[IC] Hunter X Hunter: Heavens Children

[ZxyxZemon]

Buru City, Esanian Continent,

Seven individuals lazed around a closed, old, and mostly run down looking bar, five stationary and two standing or hovering around. Two men who had looked to be a couple leaning in and discussing something in sharp and hushed tones, as well as who the sole woman leaning up against the bar behind their table, who looked to be their personal attendant. A bartender who sat near the edge of the bar, waiting for an order and making idle chat as he watched the two musicians play. Then there sat a sole male in a table positioned near the center of the left wall. Mostly the usual after hours faces, and what seemed to be a normal night for everyone in the bar, except for two. One of these individuals dipped their hand into their pocket, as if to make sure an object or possession was still there before silently assuring themselves of something under their breath. After doing so they looked up smoothly, calmly, as if they were security doing a check of a supervised area. They smiled to themselves for a moment before realizing the wait wasn't over yet, at and dipped their head a little lower.

As this happened the other individual planely watched from the side of their eye, playing careful not to let the other see them looking. Almost everything was going perfect, and they just had to hope for the best.

Byakko

"She's late," Byakko stated to himself as he let a straw slip from his mouth, drinking from the melted ice and remains of the drink held prior. He sat, covered by a long overcoat and hood which concealed most of his physical presence behind a thick layer of leather. "Goddamn it, I knew this was going to happen," He droned on inaudibly to no one at all, and popped his head up to look over once again. "And it appears we have a game apparently." He thought to himself, before allowing for a small shrug. "Whatever, whoever this player is might just make tonight interesting. And I guess I'll just be taking care of things myself tonight, again. Per usual, at this point. It shouldn't be that bad but damn, I hope I do an alright job dealing with everyone. He continued to think to himself, becoming slightly lost in his own swirling train of thought.

He had been waiting for all the new recruits to show up. 11/11, that was the date, both current and the one printed on everyone's letter telling them roughly where to show up. "If they're all Hunters, it shouldn't be too much of an issue for them. See, you and I got our licenses as something just along the way, I hear a lot of these people set out to accomplish that specific goal." King had said to Byakko when he had brought it up. As well as that, the bar was closed and no lights could be see all too well from the outside, and the closed sign shined brightly, albeit flickering, outside of the building. The first test of sorts, wasn't one that was difficult, and this kind of thing comes up often in nearly any of the correlating lines of work carried out in this somewhat secret world. It was almost to be expected. Besides, Byakko wasn't sure if this exact bar had even always been the location he was going to be sent, not with the appearance of this other player now. Maybe the boss had planned this, he was thinking. As this thought passed through his mind, he also couldn't help but wonder where the boss was, or Riza for that matter. She was supposed to be here to help greet the new possible recruits. Thinking back, he still wasn't sure why the boss had him sign the letters, or why he wasn't here himself tonight. All Byakko could do for now is wait for the litter to arrive, and see what plays out.

[Renny]

Provoke Woogong

Provoke had been fighting bouts of regret since his departure from Heavens' Arena, it felt like a dull rapping against his consciousness. A reminder that he might be chasing demons, adventure, or anything in between. He was crouched outside the shady bar, back against the cold exterior with boredom adorning his lethargic silver eyes. He tapped the hard ground with his fingertips in a thoughtless rhythm. Its 'CLOSED' sign flickered with age but that wasn't what kept him from going inside. He could hear music from inside, feel their presence through what he considered a survival instinct. No, what kept him from going inside the bar was his premature age. He was fifteen and he refused to get involved with the law, considering his non-existence.

He sighed, pondering his next move. The letter's meeting place was clear enough and still he battled with the idea of being 'thrown' back away. A seemingly silent moment passed. 'I'll just go in,' he decided suddenly, raising up slow before dusting off his dark trousers. The deep yellow of his sweater was a smoldering glow against the dark backdrop of the bar.

The youth tried the door and found it unlocked. It was almost second nature to fall into sorts with the background, to belong or disappear, whichever he preferred at the moment. In that moment, he preferred to belong. He strolled inside, looked at the patrons and instantly adopted a narrow expression of annoyance. A quick dip into his back pocket brought out the letter, which he glanced at before looking up again with hopes gleaming a clue or two.

"The White Tiger... probably the most shadiest of the shady-looking here," he muttered, training his gaze on a hooded figure. A smidge of fear raised in him and like usual he managed to control that unwanted emotion. His boots pattered loudly as he strolled up to the hooded man and for some reason, that resounding sound, his own footfalls, brought pause to him. He lifted his head to the ceiling, exasperated by what he was going to do.

