calloused hands released the young boy and in a flash the kid was gone, having disappeared into the crowd. Daisuke stuck his hands in his pockets to verify nothing important had disappeared, then returned his attention to the cloaked Motonubu. The man’s knife was gone now and his posture corrected as he no longer had to hold a hostage. Motonubu stood significantly shorter than Daisuke yet was easily another ten years older, though exact ages could be hard to pin down in this business. Unlike Daisuke’s rather pristine appearance, Motonubu’s scarred countenance and poise gave the immediate impression of a career thug, and the whole shadowy cloak and dagger outfit he wore definitely didn’t help on that front. Apart from that, however, as a Garion agent Motonubu cut a rather mundane figure. His thin limbs were swaddled in the thick padding familiar to those from his country, and his diminutive form didn’t impose or threaten with its mere existence as Gou’s had. One glance at the man and any person off the street would think they had a good chance at outmuscling him, despite his soldier-like appearance.
However, as with everything in the world, one simply couldn’t judge by appearance alone. The general worked with the Agent in the past and knew more than he wanted to know about how this Motonubu liked to operate. Agents didn't need muscles to be threatening.
“Were you following me?”
“I am protecting Garion assets, as I stated.” Motonubu arms disappeared beneath his cloak, and as the fabric draped over him it concealed the rest of his torso. It was an unnerving stance for anyone to take in such a casual conversation. Daisuke liked knowing where people's hands were. “Unlike you, I am not on a vacation.”
“Tch.” Daisuke fished around and considered pulling out a cigarette, but remembered he was trying to cut back. “Don’t get me involved with whatever the Garion puppetmasters are doing here. I’m trying to enjoy myself. Go bugger off.”
“Actually,” Motonubu’s grim face turned slightly as he evaluated their surroundings. Busy streets provided a surprising amount of privacy, given how little any of the warm bodies in the area cared about two men having a conversation. “I am here precisely to get you involved in Garion business. You specified in your vacation request that you were going ‘sailing’. That does not seem...” As if the conclusion was self-evident, Motonubu waved his palm towards the very much not-sailing Daisuke. "...particularly accurate."
“Did some sailing.” Daisuke diverted his own eyes, not wanting to give Motonubu any sense of having caught him out. “Boats have to dock somewhere, right? Or was I supposed to spend my entire vacation at sea?”
“Quite convenient you happened to have valid Annitou immigration papers, then.”
“That’s why I’m a general,” now it was Daisuke’s turn to give a summary hand wave, “and you are just an Agent. Preparedness.”
As if he didn’t hear that Motonubu pressed on, drawing imperceptibly closer to Daisuke. “Garion is conducting operations on Jinchi. Since you are here, it seemed prudent to get your assistance...”
“I’m on vacation.” Daisuke knew all too well what kind of back alley dealings happened on jobs like this, given his career was full of similarly shady operations. “Leave me out of it.”
“Of course.” Motonubu drew back almost as if expecting that exact response. “As you command, General Daisuke.” Although the street itself was as busy and noisy as ever, in the distance a decidedly extra layer of chaos seemed to be barreling down their way at remarkable speed. The timing put Daisuke on edge but Motonubu was quick on the uptake. “ I am not the only Garion agent here, General Daisuke. We anticipated you would not wish to spoil your vacation. My associate will be arriving shortly.”
A path cleared on the stone street as on-lookers and busybodys quickly parted in the wake of the disaster charging headfirst towards some unknown location. Even before he or the cart he towed behind him became visible, the enormous tower of cargo teetered into sight above the crowd like the fin of a shark breaking the surface of the sea. The rope and tarp wrapped cargo careened into view followed by the thunderous sound of feet on Jinchi’s cobblestone roads. The size of the pile looked like enough to require an entire team of horses to haul it, and by the way it wiggled and jostled as the cart rode roughshod over the uneven stonework of Camp Monog’s hastily paved street, it could be seen that the driver held little regard for safety or caution.
The screech of wooden wheels desperately grinding to a halt prevented any further discussion between the two Garion soldiers. Only at the last possible second did the crowded streets part far enough for the two to finally see the frontman of the cart. Motonubu finished his thought, although it was doubtful Daisuke was listening anymore. “Agent Len Sosu, good to see you.”
A wiry teenager no older than sixteen slid to a stop in front of both the men as if dropping in for a casual chat, and the cart he pulled behind him lurched to an immediate stop as well. Nothing about the lad seemed to indicate strength or power- his build was fairly typical for Garion agents, and his muscles didn’t even seem to strain as they pushed and pulled at the wooden reins of the cart. Not even his grinning face showed signs of exertion. Not a single drop of sweat nor single belabored breath of exertion escaped from the glowing youth. On his back he wore the typical work clothes expected of day laborers in Jinchi, and judging from his wild yellow hair and bronzed complexion this Len Sosu seemed to flaunt the traditional look of Garion locals. The enormous stack of crates, barrels, and other assorted packages cast a shadow across the two men as it finally lurched to a total stop as the boy excited cleared his throat to join the conversation.
