KZOMBI3

Sentaku

_{Mentions: @Fiber@Infinite Cosmos@sly13@Roach}

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Izayoi rounded on the newest intruders breaking their way into the clearing without regard. If she weren't already wounded, physically, the look sent her way via those piercing blues would have done enough damage to bring her to her knees. The pain and distrust conveyed through Tetsu's gaze was enough to have Iza step forward, arm somewhat extended out towards him; palms still spattered in blood. She was vaguely aware of the glare shot her way from the other two members of Squad one but she couldn't have been bothered to acknowledge them head on. This, whatever was going on between her and Tetsu, was way more important and took precedence in her mind. At least for the time being.

As she took that half step it was no surprise that she caught sight of the tightening of the muscles in his jaw and at his shoulders. Tetsu was strictly on the defensive. If she thought back far enough, however, Iza hardly could remember a time when he wasn't guarding something or another. Though back then, a lot of the protecting was for her. Against anything that would try to come between them. It was such a tender and fond piece of history they shared together that would always have a special place within her mind. Corners of her eyes welling up with tears. She blinked them away, wishing them to hold back and refrain from falling. At least until she was out of the clear.

"Tetsu, I'm sorry..." It tapered off to a whisper and she worried that it would come off insincere. Hindsight would have informed her that regardless of how or what she said, it all would have seemed insincere. 'You did just trick them all and make off with their scroll, effectively screwing them in the exam and messed with their heads; literally.' She mentally flinched at the implications her own subconscious was warning her about.

A quick swipe of her tongue to her lower lip and she was pulling it between her teeth to chew on it lightly. Though they weren't alone; Iza felt as though they were. Time seemed to seep slowly from the empty space between them, seemed to drip, like molasses from the leaves of the trees surrounding them on all sides. And though she wanted to reach out and just touch him, bring him into her - even though he was a good few inches taller than she was, Iza would have still brought him to her and held him close, she resisted. All in order to make him see, make him feel, that she was so contrite in her manipulation of him and whatever feelings he may have had for her. The silence of the surrounding forest was dwarfed by the commotion emanating from Kotetsu and Eiji's battle of the fists. The blows emitted miniature sonic booms at they collided with one another. Flips and feints being tossed about as if it were an elegantly choreographed dance one would see for entertainment. But it made no difference to Iza as to what they were doing to one another - though she was biased and hoped for Kotetsu to be swift in his victory - as her attention failed to waver from the male before her.

She tried to speak once more, if nothing else than to get it out in the open and for him to have some kind of idea as to her internal struggle. However, the words are lost on her as she's attacked from behind. Having been too preoccupied with Tetsu and her ridiculous crush she allowed herself to be the victim. From the corner of her rapid blurring vision she was able to catch sight of the demonic mask belonging to the self proclaimed leader of the opposing team. With a kunai embedded in her right shoulder, she falls forward into Tetsu who aptly reached out to keep her from falling onto her face. However, with the past few hours still ever present in the forefront of his mind he's skeptical and prevents her lips from coming in contact with his own. For fear of being placed under another genjutsu. She really couldn't blame him. She deserved that.

In almost an instant she's able to come to her senses, finding herself laid carefully on the forest floor of the clearing. She couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes; at most, seeing as how she was now alone. The others finding company in their enemies, for the moment. Taking this as her only opportunity to make it out alive she bolted. The pain she experienced from her own stupidity shot up her spine nestling itself at the base of her skull, but she pressed on continuing through the foliage trying to get anywhere away from the clearing. Light filtered through the canopy above casting dancing tendrils of shadows upon the ground. She took a quick glance behind her and blanched, nearly kicking herself at how careless she was being. What was she thinking tracking her blood everywhere? Might as well create an explosion to lead everyone right to her!?

