Offtopic: Continued from Making the Motions.

And before this small town, isolated yet prosperous, stood death . . .

Yasuo was a tall young man, twenty years old, with long dark hair, tied back into a top knot--easily seen, as he didn't wear a hood up over his head. Technically, this was his very first time this far from Cizok, where he had once been stationed for a period of time to pass souls in a small town--merely as a training exercise. For this, he wore a somewhat thick kimono and a hooded overcoat given to him by Scott. He gazed out into the small town of Palzyk from the path that he and his partner stood upon, marveling at the architecture--and, truly, just seeing a place outside of Cizok, and the Dirige compound, in general.

Etsu Hikane, on the other hand, was a little less than enthused. The short young girl--turned fourteen just months ago--wore her thick wool coat out again, hood up, and made it a point to wear a couple pairs of pants--just in case. Her boots were also thick enough to withstand a couple of wars if need be. She still hadn't cut her hair just yet, so it was by this point a little beyond shoulder length, and the shades of blue in her hair poked out from under the hood over her shoulders. Another snowy environment was not warmly received by her, especially since this was likely an exercise to try and break her of the trauma and stress she received from a failed mission in Xexoria that nearly ended her life.

Unlike Etsu, Yasuo carried his weapon on him, a katana sheathed awkwardly behind his back. Etsu could summon her preferred weapon as needed, and while Yasuo could do something similar, he was far from mastering it, or even coming close to doing it on a whim. It was safer for him to simply bring it with him.

"Well, I guess we should be going in, then," declared an enthusiastic Yasuo.

With a sigh, Etsu nodded. "Hai."

It wasn't hard to tell that Etsu wasn't too happy, but Yasuo didn't ask just yet. He figured perhaps she was just unhappy with having her day off ruined again--while in reality it was much more than that.

The two Reapers, with a peculiar slowness--caused primarily by Hikane's unwillingness to participate, walked the trodden path into the town of Palzyk.

The arrival of the boys wasn't exactly unexpected--at least, not for Hikane. She could feel the movement of nearby souls better than most in her rank. It was a wonder that she couldn't work well on her own, or with someone other than Eldridge Tsukimono, with that alone. Yasuo, however, lacked that sense--like most new Reapers.

The boys were spoke to the two Reapers, and amongst themselves, fairly quick--too fast for the Reapers to get a word in. Etsu tried, but failed, and Yasuo refrained from trying at all. He figured they'd have a long enough pause at some point to let them get a word in.

Despite the fact that they were both Cizokian, only one of them dressed the part. This was only because Etsu could barely get a hold of any kimonos; she had probably three or four, and they weren't even that great. She had a full gi, too, but it had been given to her by a man about three inches taller than she was, and it really wasn't made to accommodate a woman's chest, especially a particular gifted one. Even with an undershirt, it was a little embarrassing. So, in the end, she had to just stick with a couple pairs of pants and a heavy jacket. When the boys talked about Yasuo's clothes, it made her feel a little . . . jealous, perhaps? It would've been nice if she had a warm kimono . . .

Needless to say, Etsu's thoughts were a little disorganized, 'least until she was explicitly mentioned, after which point she furrowed her brow and stared disapprovingly at the boys. Yasuo, on the other hand, just smiled nervously, not knowing exactly how Etsu was going to react, and a little afraid that she might get offended and assault someone. He didn't know too too much about her just yet, only that she wasn't that conventional of a person--and she loved to fish. For all he knew, her blowing up on someone was a possibility. Soft spoken people could be like that sometimes.

But she didn't, and in the end--just a couple seconds later--and older and much larger man scared them off. He'd introduced himself kindly and didn't seem like a bad guy, but like the kids, he didn't leave them much to say--or, well, didn't give them the chance to.

On the bright side, it meant they didn't have to make up a way they got there.

Of course, they walked with him into the village, but the reason why differed greatly between them. Etsu was morbidly confused and hoped maybe things would calm down once they were inside, and Yasuo assumed Etsu to be more experienced than he and thus the leader--so he followed along.

"A-- unn . . ." Etsu trailed off for a moment, just a second before she bowed at her waist to the older gentleman, "Arigatou gozaimasu."

Yasuo, too, bowed at his waist. "Yes--thank you very much, sir."

The first words they got in . . .

In the busy port, it was easy to lose oneself. Etsu and Yasuo stood side-by-side, immobile, simply staring out into the bustle of people moving cargo, children running through the streets, and the everyday citizen taking their everyday walk for their everyday routine.

Of course, that didn't discount the awkward trembling Etsu was feeling, spiritually. There were a great many people, yes, but she was superior to most in distant feeling--well, everyone but Eld. He could sense someone dying--not just the dead in general. Nonetheless, it wasn't a strong twitch, and in no way resembling an Ame Voleur . . .

"Sonzai tsukemawimasu," Etsu whispered.

Even in her native language she spoke short sentences. It was rare for her to utter a phrase more than five or six words long, especially in Common, at which point she'd begin to stumble all over what she was saying. In Cizokian, though, it was just something she was used to. Etsu wasn't taught the language properly, and instead learned from the example of her father, whose sentences consisted of three words or less just about ninety percent of the time.

"Sou ka," replied Yasuo, still smiling casually.

He knew, at the very least, not to let on. He also knew that, since he had already expressed the ability to speak Common very well, not to speak in their native tongue too too much. It might just make them look suspicious.

"Where should we go first?" Yasuo asked.

It was a more subtle way asking where their investigation should start. Someone overhearing might as well discount them as simple tourists or travelers.