The boy spoke in a sudden burst of familiarity, like someone loudly announcing their arrival to an otherwise quiet dinner party. “I keep telling you, kid.” Len Sosu thumbed his chin at Motonubu, who seemed used to receiving such slights by now. “Just call me Sosu. This is that Daisuke guy, right? Little Daidai? How’s it going, dude?” He held out one of his hands, then drew it back immediately as soon as Daisuke tried to shake it. “Just kidding! He’s not even working with us, is he, Moto?”
Still taken aback by the entrance, Daisuke decided he would get better answers out of Motonubu than the new kid. “You know back-talking to a superior officer gets you thrown in a work camp, right? Is this kid for real?"
“To you, everyone must seem like the type to be thrown into a work camp.” Motonubu shrugged, then handed a small note to Len Sosu. The boy glanced at it, then gave a sarcastic salute back. If nothing else insults seemed to roll off the boy’s back fairly easily. “Garion respects ability above protocol. Agent Len Sosu is a tremendous asset, much like yourself, General Daisuke.”
“Good talk, boys, but I gotta delivery to make.” Len Sosu took in a deep breath, then started pushing his cart again. His load teetered precariously but as before miraculously remained upright. “I’ll catch you all later under better circumstances, I hope! Or maybe not, I don’t care either way!” With that cheerful farewell the whirlwind Len Sosu shot off into the crowd again amidst renewed shouts of ‘maniac’ and ‘watch where you are going’. Daisuke watched him disappear in moments, whereas Motonubu seemed entirely used to the bombastic routine and kept his attention on the surroundings. “I know you are curious, but the boy's talents lie elsewhere. You should read his file when you decide to return to work.”
“That’s a crock of nonsense.” Daisuke snorted. “But I don’t care. I’m hungry, and I’m leaving to go eat. Stop following me.”
“Yes, yes.” Motonubu withdrew a few steps to put a meaningless amount of distance between the two of them. “Of course. Since you do not wish to get involved, let me tell you where to stay away from.” Motonubu made a vague gesture to the south, where Jinchi’s only port rested. “Garion will be conducting operations to recover some artifacts that Metsina agents are attempting to smuggle out of the island tonight. You would do best to not linger at the docks this evening, as you have been doing.”
“Wasn’t planning to be anywhere near there.” Daisuke feigned disinterest as he also continued to put distance between himself and Motonubu. “I have a date tonight. Garion can keep its secrets to itself.”
“Excellent.” Motonubu gave a humble nod of acknowledgement. “It would be terrible to get yourself involved accidentally. The politics would be unpleasant, especially given that the hourglass onboard...” Daisuke didn’t respond, despite Motonubu’s sudden attentiveness to the general’s expression. “Well, I will not bore you any longer with the details. Have a pleasant date.”
Daisuke didn’t even dignify Motonubu with a response, and like Len Sosu before him dissolved into the ever shifting crowd of Camp Monog. Motonubu stood stock still for a bit as if in deep contemplation. Then with a surety of purpose, his cloaked form departed, finding the nearest alley and slipping away into the shadows to the rendezvous point.
-
“Kind of a wet blanket, isn’t he?” Flexing and rotating his wrists while he waited, Len Sosu greeted Motonubu’s arrival with the bare minimum of decorum. “I thought generals were supposed to be more, like, imposing. Hitoko’s got that aura about him, you know? Or that other one, from Fenshingiri, that almost wiped out-”
“You should call him General Hitoko. Do not be so casual.” Motonubu kept his back to the wall out of habit. Len Sosu leaned on his cargo wagon out in the open where anywhere could see him, not as cautious as his frailer partner. Motonubu continued despite the young man’s impudence. “General Daisuke was right, not keeping your attitude in check will result with you being tossed into a prison sooner rather than later.”
“Glad you’re watching out for me, kid.” Len Sosu smirked, then jabbed a couple fists in the air as if punching the imaginary jailers. “We ain’t in Garion though. Didn’t you say I could cut loose here?”
Motonubu exhaled his words slowly through his nose. “Just because you can does not mean you should. Promotions can be hard to come by for Agents who do not show discretion.”
“Is that so?” Len Sosu leaned forward on his cart and squinted at the relatively miniscule form of Motonubu. “You’ve been following convention your whole career and are still an Agent. Daisuke flipped off the commander once and is the youngest general Garion has ever had. Seems like you make for a lousy role model!”
“Exceptions,” Motonubu inhaled, “Do not disprove the rule.”
“Good thing I’m exceptional, then.” Len Sosu didn’t beat his chest but came pretty close to doing it. “Talk is cheap, so I’ll just let my hands do the talking. You’ll have that dagger by sunrise, I promise!”
Finally having gotten back to the task at hand seemed to lighten Motonubu’s mood somewhat. “Superb. The plan continues as we discussed.” Motonubu’s sunken eyes returned Len Sosu’s piercing look. “As for General Daisuke...”
“Treat him like a civvie, right?” A different kind of grin spread on Len Sosu’s face. “Since he’s not with us, he’s against us.”
“The General was warned.” Motonubu left the question unanswered. “If he compromises Garion assets, then do as you will.” The unspoken order gave Len Sosu a bit of a thrill and his fingers clenched in anticipation. Promotions only happened when there were open slots in the upper management, and soldiers like themselves rarely grew old enough to retire. Sometimes a good agent needed to be a bit proactive in opening up future career opportunities.
And there was anything Len Sosu was good at, it was forcing open oppurtunities!