He felt it was idiotic and perhaps dangerous, mostly likely dangerous, but it was ridiculous skulking about. He had traveled to Buru from a long ways and honestly, was feeling impatient, tired, and hoodwinked. He wanted to get it over, even if it meant the possibility of dying. Clearly and calm, his voice raised above the musical entertainment, "I'm looking for The White Tiger, I got your invite and I'm interested. Are you here? If you are, I'll wait ten minutes... After that, I'm leaving."

[vancexentan]

Having walked all the way here from his training near Zaban City, Lyle Rockwood was worn out, a bit irritable, and wondering if this was one of his uncle's dumb pranks. Getting an invitation to some bar, to meet a guy calling himself a tiger? A white one if memory served Lyle right. It all seemed a bit to on the nose for his own tastes. The Rockwood family was not unfamiliar with dumb pranks played on them one time he nearly got kicked out of the Heaven's Arena because his opponent called him out with a fake message in the middle of the night to the back parts of Padokea City. It would be a real pain in the butt if all of this walking was a waste of time. Especially since this was a city he wasn't familiar with. Still it wasn't any weirder than some other cities he had gone through on his journey...at least from his brief experience in the city so far.

Having left his belongings from the Arena with his family he forfeited his claim to the higher Escalon of the Arena to go and start training by himself a few months ago. Meeting some hunters here and there was the best part of it seeing how each of them wanted to grow in their specific area. That was the neat thing they didn't need to just be a physical powerhouse like himself, or even use nen, a novel concept who wouldn't want to master their own variation of nen? It was so useful...but that was besides the point. Lyle's journey had made him realize that people were different than in the arena, and around Padokea City. Some wanted to try and become food critics, while others sought to become actual hunter hunters, not the people kind more of the animal variation, seeking to tame, or beat out the world's scariest beasts. Some people had it, others didn't but Lyle himself not being a hunter often had to ask his parents for help with travelling. It was a pain watching some people get ahead because of a dumb piece of plastic. But if he became a hunter he'd be put out in front of a bunch of dumb regulations, and orders. Nah he'd be a better martial artist if he just trained hard, and fought harder.

As he got to the door to the meeting place he saw someone there he thought they had looked familiar but was unsure from where exactly. Still it seemed by the way they were talking they were also here to meet the White Tiger dude, or dudette. Whoever, or whatever they were who knows maybe it was an actual tiger? Their voice booming made him back step as he blinked. Well better to let that person do whatever it is they wanted to do. If they caused a ruckus he didn't want to get in the crossfire and get kicked out of the meeting spot. Taking a few steps back away from the door Lyle crossed his arms and whistled quietly to himself waiting to see if it would be ok to get in, or not.

[Octo]

Kirche looked down at her letter, and then back up at the tavern. She supposed it was natural to meet in a junk heap that no one in their right mind would go near. She doubted anyone but those in receipt of that strange letter would want anything to do with this place. In fact, Kirche herself almost didn't want to go in. It reminded her too much of the seedy shitholes that populated Meteor City. She wasn't exactly expecting a fancy hotel bar, but...

She shook her head. She wasn't there to judge. She was there, ostensibly, to hear a White Tiger out about a vague proposition. Preferably something that would cure her affliction. Something to assuage her boredom and, perhaps, something that was capable of forcing her to become the sort of person that Old Man Yorki and the others thought she could be. She sighed, removed a small handkerchief from inside her apron, and used the fabric to turn the knob without getting the filth all over her fingers.

She entered the bar with something of an irritating, dainty air, closing the door gently and tucking the handkerchief back into her apron. It would be an understatement to say that she stuck out like a sore thumb. The maid outfit was almost certainly overkill, but she personally enjoyed it. In Yorknew city where she spent most of her time, a woman in such an outfit bled into the crowd so much as to be unnoticeable. It was nice. Here, though, she assumed not so much.

Kirche scanned the room quickly, and was somewhat surprised at how many people were actually there. Then, raising her eyebrow, she scanned the room again. Weren't there a surprising number of relatively young men? They seemed an odd fit for a bar. She stared at Provoke especially, noting that the lad couldn't possibly be more than sixteen. Hunters, perhaps. Hunters were called here, after all, and possessing a license could let you ignore certain age restrictions...