Releasing a groan she took a seat at the base of an ancient oak, nestled between the hallowing of the trunk in order to provide some kind of cover to her backside. Tears were now flowing freely as she sat there in the shadows; the sweat sticking to her body cooling down in the shade of the tall trees, adding a chill to her heated body. The blood that was once caked on her person had become less viscous and began to run into her eyes, vision shifting in and out once more that day and she had half a mind to believe that it would happen at least once more before the day was done. The constant ache of her shoulder was gnawing at her, a shocking sensation following soon after she attempted to remove the blade from her flesh. "I'd just bleed out more, enticing more assholes to finish me off." She grumbled before resting her head against the edge of the burrow she resided in. "At least I got the scroll..." she reached down to pat at the pouch around her waist where she stowed the Heaven scroll. However all her fingers found was an empty pouch, a large tear in the fabric - enough for a scroll to slip through.

A growl resonated deep within the small girl's chest. All forms of pain temporarily removed from her psyche as she furiously began to punch at the bark around her, stomping the ground from her seated position. A thorough fit, that was well warranted with the situation she found herself in. Frustrated, annoyed, disappointed and worse? Alone. Izayoi sniffed and rubbed her tears away in a furious fashion, having no one to blame but herself she steeled her annoyance, promising herself that she would make the trek towards where she left Mori and Karu earlier. "I could really use you guys right about now... you would know what to say..."

As if the cosmos heard her, a rustling in the treetops above her rustled silently and to anyone not trained in the shinobi arts would have thought it to have just been the breeze blowing the branches into one another. To her, she knew better. Even more so when that familiar mop of chestnut peaked around the corner of the hovel and connected his gaze with her. It wasn't completely gone, but the doubt and self loathing that had seeped it's way into her subconscious was pushed back and Iza smiled widely at her best friend, "Speak of the Devil."

ATLANTIS: The Lost Empire

QQ @Metronome
are you preferring any type of FC? Drawn or otherwise? i know that that could be a whole ass topic to get into i just wanna make sure it all goes down smoothly.

ATLANTIS: The Lost Empire

I'd like to throw in my hat for the demolitions expert~

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

interested

Ambrosia - A Slice of LIfe RP

yo

The Entertainers (Retro SoL; Always Accepting)

_{Interactions Bea Harmon @Sincerely, Sidney Jones [NPC] Self-insert your character | TW Language, violent imagery, violence in general, obscene names}
【 _{fuck off, jones} 】

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The night started out exciting; the buzzing atmosphere that accompanied an establishment such as The Pit was always comforting for the ever flighty Darcy. Her trip to the land of snow with Wonderland over there finally getting to that crest where she can just... relaxing into the high, let it take her wherever and she would gladly follow without hesitation. What was once going to be an evening devoid of harsh vibes and reality - aside from harping on Lolly's dates and Jed - was now being shattered by the jarring motion of someone gripping her denim clad shoulder and whipping her around about face.

Even before she was being jerked around like a limp dick, just at the mere touch of an unwelcome hand on her was enough to create a chink in her high armor. The hand holding onto her nearly empty bottle of beer was swinging in time with her and she ended up smashing it across the offenders head, the bottle shattering on impact. An irate slew of words began to follow after contact. "You fucking bitch!" Ah, there he was, that bastard. Disheveled from his own personal aesthetics, coupled with the curdling cream liquor - from what she could only ascertain was from Bea's drink - and now, grease laced locks dripping with the remnants of the lager she had been sipping on; all greeted her with a fury that was only matched by her own. The onyx chips behind those atrocious shades glared harder as if to pierce through her ribs and into her soul did nothing but make her grin. "First you get your little hood skank to spit on me?! Then you smash a fucking bottle over my head?! Darce what's your damage?"

The sight of him alone - without the added amenities of liquids dripping from his frame - was enough to make her want to Ralph all over the concreted floors of The Pit. It wouldn't be much of an addition to the unknown concoction that already coated these floors, but who was she to complain? And with every word that seemed to flow from his overly chapped and thin lips was not helping the situation in the slightest. As if licking them was going to make it any better. Still held up in his grip, one that was progressively getting tighter with every syllable from him, and now even more so with every beat of silence that passed between them, Darcy began to spit venom of her own. "The fuck do you think you are Sidney? A god among men? Please, all Bea did was elevate your status from cockroach to trash rat," with a particularly hard thrust, she attempted to push at him to try and loosen his hold on her, but he was still stronger.