Etsu pointed ahead, down the road, to the only house with a metal roof. That's where the older man said they should go if they needed more information about the town, and that was exactly what she intended to get. Yasuo nodded, and they made their way into the bustle of town, hoping, at the very least, to seem naturally placed. With such ethnic diversity here, it might actually be pretty easy to blend in . . .

Truth be told, the boys weren't all that noticeable. They shouted at some points--but how many other voices were there to take into account? Vendors and workers all about; a veritable concoction of all kinds of different voices all scattered about and speaking at once. Children at play was just to be expected. Likewise, with so many people around, the spiritual presence was far too strong to pick out any individual movement . . .

And so, neither Reaper saw the boy coming.

The Reaper girl let out a meek shout of surprise as she stumbled to the side a few steps. Yasuo, also a little surprised (although momentously less), reached out to take her arm once he realized what happened: one of the kids from before had ran headlong into her. Etsu would have tripped and fallen shoulder first to the ground--a blow which something like snow could only dampen so much. She stopped once Yasuo had a gentle hold on her forearm, and regarded him with a thankful nod.

Yasuo said nothing, more preoccupied with making sure Etsu was all right--while Etsu, on the other hand, turned enough to give the boy a very disapproving stare.

At Rod's anger, Etsu didn't alter her expression in the least, and she continued to stare at him disapprovingly--this time with her brow a little more furrowed.

"It is fine; no one is hurt--I believe that is all that matters," Yasuo replied as he stood back up straight.

Etsu was fine, and the boy seemed fine, too. Yasuo was content knowing this. It may have been his first real mission without someone like, say, Addison Draugr--or any other elite/specialist Reaper--leading him through, but he couldn't help how he was raised and taught. Women and children were to be protected, and unless more important matters deemed it necessary to ignore them, it was a priority.

As he stood there, Yasuo couldn't help but find himself curious. The boys somehow knew where they were going--and specifically that they had been told to go there. That was odd. Yasuo didn't remember these kids walking with them.

"How did you kn--" Yasuo started . . .

. . . but Etsu cut him off. She turned away from the boy and looked up to her partner, meekly declaring, "Karera bikoimashita."

For a moment, Yasuo appeared to be confused. The boys wouldn't know why, of course, as they didn't quite understand Yasuo and Etsu's language--which was for the best.

"I apologize," Yasuo declared with a bow; it wouldn't be too clear as to why he was apologizing--it was just a habit. "Thank you for the tip. Where would you say this White Ermine is?"

Incidentally, Yasuo was a bit put off by the cursing of the boys. Granted, it was natural for boys to curse, especially in a tough situation, but they seemed ignorant to the fact that there was, for all intents and purposes, a lady present. That's what bothered him the most. He knew Etsu understood Common perfectly; she even spoke it on a conversational level. She'd definitely understand the curses, too, and what they'd be considered similar to, in their language. Yasuo had it in his right mind to correct the boys, and explain why a correction was needed.

Coincidentally, Etsu didn't really care. For several months, she had stayed in a place called Hillcrest in Algeroth, and one of the girls she befriended there cursed more often than any of these boys combined. Although Etsu didn't personally curse much, she was used to it, and it didn't offend her in any way, shape, or form.

But when Rodrick lost it, Yasuo stopped caring about the curse words flying about. He tensed up, prepared, perhaps, to knock skulls in the very near future, or only one skull more than likely. One simply didn't just draw out a dagger and threaten someone with it, not without alerting the cautious. And Yasuo was perhaps needlessly cautious. He watched the scene, tense and ready to defend Etsu if need be--but fortunately, it seemed to play itself out without needless bloodshed.

Etsu, on the other hand, hadn't felt cautious at all. Rather, she was interested. She even watched Rodrick go after he excused himself and started away.

Perhaps the White Ermine is a bad idea, then. Yasuo thought before speaking, "I am sorry--but we have urgent business to attend to, and must make haste to the Drop in a Bucket."

But just as Yasuo started forward, he was stopped by Etsu, who simply grabbed onto his sleeve. Once he noticed and looked back to her, she addressed him, "Iie. Temae dearou sewaninamasu."

Yasuo quirked a brow. Etsu's request-- or demand, rather --didn't seem very like her to make. "Hontou desu ka?"

At which, Etsu simply nodded and let go of Yasuo.

Yasuo simply shrugged his shoulders and started towards the boys, perhaps against his better judgment. "Well, I suppose it is not too urgent. I will take him if you lead the way to your residence."

He may not have looked it, but Yasuo was fairly strong. He could, and would, if allowed, pick up Benjamin and carry him over his shoulder. It certainly wasn't the most comfortable way to be carried, but then again, Yasuo wasn't very comfortable with Etsu's decision. He wasn't going to second guess her, but this did seem a little out of their way, and wholly irrelevant to their goal here.

The very fact that they were taking this boy to the inn they intended to head to anyways was a bit of a relief for Yasuo. Mayhaps Etsu had guessed that all along? He glanced beside of him, at the azure haired girl walking next to him. She had a stoic expression upon her face, watching where she walked, and following Peter all the same.

Benjamen's weightlessness didn't vex Yasuo much at first, but once he noticed that it was easier than sin to carry the boy, he started to run a number of possibilities through his head. More than likely, though, he just didn't eat much.

"What about his father?" Yasuo asked, simply to make a bit of conversation.

He figured that Peter's father must be the owner of the inn, or something along those lines. Perhaps he maintained a partnership with it. Whatever the case, Yasuo would seem harmless enough when he asked. He was outwardly kind in general, even when certain events made him a little uncomfortable.

They could get to the inn on their own, but it was Peter's job to not only lead them to the place, but to somewhere in the building they could drop his friend--or brother?--off safely.