Kirche kind of wanted a drink, but she wasn't willing to pay money for potentially poisoned swill. She'd find a nice bottle of something later if everything went well. Maybe a good chardonnay.

[ZxyxZemon]

Byakko

Byakko was careful as he watched the new herd approach. Careful not to look too directly, careful not to completely ignore them. Careful to size them up as much as anyone would in a place like this, but careful not to peer too deep. He was quite aware that out of everyone in this bar, he likely was the one that hung out the most, but that was fine. All part of the game. What was quickly becoming increasingly annoying however, was that persistent feeling he had in his stomach of being watched himself. More so, he couldn't tell from where.

No matter, for now only one thing can be dealt with at a time.

His seating had allowed him a clear view of the door, as well as much of the rest of the small establishment this meeting was being held in. Although, he still felt the approach of the first individual before seeing them. Damn, kids got some aura there. I wouldn't normally feel someone's normal flowing aura through these walls unless I was concentrating. Kid might even have King beat in raw depth. Probably an Enhancer, or one of the neighboring two. Could always be wrong but- Ah, there he is." Byakko peered out of the side of his eye as the first finally approached, using the actual door. The front damn door. Furthermore, he didn't even bother to restrain from a small chuckle as the small bar lit up momentarily with snickers and laughs at the loud exclamation the young boy had made. "Massive aura, zero tact. Guess things balance themselves out in this world after all. Well, here we go." Byakko thought to himself as he shot the bartender a glance, a movement that couldn't truly be noticed under the cloak, slightly motioning to the boy with his eyes and a tiny jerk of the head.

Byakko had thought on his curiosity over whether this had always been the meeting ground or not. While the rather unique properties of this shady little bar were certainly quite useful, there were other similar establishments with functions that could be useful as well. And while he momentarily thought up a few other ways this could go had their current barkeep not been one of such distinct talent, he was thankful that things could be kept much simpler.

After catching the small gesture given to him, the bartender stood from his seat at the far side of his bar and made his way closer to the door. After closing the small gap between them enough not to have to shout over the low music, the barkeep began to speak to the boy. "Look kid, I'm not sure what your here deal is here, kid. But I can't be having kids in me's here bar, okay kid? Imma have tah here ask yahs to wait for me's until I can get an positive ID's for yahs, since yah stepped foot in the bar already. Policly an all, yah understand. An it's late, I can't be having yahs yellin round here and giving me's customer's head hurtin's. I got to be sending yahs to the dungeons fah that. Sorry, kid. Just, wait around when ya gets there..." The bartender finally finished his long strange ramble, and it was also at this time the second boy had finished his approach. And consequently, struck Byakko's attention at just the wrong time.

"Well, he's got a much smoother aura at least, but doesn't seem to want to commit. Let's see how it goes for him." He thought before clearing his throat quite loudly, chuckling to himself slightly as he cast his eyes further back, at the boy who had only just approached. This caused the barkeep to glace over his shoulder, looking back towards the door and behind the first boy, shrugging as his eyes rolled slightly before opening his mouth to say,

"Watch yahs drinks everyone." Various grumbles and even a few complaints at Provoke's expense resounded through the small establishment. Though before truly having a chance to respond, the barkeep clamped his hands together in a loud clap and suddenly the ground began to rumble. For only a moment things began viscous, the tables began to quiver on their legs and accumulated dust flew from well, everywhere, and then as quickly as it came it had passed. As it did, a hole had opened up under the feet of the first boy who had entered the bar, almost six feet in diameter stretching back towards the second. This gave Provoke no room to escape, and did not leave much for Lyle either, only a lightning fast reaction able to save him before the hole closed back up.

Byakko sighed to himself, relaxing momentarily as he sat back down to await the next round of individuals, casting his gaze towards the door once again to see if the other boy had made it out of the way before being swallowed up. Only then was it that he had noticed the girl in the maids outfit, who stepped in momentarily after the other two. How.. What is she doing here, did they get new staff here? No.. Her aura is definitely flowing, but.. so quietly. I wonder where she's from, or what kin of training she's gotten to keep her aura so reserved naturally. I guess we'll see if she picks up on who she's supposed to be meeting here, or maybe she'll leave after seeing that happen. Game continues, I suppose.

