Ninja Like Us

Coltan looked up from his plate and greeted the pair calmly. "A good morning to you both. I did manage to get some rest last night. And do not be shy, get as much as you desire." He gestured toward the breakfast before Natomi, though Kusa had already helped herself. He had to chuckle at her effervescent spirit. "Hmhm. I take it you were able to rest easy?"

Natomi began her own meal, though a bit slower then Kusa who had dug in with her usual enthuisasm. Which was fine, she wouldn't have her any other way. "Yeah. I had a real good night sleep, I'm just looking forward to today." She wasn't huge on shopping half the time, but she had her moments. She definitely looked forward to that game Kusa mentioned though. "Do you have any plans today?"

Kusa giggled. "Today's gonna be so fun... oh, and this is really good, thank you! ...And I slept really well! Better than I have in a while, really."

Coltan nodded to both of them."You're quite welcome, Miss Kusa. And I do have a bit of work to do today. I was contacted just this morning by a client offering information on the creatures who attacked last night. I'll be meeting with him around ten while you two are out."

Natomi was thinking of a few things in her head. I wonder what those creatures are made of. They had contradicting scents tied to them.

The young woman nodded a bit. "We'll, I hope you find something. Only thing I know about them is they're poisonous and have to be man made." Already, she was about halfway done with her meal.

Kusa hummed softly. "Well... why don't we come with you? I don't know about Natomi, but I know I want to know more about what attacked her. Natomi?"

Coltan thought on the proposal for a moment. There wasn't a set policy on involving non-employees in his work; as long as they were not endangered in any way. He was sure the call itself wasn't misinformation, nor was there reason to believe the meet was a trap. The two wouldn't be put in harm's way if they were to tag along. "...If you so desire. You are certainly welcome to attend the meeting with me. Though I do not wish to detract from your planned activities."

Natomi shook her head. "Not at all. We could still do all that later, right Kusa?" That, and if things did go bad, she could help Coltan. It was a bit more then a honor debt though, she was starting to really consider him a friend. She was about done with her food already.

Kusa, who was already done eating, pumped her fist happily. "Of course! We don't need to go immediately, after all."

Coltan smiled. "I suppose it is settled. There is still some time left, so prepare as needed. We'll all be leaving after a short while."

(mini time skip after talking to Fuzzy)

Natomi and Kusa were all ready to go and out the door to follow Coltan as he prepared to head to meet up with his client. "Lead the way, we'll follow." She really wanted to know more about those monsters, and if her hunch was right, it would lead to something even bigger. What that was she couldn't say. Hopefully who ever was contacting them wasn't leading Coltan on into a trap. She was probably just over anaylzing things and seeing stuff that wasn't there though.

For the most part, she kept close to Kusa; being in the middle between Coltan.

Kusa seemed completely carefree, smiling happily and humming as she walked. Natomi, of course, would know better. Kusa almost never let her guard down it seemed, even when it seemed otherwise.

Coltan readied himself for the day's trip as best he could. Since this meeting was presumably to be on civil terms, he left his scythe at home. He had other means of self defense at his employ. Not to mention the two shinobi at his side. They appeared nonchalant, Kusa particularly so; perhaps they only showed this calm on the surface? He honestly couldn't tell whether they were masterfully trained or calm at heart. Regardless, they were along for the ride.

The three came upon his place of work at the end of their walk. Coltan opened the door for the women to enter before doing so himself. The woman sitting at the front desk notified him that his scheduled client had already arrived and was waiting in Coltan's office. While the two women with him received curious glances, their presence wasn't questioned.

Within Coltan's office sat a slender and tall man. He was dressed in a well-made suit, perhaps a businessman. He immediately stood when Coltan and the girls entered. "H-Hello! I apologize for calling a meeting on such short notice." The man apologized. Coltan extended a hand to shake his.

"Mr. Dulhen, correct? Coltan Faran; we spoke over the phone this morning. Do not worry yourself. This is an immediate concern for myself, making this meet invaluable." He gestured to the two women standing beside him. "My associates: Miss Natomi and Kusano Mugen. They are involved in the incident as well. I hope you do not mind their participation?"

The man shook his head. "Not at all. My name is Valron Dulhen. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

So far so good. Natomi didn't feel any bad vibes from things. It almost sounded supercifical, but being a Shinobi you sort of developed a almost..six sense when it came to danger or less then trust worthy characters. It wasn't to say perfect, but it did help.

Natomi smiled at the man. "My name is Natomi Mugen; nice to meet you."

Kusa waved cheerfully. "Kusano Mugen, call me Kusa!"

The man nodded a little nervously to each woman in kind. It was strange, seeing their attire in such contrast to that of the rest of the office. Where Coltan wore one of his suits, Natomi and Kusano were dressed with a foreign minimalist style. Coltan maintained Valron's focus for him, something the man mentally thanked him for. "Why don't we get started. You say you have some information for me, Mr. Dulhen?"

"Yes, I do. Those creatures that attacked this city last night? I believe I know what they are and who created them." Coltan crossed his arms and leaned back onto his desk. The man continued. "I was in town during the attack, but wasn't there for it. I overheard one of the escapees talking about the incident and knew exactly what they were from the description. Grey humanoid creatures that lacked facial features but possessed elongated, elastic arms and sharp claws. No doubt their barbs held a poisonous ichor... They are a form of chimera created from demonic and humanoid tissue. Since they're animated by unnatural means, they do not require their entire bodies to live on. Severing their heads or disposing of their upper torso will work just fine."