Sidney's grip only seemed to constrict around her forearm even more, to the point where she would be surprised if the skin under his grasp was left unblemished. She knew that that wouldn't be the case, but a girl can hope. "Let go!" Her tough persona was slowly being chipped away and all he had done was spout off a few nasty words and grab her and hold on tight. Darcy's high was no longer cultivating that ultimate feel good vibe that she was riding at the beginning of the night. No, now it was beginning to morph and mutate into something she couldn't recognize. No, that's not it. It was definitely something she had experienced before. Something she always experienced when he was around. When his musky, mildew scent would curl around her and bury itself into her spine. The bitter toxicity that accompanied them when the two were ever together for something other than sex. In a panic, Darcy started to yank her limbs away from him, mind fogged with any real solution to getting him off of her and quickly.

She had hoped, eyes frantically searching the bar area for a familiar face - it shouldn't have been difficult, they were all there within her grasp - yet she couldn't seem to find the words to ask for assistance. Not like she would. This was ultimately her problem. She didn't want them to have to deal with his shit more than they already had. He was her problem. "Fuck off, Jones!" It happened in slow motion and Darcy wasn't exactly sure if that was because of the drugs and the booze or if it was just from the sheer shock of it all. Sid's free hand had come up and connected with left side of her face with enough force that her body fell into the motion and took her to the ground. From there her vision swam, noises were growing louder but were muddled, like she was placed head first under the water in the tub.

She was screaming, that much she knew, but she couldn't place the words spewing from her busted lip. All she knew was her vision was fuzzy - at best - and that she could taste copper on her tongue. The remnants of hops and wheat and rye clinging to the inside of her mouth, easily over powered by the metallic ichor that currently took up residency there. Darcy was vaguely aware that someone had helped her to her feet, her arm finally freed from Sid's grasp, but tender and raw nonetheless. Her blue gaze soon locked onto the greasy mass of matted hair and before she or anyone else for that matter could react or register what was happening, Darcy unleashed a well placed kick to his nuts.

Sidney crumpled to his knees, hands already in position to shield himself from any further potential attacks to his groin. "Get the fuck back up! Piece of shit, loser!" Darcy yelled at the man beneath her, readying herself for a harder attack, only to feel the weight of others surrounding the two of them. When had they made their way towards the back of the bar? She hadn't even realized she wasn't anywhere near the bar top when this entire exchange took place. Hands were on her, with what she could only assume was an attempt at restraining her, voices coming into focus along with her eye sight. Her lip was most definitely busted and bleeding, and the side of her face was already starting to shift in color. Even under the awful lighting The Pit provided, she was sure that anyone would be able to place what it was that now adorned her skin. The current set of hands that held her up were familiar and all she wanted to do was relax into them and just rekindle the high that was lost. But wishes don't come true for people of Oceanside. At least not in the ways that one would hope to expect.

Sentaku

_{Mentions: @Fiber Goon Squad @Sly}

---

Izayoi didn't know how long she was running for, only that the sweat dripping off of her like rivulets carried the dried blood from her eyes and nose with it. In one hand she clutched onto the scroll, her knuckles white with tension, the other palm covered in more dried blood. There was no time to stop and rest, or even to readjust any of her tools before squad one would catch up to her. She was already experiencing the headaches that tag along with the strenuous usage of her kekkai genkai. The pounding in her head was enough to make her stumble and trip, falling through the brush and into a small clearing. The place that would house her last stand.

Not too far behind she could hear the quickening rustling of her former classmates rushing to her location. The pain in the space between her ears was growing at an enhanced rate, especially when she reactivated her Ketsuryūgan alongside a simple genjustu, to project noises just further north from her spot. Hoping that it would buy her enough time to find Mori and pass off the scroll before succumbing to anymore injuries. In the short run, her initial plan had worked; she was able to successfully steal a scroll - that they did, in fact need - and make a clean enough getaway. The downside to it all was that she overworked herself and eyes - why she believed that actually injuring herself was the best course is beyond her - but what truly hurt was the fact that she used one of her closest and longest known friends. 'Tetsu, I'm so, so sorry...'