As a result of this particular establishment and its rather peculiar owner, Provoke, and possibly Lyle, were sent tumbling down a mudslide which had opened directly under his feet, too wide to be escaped. What greeted him was a corridor about forty feet in length and another thirty in width. A door sat at the opposite end, as well as two opposing on each side. Half a dozen torches flickered around the large corrider. Each of the five doors having a different shape embroidered on the front of them. Nothing else represented itself in this room.

[vancexentan]

Having looked over the scene from his spot Lyle couldn't help but wonder if he just got pranked? No kids underage were allowed inside? Then why the hell did someone call him here? Why not a hotel lobby, or something? Man...what a pain in the ass. He could've been searching for his uncle or something. The man was a tournament hunter so it wouldn't have been hard to find him. Ugh well at least he got to see a couple of new spots but this trip was certainly not worth it if someone was just messing with him to make him punk his way back to the top of Heaven's Arena back home. Maybe mom was right he should stop taking people at their word because people simply were that rude. As Lyle considered ditching his instincts kicked in at the first feeling of a rumble. He started to pump his nen through his body activating his ten in order to shield himself from some unseen attack, or another. His eyes darted back and forth to seek out possible enemies to his left, and right. But he saw no one coming near him.

Natural instinct was one of his biggest strengths, and one of his biggest weaknesses. It both hindered him by acting without thinking, and allowed him to react quick enough to catch someone else off guard. In the arena they saw a 15 year old boy with barely a few wins under his belt and thought they were just some scrub kid to push over. When they did so it allowed him to get in a cheeky power shot, or knock them off their feet without showing his real hand. In this occasion the feeling of the earth moving, rumbling, and moving...earthquake? He couldn't see anything and he doubted anything big would be invisible. Anything up in the sky he would feel it in his hair. So it meant below! His nen focused to his finger nails turning them into claws as he smacked his hand into a nearby wall allowing him to steady himself as the ground caved in beneath him. By reflex he pushed himself back with the small amount of time he gained to get himself to a position where he wouldn't slip, or fall. He was glad he didn't let himself go full out...might've set something on fire if he breathed his fire onto that mud turning it to clay. Could've set the building or something wooden on fire.

He angrily turned his head upward his eyes having changed from human to that of a lizard's more of a slit than a circle. "You know if I'm not allowed inside you could've just said so dude! Jeez! Man...ha....look I just got a message asking for me to come and talk to some guy out here. Something about a tiger, or a king or whatever?" Lyle says as he takes a deep breath having narrowly escaped his situation. His adrenaline kick still running through is body made him pant a bit as he managed to calm himself down. "Is there anyone here going by that? If not I guess I'll see myself out. Much as I like a good fight I don't like ruining a person's livelihood either. Bar like this gotta mean something to you right due?" Lyle says as he tries to deescalate the situation. Whatever happened to the guy who fell in the hole...well he started it. Hope it wasn't too bad down there. "Preferably I'd like to not get mud on my clothes thanks."

[SilverPaw]

Shei Vivem

Shei ran through the streets, hastily scrawled directions that may as well be indecipherable to another held in one hand, backpack slung on the shoulder of the other arm. The travel had taken quite a while, having started from another continent, and then she’d needed to gather some intel to find where the meeting was. Usual hunter stuff, really, but she may, may have gotten distracted by some cool local mask shop she’d happened to see, and well…Well. The rest, as they say, was history.

She peered into the distance as she weaved in between the throng of people, checking her note every then and again, comparing her self-made instructions to the streets and locales surrounding her. “Aha!” she exclaimed when she saw some unlikely individuals entering an otherwise seemingly abandoned bar some ways away. Still, she double checked the bar with the options her note enumerated – one of them was a match. Hm, so they went with this one…

By the time she arrived, those who’d arrived before here had already entered. Shei was just about to open the door, when there was some sort of disturbance inside. Curious, she yanked the door open. However, beside the tense atmosphere, and the teen ready for trouble – or perhaps trying to stay out of trouble based on his words, there was no sign of anything untoward having happened. Of course, Shei knew that appearances were deceptive. Should have activated Gyo, maybe. But…Mm, not that dangerous, yet.

Showing no signs of hesitations, she went right in. “Hey, hey, so did I miss the action, or what?” She asked cheerfully, looking around, taking in the participant. Her gaze settled on the hooded individual she assumed was the White Tiger.