Coltan raised his hand in gesture to stop. "Just one moment. How is it you know so much about these creatures?" The man nodded again, taking a step back in this explanation.

"Right, of course. I worked for a good friend not too long ago. He owned a very successful gaming company until he and his wife were killed by these very creatures. They were survived by their two sons, Xircan And Kaldar. The younger brother, Kaldar, managed to survive. The elder brother... He is the one who created the chimera. And he commanded them to attack his own family." Coltan stopped him again.

"What reasoning do you have to believe the elder brother is responsible?" His tone was even. He'd become accustomed to dealing with twisted individuals; something he wasn't entirely proud of.

Valron covered his mouth and wore a disgusted expression. "When... When the creatures appeared, he accompanied them. He just stood there. As if he wanted to watch..." Coltan shook his head with a sigh. Another aggravated murder... It was senseless.

Natomi scowled a bit at this. She really didn't understand this kind of thing, even if she was no stranger to it. "..Do you know why he had him killed?" There had to be a reason, even if it was small. It might be some clue getting into their head so they could get a hold of him. Natomi was already thinking a mile a minute about things; training starting to kick into effect.

Kusa's usually chipper demeanor had become serious. She had crossed her arms, her eyes closed as she listened to things with a stern expression.

Valron looked to Natomi. "Xircan exploded furiously when Mr. Tuler decided to name Kaldar as the company successor rather than his eldest son. It seems like such a trivial thing to beget murder... Kaldar has always been a good young man. I'm sure he would have shared the company or at least given his brother a distinguished position."

"Pride." Coltan answered easily. "Some would rather not be handed what they believe they deserve in their own right. It appears to be a matter of poor judgment and foolish pride." The man thought on that.

"Xircan was a bit cavalier, and I can see how losing his parents' company would anger him so. But... to insight killing his own family...?"

"I have seen others kill for less, Mr. Dulhan. It is a shame, yes. Illogical, not so much. What can you tell me of Xircan?"

"Not very much. He disappeared after attacking Mr. and Mrs. Tuler. He's been off the grid for some time, but this event is the most public he's become in a while. Just one moment..." He pulled a picture from his pocket and held it up for the small group to see. "This is him."

Natomi felt disgust and anger at that. How could someone be that..small? She didn't understand it and would never understand it. Even if something like this wasn't new to her didn't mean she'd ever get completely used to it. "..To think someone would go that great length over something like this. A game company and the like are material and could be replaced..family can't. Do you know anything about him..personality wise?"

Only thing she knew for sure..if given the chance she just might end up killing him. Nice as she was normally, at the end of the day, Natomi was still a shinobi.

Kusa placed a hand on Natomi's shoulder, and nodded when meeting her eyes. They needed no words; if the time came, Kusa would help Natomi do what she needed to do.

Valron didn't really have to think about it. "He used to be very levelheaded before this all started. Although, he was also confident in himself and could be rude to others because of it. As long as I've known him, he's had a terrible temper. To think it would drive him this far."

Coltan contemplated the situation. "That still poses the question as to why he directed his creatures to attack here. Is the second son somewhere within the city?" The man nodded.

"Sort of. Kaldar lives nearby and has been under close watch by his own security ever since the passing of his parents. However, he was nowhere near where the attack took place. Kaldar isn't even in town; he'll be back in a few days. Xircan had nothing to gain from targeting random civilians..." That sounded peculiar to Coltan as well. Was it possible that Natomi was their intended target? It was highly improbable. She, herself, stated her excursions outside of her clan's village were few and far between. The odds of her having any connection to the Tuler family. "I'd suggest speaking with Kaldar, but I'm not sure what further information you'll find."

"Speaking with him certainly couldn't hurt. We'll have to wait, but there are some things I can look into in the meantime. Is there any other information you can offer?"

Valron rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm... not sure. I don't know where Xircan is hiding, but I can tell you he's very good with computers and technology. He's hacked his family's systems on occasion. Is there anything else You would like to know?"

Natomi thought about it, mulling it over before speaking. "We'll..maybe a address would help for Kaldar then. Though, maybe the reason he did it was to test them? Or perhaps it awakened a side of him he wasn't aware of. Power does things, and it sounds like these things he made are relatively new so its not out of the question he did. That and killing his parents, maybe it was there all along and just needed the right trigger. I can't imagine someone who could murder their family in cold blood over something that trivial could be completely sane."

"So, maybe it was just a test. Like..seeing his power in work as he improves it." It sounded rather dark, but in hindsight, it made some disturbing amount of sense for her theory. "Anyway, I don't have anymore questions. Kusa might though."

Kusa paused. "It... well, what Natomi said made some sense, I guess... not the first time someone decided to test newfound power on a loved one... disturbing as that is..."

Coltan nodded in agreement with the women, mentally filing away the theories and information for later usage. Valron jotted down Kaldar's home address and handed it to Coltan. "Here you are. Like I said, he shouldn't be back in town for at least a couple days. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you." Coltan shook his head.

"You've done quite the opposite, Mr. Dulhan. We've a name, picture, and valuable information on the creatures we know of. It is far greater of a lead than I can usually hope for in my line of work. You have my thanks." Valron stood up to shake Coltan's hand once more.

"Thank you. And I sincerely hope you're able to find him." He said that to all three of them. "If you do, please. Be careful." Valron offered this final bit of advice before taking his leave.

Coltan sighed and stood at ease. "I cannot say I enjoy jobs like these, though eliminating this threat carries a certain priority now." This was obviously a conflict that could not be resolved with diplomacy.