Iza'z moment of reprieve was cut short, as she sat there staring at her bloodstained palm, vision blurring as she tried to focus. On what? She couldn't exactly tell you. Ears feeling as if they were stuffed with cotton, mouth just as dry. The thrumming seeming to not stop anytime soon. While she was caught in her own world she completely missed the sounds of an approaching team. It wasn't until they broke through the tree line that she was able to tell that they weren't of the Leaf. If their their headbands weren't a dead giveaway, it was definitely their garb.

The showmanship that the first warm body possessed was absolutely that; a showman. Back flipping, with a twist, landing in a crouched position into the clearing from the other side of the forest where Iza resided, his entrance was something to be in awe of. It was quite impressive. Even with his back towards her. What was not impressive was the attire that hung from his frame. Baggy fabric, gathered around his legs in the hues of white and blue, something in the pigment that when they caught even the slightest bit of light it shone like a gemstone. It's what first caught the blurring vision of the silver haired kunoichi. Not like she could observe much else but the reflecting material. She didn't get a good look at the symbol on his hitai-ate, it was too far away and her vision still hadn't sharpened - and there was no way she was going to use her Ketsuryūgan before pinpointing the other members of this nin's team.

The strange man continued to perform back flips until he was satisfied it seemed, "Tch, idiot..." she couldn't help the scoff under her breath at the sight before her. He raised a fist into the air with an exclamation that sounded very similar to a “Nailed it!” A few feet from where he landed, a smoke cloud of the deepest black appeared and with it gave way to a flash of light only to reveal a hooded figure. Attached to the hood, a cloak made of what looked to be fine silk adorned with elaborate and intricate stitching of a dragon devouring a tiger; though from what Izayoi could make out it simply looked muddled and indistinct. The newcomer pulled his hood down and unfastened his cloak to reveal his equally atrocious ensemble and a demonic mask to top it all off.

The masked man crossed his arms over his chest, the sleeves of his cloak belling out. When he spoke, it was with a deep and booming voice. He clearly had taken notice of her, now in a standing position, as he addressed her - and subsequently anyone else in the area. Because like Tetsu and his team, they must have believed her own squad was nearby and waiting. “Oh foolish ones, you cannot comprehend how swiftly your destruction is at hand! For on this day you have had the misfortune of encountering the awesome powers of those you see before you. Too mighty are we for your less than worthy talents to compete. Who you see standing before is the one who humbles lightning, the ray of light given human form…”. He gestured to the first man, who proceeded to perform yet another back flip, yet still managed to land with his back turned towards the kunoichi. With her vision on the back end of clearing up she took notice of the nasty body language shot his way by the masked ninja before flipping once more; this time landing forward facing, his fighting stance up at the ready.

It was then, with a slight shake of his head that the masked man continued on, announcing his team as if this was a pageant and him and his team were the contestants. “He is Eiji! Not only is he a master of-” Iza could only assume his next words would have contained some mention of 'lightening' and 'back flips' and 'horrible fashion choices' but she never got the chance to see if her thoughts were correct, for yet another, oddly dressed ninja burst through the treeline to join up with his fellow squad mates. “Hey! I’m here, ugh, that was a lot running.” The newest one to join the soiree was clearly out of breath and the largest built nin on the team. Iza was clearly overwhelmed at his size, but seeing as his stamina seemed less than ideal, she figured he would be easy enough to take out - should it come to that.

Both of the other men gave looks of annoyance to the one who had just arrived, a bald ninja, his attire dirty and distressed - and Iza was sure it wasn't just from their trek through the forest. His breathing was heavy and his hands were placed on his knees to rest, hunched over trying to catch his breath from hurrying over to join them in the clearing. As if it was all planned to happen as so, the masked male continued on, voice still booming, announcing their presence to any and all in the surrounding area. 'I could use this to my advantage...' she thought to herself as she began to think up ways in order to get Tetsu and the others to come to her location - if they already weren't

“Ahahaha, you will soon discover for yourself that which Eiji is master over! He is joined by the powerful master of an unlimited arsenal, Mitsuhide!” The bald one then proceeded to pull out a scroll and flung it up into the air, causing Iza's curiously terrible nature to track it with her own gaze to see what became of the scroll and it's contents. She nearly fell over in a stupor when a folding table popped out and he looked to the item and then to the ground, muttering something about “that was the camping one” The tolerance levels for his fellow squad mates was at it's tipping point she noticed, as the masked man shook his head and looked to physically restrain himself from attacking his team before finally concluding his speech. “Greater than either of those, you face the one who holds the cosmic power bestowed by the Akashic epochs and the Aeonic forces of Nibiru, the sixth Demiurgic emanation, the greatness you behold now, my divine self, the one known only as… Koji!” He struck a dramatic pose with his finger outstretched, signaling he was ready to fight.