[Renny]

Provoke Woogong

Provoke leaned his head a bit closer to the barkeep, trying to grasp what the man was saying. While not fully understanding, he still nodded in agreement, eyes sharply fixed on the hooded figure he had been approaching earlier. All of this was eerie but at the very least he had known he was in the right place. At the right time. Provoke reached up to pull on a strand of his ashen hair in thought, 'ID checks makes sense but did he say dungeon?' he glanced around with just his eyes wondering what the Barkeep meant by dungeon.

"Wait, what dung-" The Barkeep continued on without pause, Provoke twisted absently in search of answers but when the Barkeep clapped his hands and the bar begun to shake and warp; his practice with his mother kicked in. Instantly he tensed up, his massive aura spiking to life before shrouding him as the ground slipped away. There was no time to escape the hole and a part of him hated how quickly the trap had been sprung. 'What am I some freaking idiot!' he thought, the sheer speed of the mudslide whipping his hair and dirtying his outfit.

With something akin to skill, though probably not as graceful as his mother or Falcon, Provoke leapt off the slide and grounded himself, awareness on a hundred. The underground space was lit with warm torches, inviting not only heat but a suffocating air that bothered him slightly. After a tense moment, Provoke settled his thumping heart and exhaled a long breath. His yellow sweater was dirty now and his skin felt like it'd soon be pottery-worthy but he was unharmed.

'So what now? The barkeep said wait but... should I? No, I need to think this through. What would mom do?' That question repeated itself thrice before he finally decided that he would wait. He curled up against the wall, away from the dark corners that sporadically popped up around the several doors and beneath a warm torch near his makeshift entrance. 'Who am I kidding, Mom's a three-star Hunter. I'm just... just...' He sighed the thought of 'garbage' away and pulled his knees to his chest and placed his chin onto his arms.

"I hope I don't die because of this. It'd be the stupidest way to go."

[Octo]

Kirche was, rather immediately, introduced to what was most likely a nen ability that seemed to dump a person (almost two) beneath the floorboards upon entering the establishment. That was certainly a way to introduce yourself to potential hires. Normally she would suppose it was an ambush, but the fact that such an ability was revealed so early and in her presence made her think that they weren't serious about hurting her. An assassin doesn't show their hand until the deed is nearly complete, and never to strangers.

Looking around the bar, most of the patrons didn't seem particularly phased by the action earlier. Whether or not they were plants to make the setting seem more natural was up in the air, but one thing was for certain: the preceding events were not natural. There was no doubt in her mind that the patrons, then, must be Hunters.

Yes... they were all Hunters. The barkeep was saying something about identification before, wasn't he? Combined with the unassuming, clandestine location and the closed sign out front... that meant that this was possibly...

"A Hunter's Bar, correct?" Kirche asked politely, brandishing her Hunter License at the bartender. She gave a short curtsey and nodded at the fellow patrons, nearly allowing herself to chuckle at Lyle's sputtering and shouting. She seemed to find some degree of enjoyment in his misfortune, which she quickly redirected into what seemed to be kind concern for the young woman who had just burst in.

"No, no, you haven't missed any action at all, I don't think," she told Shei gently, "in fact, I'm fairly certain that was just the prelude. Did you, perhaps, get a letter also?"

[ZxyxZemon]

King Tencho & Kagayaku Seige
Tuha Province, Eastern Jappon.

King sat comfortably, with his feet resting lazily in what essentially equated to a cubby hole in front of him. A fresh caramel flavored coffee rested in his hands, steaming feverishly as King took a sip. The coffee also had a double shot, of espresso and of vodka. Perks of first-class, and a Hunters' License. King had spoken in a conversational tone into his phone, optimistic and sarcastic. A light smile spread across his lips in a smirk and sunglasses hid his eyes.

"I hope Ko's doing alright with the recruits, probably should have told him that you weren't going to be there, but, you know how he gets. I didn't want to have to deal with some kind of pissy fit, and he's competent enough when he wants to be, just a bit.. dimwitted, but we love him all the more for it, right? Plus, as you know, I needed you to keep an eye on our new hopeful friend while I made contact with Rok. It was nice seeing him, he asked about you, by the way, Senra".

""Dimwitted?" "Love?" I'm not sure you know exactly what you're talking about, but sure let's go with that... Either way, that idiot should be just fine, hopefully. If he fucks it up then we know for sure that this operation is much better off without him in the first place, and we'll go to the second batch of potentials. First group isn't always the best, you know. And, well, that's nice enough to hear about Rok, I guess. Haven't seen him in what, three, four years now? Tell him I said "Hi," as well if or when you make contact again".