The erratic rustling of the foliage directly behind Iza snapped her out of whatever smartass remark she was about to make. Especially when the people she least wanted to see - this close up at least - were standing a mere six feet from her. She could almost reach out and touch her crush friend; however she stopped herself, arm midair, at the look that graced his features. One of determination and raw distrust... not thrown exclusively at the opposing team. It was as if his gaze alone burned her and she retracted her arm quickly, cradling it to her chest as she stood between the two teams. Neither one of them making the first move.

"Well, shit..."

We Were Human - Marspunk Psychics

BRING IT ONNNN BABEEEEEEE

Sentaku

^{Collab w/ @Fiber @sly13 @Infinite Cosmos & ME}

---

The patch of forest they were in was flat, with a thick cluster of trees directly ahead of them. Kotetsu looked around but didn’t move far, staying where he was. He said “Awful big forest here. I can find the way to the center but can’t help much with navigating besides that." Kotetsu checked the fit of his gloves and tightened his hand wraps. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to help with finding the other teams either, but once we get that done, the rest should be easy enough. How many do you think we’ll have to beat before we get the right scroll?”

Tetsu looked around at their surroundings for a moment before turning back to his teammates. “Unfortunately I won't be able to search through the forest much while we are on the move so that leaves it to you to find our first targets Satoru. Once that's done all that will be left is to take the scroll off them.” He said in is usual flat tone as he turned his attention back towards the forest surrounding them. “Since you're going to be our guide, why don't you decide the direction we travel While Kotetsu and myself flank you.”

Satoru peered into the forest with his white eyes. “Sure. Give me a moment. Please keep the attacks away from my 6 o’clock direction while I’m searching for my target. It's a common weakness that our enemies might want to exploit as soon as they see my abilities. Otherwise, I have confidence in our combat abilities to handle them. First things first, let's head into the forest and head west, I suppose. I will try to look as far ahead as I can and make adjustments on the go…”

Kotetsu nodded and started to pace around, but then he stopped and said. “Hey, before we get going, who's going to keep an eye on our scroll? I think this’ll be quick enough but I’d hate to see it all messed up because of confusion. I trust you guys, so I want to know who you think is best.” He folded his arms and looked at them, eyes keeping look at the treeline just in case.

Tetsu took a look at the scroll for a moment before a step toward Kotetsu holding out his hand. “If you don't mind I'll hold onto it. They'd have to get through my sand and me to get to it. And I assure you, they'll die trying.”

“Tetsu, I’d trust you with things that are a whole lot more important than this scroll. You can have it, no doubt about it.”

“Thanks brother.” Taking the scroll and placing on his belt Tetsu looked at his fellow teammates before continuing, “Well I think with that settled we can start hunting,” as he finished this in his usual tone there was the slightest bit of excitement and anticipation hidden deep in his eyes as the three of them leapt into the trees.

Iza couldn't help but scoff at her close friend and teammates' utter lack of foresight. Too busy with trying to make a name for himself? What did that even mean? He was already the child of the fucking Hokage for fucks sake. He already had it made. She sighed, slowing down in her tracks to shake the negative thoughts away. Iza harbored no I'll will for Karu, just annoyance, and it was during those time where she had to consider this was how everyone viewed her too. Utter annoyance and somewhat contempt.

As Iza slowed to a stop amidst the foliage, she heard distinct footfalls in the brush around her. And they seemed to be moving in her direction. A wicked grin found residency on her face as she slunk further back into the shadows,scanning for movement. It didn't take her waiting long before three familiar figures graced her field of vision. One in particular, with his infrared locks a stark contrast to the greenery around them.

'Tetsu~' she couldn't help the subtle blush that coated her porcelain skin at the mere sight of him. He had been actively avoiding her for the last few months, only breaking that sabbatical when their teams were mandated to work together. Katsumi and Kami sensei be damned. But now, here, during their second test, he'd be forced to interact with her, whether he wanted to or not. An idea formed in her mind, making sure to stay behind the trio, for fear of being spotted too soon by Satoru's exceptional eyes. With a little help from some broken branches and her own kunai and senbon, she made sure to inflict some damage upon herself. A little pain and some acting was going to be needed if she wanted to get in close.

Iza took in her features, what she could at least, and with a determined nod, a deep inhale, she tossed herself from her hiding place. Trying her hardest to not lock up on impact, for fear of causing more damage than planned. After landing she struggled to her feet, 'Yep, definitely sprained something' she thought, pushing through the new pain, trekking towards her old classmates. Panic stricken eyes searching the trio before locking onto Tetsu's.

"T-tetsu…" her fumbling allowed her to fall into him, blood trickling from the gash above her right eye. "Another team… we got, we got separated. Karu, the dumbass ran off on his own…" her voice wavered, a complete 180 from her normally chipper tone. Iza kept a shaky hand on her childhood friend's shoulder, looking across to the other two, as if offering them to fact check her story. From somewhere ahead of them, a series of grunts and shouts. Seemingly making their way towards the now foursome group. Calling out obscenities, calling out to search for the girl. Iza could only hope that the young men she found herself with would take the bait.

Satoru paused, while traversing the forest with his team. The three of them were covering a good distance. His eyes were focused, determined to guide his team through this maze of death. With Tetsu holding the scroll, Kotetsu providing firepower when needed, and himself forging a path through, he did not see a way for them to fail. That progress came to a halt. Iza, a member of a separate team, showed up on their path. Satoru took the moment to catch his breath and gather himself. The girl approached their team’s “package”, a move that planted the inkling of suspicion in Satoru’s mind.

Satoru wasn’t a medical nin, by any means. Tetsu and Kotetsu even less so, by Satoru’s estimation. So, even though this girl claims friendship with Tetsu, such things had no place in their current mission. “Ah ah ah. Girl. I would ask you to step away from him. We’re all on a very specific mission. I’m sure you have and know your own.” Satoru took a step in, gathering a small bit of chakra in both of his palms. With his eyes, Satoru was gathering chakra readings on the girl that approached them. Sure, she had some superficial injuries but her chakra reserves, or the flow of it, were not impacted… Interesting, considering the fact that she is claiming that her and her team were ambushed and thus separated. Satoru leaned into Kotetsu and faintly whispered “Get ready for a fight. The girl is lying through her teeth...and her injuries…”

Iza couldn't help the small glare she sent Satoru's way. He deserved it, especially after his comments from earlier, but she let that roll over and set to focus on her issue at hand. When she had scanned them on her approach to the trio she was searching for their scroll, and seeing as how she didn't spot it coming from the other two it meant it was within her fingertips.

In an instant her gaze was turned to Tetsu, trying her best to look worn and defeated, eyes boring into his own, full of pleading, even if the other two were suspicious. "Tetsu… I need your help… please…" Tetsu stood stunned while staring at Iza who was currently bloodied and asking for help. He was using every ounce of willpower not to show his true emotions through either his face or his eyes. “Satoru calm down. We can trust her. So put those hands down.” he said, keeping his eyes on Iza with the slightest sign of concern with his voice slightly breaking out of its normal dry tone.

“Satoru scan the trees for the squad. Kotetsu cover him while I move Iza,” he said looking briefly towards them leaving little to no room for a debate on the matter. Turning back to Iza, Tetsu could feel his eyes soften ever so slightly as much as he tried to fight it. “I apologize for this.” He said before picking up Iza, getting ready to move her to a safe distance.

As soon as she felt her feet lift off the ground she tensed up, a very un-kunoichi squeak leaving her throat. Instantly her arms wrapped around her crush - friend's neck and the blush that had been pushed down resurfaced. "Tetsu…," seeing his reaction to her distress she felt her heart ache at the trick she was pulling over on them. But it was too late, she had to go through with the place. Iza only hoped that he wouldn't hate her too badly.