"For the last time Senra, whether or not you're joking, and whether or not he may be a little more than a dimwit sometimes, we've all been together for years, there is no operation without him. We're the founders of this whole thing anyways, now it's time to take it a step up. Also, time for a whole lot of new parties, and time to take care of those shitheads that made your life a living hell and continue to pester ours now. Luckily we haven't seen then in a while, but.. Anyway, I've got to go Senra, almost action time."

King hung up his phone and tucked it into his inside jacket pocket after exchanging a quick goodbye. His eyes scanned the figures as they moved in to take their seating. King was on a flight from Jappon to Sverth, which would then be on a connecting flight to Ochima, where his contact had told him the one he was looking for was going. In fact, on this particular flight itself. King was here to make a personal association with the adopted younger brother of an old friend. While the one he was making contact with was around the same age as him King had always kept older company for the most part, which is what led to King being friends with the contacts older brother. "Kagayaku" King said a singular time to himself. That is who he was here for.

Apparently, this kid had some kind of furious Nen, and something attached to it at that. He was another martial artist and quite intuitive when it came to application. Apparently. This was all on the word of his old friend, who had told him about the kid, who had apparently been longing to leave in fear of harming his own family. That, and this "thing" attached to Kagayaku's Nen was what truly intrigued King. He wanted to know more about what this Nen being was, in hopes he could learn something powerful and new to add to his Contractual abilities. He also wanted to save the brother of his older friend from such a miserable and boring fate of living off your life hidden as a nobody. King also so happened to have intentions of building a family capable of rending not only his own, but more importantly, the dreams of each other, realized no matter the obstacles that may be ahead of them. With all of these intentions bubbling and swirling within King, he saw an opportunity.

And so, he sat, alone on this plane while his friends had carried out his plans for him. As he waited for the boy to make his appearance.

---

---

Orgus had done so much for him and the way he wound up being repaid for that kindness was irrational and unforgivable. Even attempting to make sense of what could've happened with solid, logical facts were too easy on his conscious. The biggest and saddest issue was that Rengoku showed an ugly insidiousness. Kagayaku presumed that Orgus revealing his weakness prompted the 'black-out' or attack on his Master. That Rengoku was ease-dropping and planned the vicious assault. Everything else was minor he'd decided because he was essentially living with the enemy now. They were sitting at the same table, walking hand-in-hand. How was he to deal with a 400 hundred year old, Nen-user?

Kagayaku felt utterly forsaken. He felt heavy and his eyes were red from his crying-fit the night before. The screaming, even choked-out, lasted far too long. From his trek into town to him boarding the plane, his Zetsu had been up. He was sure his presence in the world had been muted and while unnecessary, it felt right for some trying to disappear all together.

He had committed most of his lessons to memory, knew a bit about being a Hunter from Orgus and Rok. So he took precautions; extra-steps to conceal his next moves. Undisclosed flight paths, low-traffic airports, and though silly, he even changed his normal clothes so he wouldn't pop out during the CCTV footage scan--which would inevitably happen knowing, Rok.

As he boarded the plane, a man checked his ticket and ushered him to coach. Kagayaku took his ticket back swiftly, "Uh, thanks and ummm, you never saw me," he muttered, drawing an odd expression from the employee.

Halfway to his seat, a certain feeling of lesser-finality came upon him, rushing through him from the curtained entrance to 1st class. Absent-minded for the first time in three or four days, he'd lost track in the chaos, Kagayaku found himself seated but on the verge of another panic-attack. "Am I going crazy? is Rengoku about to surface? did I- did I feel this way that day too!?"

[ZxyxZemon]

Byakko

Byakko had observed carefully, still not moving from his spot at the loud complaints of the boy, seeing as the barkeep began to make a point he had very much wanted to scream out himself by now. He had mostly begun to keep an eye on the girl in the maid's outfit. Especially after she had been the first one to start making sense of this whole situation. He also took note of the next new arrival, as well the cheery tone she had projected, as well as her confident stride as she walked in.

"Well, she looks like she had some clue of where she was going. Must have prepared maps or notes, smart. And maid girl over here seems to be our group detective it would seem. At least someone started using their heads. Well, cheery. Why do the girls always gotta be the bright ones? Senra would be proud. If she had decided to actually show up"... Byakko had grimaced to himself before turning his head towards the boy once more to hear what the barkeep had been saying.