Upon giving the orders, which was something Iza practically drooled over - she couldn't remember the last time she had seen Tetsu so demanding, the trio were preoccupied with scanning the trees for threats. Threats that had fizzled out of nowhere. Izayoi couldn't risk conjuring a phony team once more without Satoru catching on. He was already too talented for his own good. Something that irked her to no end. Instead she began to reconfigure her plan. If she wanted too, she could trap Tetsu and Kotetsu with her kekkai genkai to immobilize them, then she would only have Satoru to deal with, 'But he wouldn't want to risk falling under my genjutsu also, and would probably try to keep his eyes closed… but then that means I would have to maintain eye contact with Kotetsu, and still touch Tetsu before escaping. I don't know how much time that would allow me…'

Kotetsu looked around slowly, keeping an ear out for any sign of trouble. He was watching Satoru’s back mostly, but not moving much. He wanted them to stay in an area they knew, not get blindsided running off. While standing there he said, “Might be best that you step a little further away from Tetsu, young miss. If a fight breaks out the last thing you want is sand in your wounds. We can keep you plenty safe over here, and while we wait you can tell us some more about who took out your team. Let us know what we’re in for.” He kept his center of gravity low and his muscles tensed, ready to spring and fight anything that tried to jump them. His lead leg was planted heavy and chambering a kick, prepared to give a burst of explosive power when the time was right.

There was something about the way Kotetsu spoke to her like she was dainty. To be fair, that was what she was going for but it still rubbed her the wrong way and she would have corrected him of his misnomer but the feeling of Tetsu being so close to her was calming. 'What kind of kunoichi gets easily distracted by a guy?! Katsumi-kijo would wring me by my neck if she ever found out… not to mention if the boys knew, I wouldn't hear the end of it...' the thought alone sent annoyed shivers down her spine. Her vision misted over for a split second at the thought of duping her crush and friend, but she reasoned that if the roles were reversed they'd do the same. So, she pushed the bubbling emotions down and steeled herself for what was to come next.

“Yes, please answer my teammate here… We just want to be prepared, that's all. If you pose no threat, I have no qualms with Tetsu carrying you to some sort of rendezvous point so we can hand you back over to a moderator, or a member of your team, should they have survived that is…” Satoru said, creaking his neck some before taking a quick drink from a canteen he brought with him. His eyes still intensely focused on her chakra flow. The fact that they flowed almost undisturbed still does not sit well with him. She is definitely faking. How would Satoru get Tetsu to see through her ploy was a more pressing concern. For all he knows, she could have told her team that she is going to bait him and his team out in order to plant an ambush. There is no way Satoru lets that happen. Satoru first turned his gaze on a nearby tree to make sure it was not rigged with some sort of trap, be it ninja tool or ninjutsu. Then, he backed himself up against the tree so his back was at least covered. Thirdly, he used a little bit more of the power of his eyes to scan their surroundings, trying to pick out movements nearby and to see if there are people approaching them, and from where...

The fact that he moved into a position that allowed him his 180+ vision, keeping her within his sights, irked her. More so than Kotetsu's comment about her being 'little miss'. The thought alone caused her to physically shake. It was now or never. Her plan needed to come to fruition and the only way that that was going to happen with minimal damage sustained on her part was to limit herself to two combatants, not three. Eyes closed she steeled herself and the repercussions that were soon to follow. Opening her now blood red eyes, she locked her gaze onto the furthest male, Kotetsu; distant sounds of an imaginary enemy team encroaching into their parameter, hoping beyond hope that he would take the bait. All the while, her grip on Tetsu's arm never faltered.

Kotetsu was a man of action, and when he heard the enemy creeping around behind the back of Tetsu and Iza, he launched himself into battle to protect them . An explosive leap sent him into the air on a high angle trajectory, twisting his body in mid-air. He only had a split second to aim his descent because of the speed he was traveling. On the way down Kotetsu looked for something, a sign of the enemy he had heard, but he found none. Something about it all felt fuzzy and unclear, like he had just woken up from a dream. His foot completed it’s arc right as he landed, slammed heel first into a tree with a kick that so loud it could be heard a thousand yards away. The massive tree heaved and bent, falling down as Kotetsu picked himself up from his landing. Around him see no enemy, not even the puff of smoke from a disappearing clone or a substitution jutsu. Kotesu scratched his head and then tried to figure out where to go to get back to the group, the whole situation leaving him very confused.