"First off boy, I don't say nothing 'bout my customers. Girl here has smart idea." The barkeep had jabbed a thumb in the direction of Kirche, "Maybe think that, no? Maybe kind of bar is reason you meet here. See yourself out if you want yes, but puny boy could never ruin Gana's Saloon! No!" The barkeep, who was apparently named "Gana", had waved his fat finger back in forth in the air, shouting slightly. With a "humph" he had turned to sit again, beginning to polish glasses as he grumbled something continuously about "special bar".

Byakko had smirked to himself slightly, not the greatest of explanations, but he supposed it would suffice. Hopefully enough to get them moving or asking questions. It was also at this time Byakko had stood, nodding slightly to Gana before a single small quake rumbled through the building. The wood warping on the wall directly to Byakko's left as a door shaped itself into existence as if it had been there all along. He then shot a quick smirk at the small group of individuals that had gathered here for the same purpose, giving them the smallest of nods as he pulled open the newly formed door.

"See ya soon, hopefully.." Byakko had said to the group, though it had been barely audible as he took a single step forward, plummeting him down a similar albeit much more neatly formed hole in the ground, before the door warped itself similarly out of existence. Large bricks began to shift and recede above the area Provoke had found himself in, and a clean, smoothly cut 8x8 cubic hole opened in the ceiling area. Byakko had then begun to brace for his landing as warm light began to illuminate the darkness. Though the descent of the Provoke may have seemed short, the sliding tunnel path that was created was what made it seem so. Falling directly down as Byakko was, the descent was nearly 60 feet. He let out a small laugh which echoed through the tunnel way down. "Some flair, perhaps?" He thought to himself as he let out another slightly louder chuckle.

As he came through the ceiling entrance of the "dungeon" area and the bricks began to shift back into place, Byakko was able to see the boy below before he threw his cloak into the air. Revealing wildly whipping white hair and a large grin as he fell. Bending his knees slightly he grabbed his still sheathed blade and slammed it downwards as he finally landed in the area below. He landed in a semi-crouched position, the sheathed blade cracking the bricks beneath it while sending out a small shockwave that resonated through the ground. His landing reverberating loudly as he stated, "Always love that part," with a large smile.

"Hey, what's wrong kid? Get off the ground or something. You were just kinda dumb, just a little bit. It's fine. I'm like that too, sometimes. Or so Senra would say." Byakko said in a rather nonchalant voice as he dusted himself off, his cloak floating down beside him as he snatched it out of the air. "Sorry, maybe that was rude, but uh.. The others should be here well.. Soon, hopefully. You weren't actually just gonna wait around down here, were you? Bad idea." He began to approach the door on the far wall, talking as he went "Tell you what, to make up for it you could find a way to open these doors and beat the hell out of whatever is in them. Just kidding! Gotta wait for the others to do that, sorry." Gesturing vaguely above them, not giving the boy a chance to speak. "I won't tell you what's behind them exactly, but I will ask, have you ever fought large, wild animals before? Haha, me personally, grew up that way you see? Now when the others get here, it'll be your job to tell them this. Each of those four doors leads to the same place, with a test of combat, right? That place would be behind to this last here door, actually." He knocked on the thick wood of the final door, at the far end of the hall. "And behind this door, is another, albeit much more dangerous, trial by combat. Here's the trick though, these doors can only be opened at the same time, with one or more person's Nen being applied to the seal on the door. But this last door can only be opened with four or more individual aura's doing the same thing and only then would the trial behind this door activate as well. Group chooses this last door, you get to do the joint trial. You guys choose the others, well I think you get the idea. Your guys' choice ultimately. Now, gotta go, these torches do drain Nen whenever there's more than one individual in here, after all." Byakko had finished his rant before giving Provoke any chance to question or protest. He then knocked a certain small rhythm onto the door before it slid open ever so slightly and he stepped out of the large hall.

"Man, this bar is useful." He thought to himself before stepping into the large room in which he would now wait.

[Renny]

Provoke Woogong

Provoke had been thinking on what to do next. His head resting on his folded arms, eyes closed but mind pacing in a foggy circle. For a time he had considered using "Ready, Aim, Fire!" but thought that that had a greater chance of killing him then anything else he had imagined. Then he really thought things through. The shady bar was obviously a front. What he hadn't figured out was that he was being tested. He should've known better. What he was settling on was finally getting up and exploring the underground space when the ceiling had begun to warp and slither.

A swift figure slammed into the ground from the opening overhead, a wave of dust spreading outward. Provoke leapt back from his spot, aura springing to life around him, but once he witnessed the white-haired figure stand and skillfully pick a falling hood from the air, he righted his brawling stance. Provoke had been a tad more interested in his entrance then his explanation. He tried to catch it all but all he really grabbed from it was that A. Others would join him. B. They were to systematically clear those doors. And C. that those torches drained Nen when more than one person was down there.

He could not feel a drain on his Nen and figured it was his massive reserves that afforded him that. After a moment, the white-haired man knocked on the stone in a rhythm. Provoke could only remember the last part, he fumbled with the beginning. 'No harm in trying,' he guessed after watching him slip away. So he strode over to wall, thinking he'd knock on it till tiring himself out but he didn't have too. The wall was still slightly parted, so he stepped in as well, looking around. "Wait... so all this was down here? Beneath the bar?" he asked, amazed.

[vancexentan]

Seeing the bar going back to some normal Lyle calmed his nen but kept his senses on alert as he made his way to the edge of the bar. He brought out his wallet, and brought out a handful of money. "Mister Barkeep do you have any food? I'll have something. If not well I'll head out like I said I would. Sorry for shouting a bit just now but if I'm here I may as well eat something before I go home." Lyle comments simply as he waits for a response. He hopes whoever here tries to show themselves now if not well...guess he'd better head back home. There was much he could do in this situation. Whoever went down that hole after that kid wasn't really his problem. He was hoping not to get into a fight if he could help it. People in bars usually didn't fight fair and he didn't want to ruin this place by making a smokescreen to run away.

[SilverPaw]

Shei Vivem

“Hm?” Shei turned to the person who’d spoken, a white-haired girl in a maid uniform. “Oh, nice to know. Thanks! And yeah, I got the letter, sure. Would be a pretty funny coincidence otherwise.” Well, if funny was another word for inadvisable or dangerous. But since she was supposed to be there, it didn’t matter.

She watched as the barkeep berated a boy, amused. “So, Mr. Gana, d’you want to see my license too?” a brow quirked in inquiry.
However, the second earthquake distracted her, and she glanced at the newly formed door intrigued. A nen ability including transportation, maybe even forming the other location? Pretty neat.

“Hey, hey, did you do that?” she glanced at Gana askance. Not so much because she guessed it was him, but because he – besides the presumed White Tiger – had been the only person so far who’d spoken or paid attention to them at all. “Can you get another door or whatever for me too?”

Shei waited till a reply – or the formation of another portal. When the latter eventually happened, whether it was a door or a hole, Shei went in without hesitation. Soon, she found herself in an underground dungeon, noticing another boy standing around there.

“Hi! Were you the first guest hunter at the bar? I didn’t see you when you came in, but I did feel that weird earthquake from the outside…So, were you just chucked in?” she spoke excitedly, not giving the boy a chance to answer the questions one by one.

“Oh, and did you see that White Tiger dude? Do you know what the deal with this is? A test, huh?” she asked, looking around a second time. Now, she took in the several doors, brick wall, torches – and not much else beside the corridor they were in, to be honest.

[Octo]

If it were Kirche alone, she probably would have asked around the bar regarding their employer. Made a few deals, identified newcomers, possibly used a few gifts as leverage... but it appeared that there was at least one other person with the same letter. Whether or not Shei was trustworthy remained to be seen, but one thing Kirche was certain about was that the young woman was a person of action.

She also seemed like a newcomer, and yet she boldly made her way into the malleable tavern. Moving headlong into the uncertain was not Kirche's forte but, at the same time, she was very much not a solo act. If anything came up, it would be better if she could (ostensibly) have an ally by her side. Thus, with some hesitation, she followed Shei deeper into the bar. Kirche popped out in some strange, poorly-lit dungeonlike basement. She looked around, biting her lower lip uncertainly, but upon registering that the young man from earlier was also down here, her expression morphed into a kind smile. First impressions were important, after all, and morale played a large part in facing adversity.

Shei was already asking Provoke the questions she herself would probably ask, so she instead took this time to invoke Gyo and examine the room more closely. Perhaps there was something hidden with nen, or perhaps their was a clue to decipher. Either way, the faster they were out of here and on the job the better.

That said, it was nice to be participating in something moderately entertaining. This is how a Hunter should be. At least, Old Man Yorki's idea of a Hunter.