When the muscle bounded off to the foreign, invisible and nonexistent threat, is when the fun truly began. Iza's grip on her crush's forearm increased slightly, enough to gain his attention and with it came a small, sad smile before pushing up onto the tips of her toes grazing his cheek with her lips. A quick, chaste kiss; an apology without words.

All too suddenly, her red gaze locked onto the blonde's, trapping him into place. Her once loving and tender grasp on Tetsu's arm now turned captive, making sure to keep him in place and rendered helpless as her genjutsu worked its way into both of their minds. Through their haze she was able to wrap her free hand around the scroll that had made its home on Tetsu's belt. Now that she had what she needed it was time to high tail it out of there, but without letting go was going to be tricky. And honestly she didn't think this far. Already applying her talents to two ninja was putting a strain on her limits as it were; blood seeping from her nose and eyes, blurring the lines of her vision. She needed to get out of there soon otherwise it would have been for nothing.

Before letting go, of either of them, she knew she had at least a few seconds before they would come to their senses and begin to follow her, she readied her kunai and a smoke bomb and letting go of the red head, an apology passing her lips as she sank into the shadows of the greenery around them, heading off in the direction she thought would lead to her team.

The Entertainers (Retro SoL; Always Accepting)

_{Interactions / Mentions EVERYONE}
【 _{party now, rehab later} 】

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Darcy had to practically ignore the sarcasm dripping off Lolly as she chastised her for running her "date" off. In record time, might she add. Kip wasn't lying about that. Though the fun, light mood of it was brought almost crashing down on poor Darc as she listened to Jed continue on like the stick in the mud he was. _{Passing me piss? Like he truly thought I wasn't gonna hear him, psht...} She silently wondered if she were to explain to him that that wasn't the worse thing she's put inside her body. He'd probably reel from the thought and mention something along the lines of "I knew it..." It didn't take a particular type of person to catch on to the fact that Jed had a massive hard-on for Lolly. Shit, there wasn't a person in this bar who didn't. Darcy included. But she would be damned if she didn't at least give the guy a hard time. For shits and giggles of course. Hell, she might even set 'em up on a date if he really wanted it. Not like Lolls can't set her own shit up, but c'mon, where's the fun in doing it for yourself?

With Logan's arm thrown around her own shoulder she couldn't help leaning into the warmth he provided as she downed another shot before shimmying down the bar top and into Kip's personal space, flashing Bea a wide, flirty and friendly smile, side eyeing the way he reacted to Benny's "attack" on him and the way he flinched in response. She made a note to check up on him in private, calling out to him in that sing-song voice of hers that lets those in the surrounding area that the liquor has begun to take effect, "Kiiiiiip babe~ make sure to come find me before ya leave! I'm thinking having a session at the house is needed!" If nothing else than to ensure that his little injury was just something superficial and not something that would be career threatening. Maybe enjoy that pizza he was talking about with some painkillers... among other things that Dana would be able to provide.

It didn't take her long to find Dana, towering above her in all his glory. "D~!" and that was all the warning she gave before launching herself onto him, throwing her arms around his neck and bringing him down to her level so she could lay a giant squeeze on him. The Sazerac in his hands nearly spilling onto the already sticky, dark floors at the movement. "You got anything delicious for us tonight~" she all but purred in his ears. However, before he got a chance to properly respond to the bouncing blonde, she had called out to Robin, asking for her to pass her a beer, "Something to wrap my lips around for a bit," she teased with a wink.

As she released Dana to take the first, cold sip from the bottle her eyes scanned the room once over. Smiling into her drink at seeing all the familiar faces. Most of whom she got along swimmingly with. Then others, like Jed - tonight - that wanted her to choke on her drink. But it was one specific tuft of unruly and matted black hair, and those godawful circular shades that stood out above everything else. And it was in that moment that her good time high began to falter.