[center][h1][color=660066]Seruh Vora[/color][/h1]
City of Thorne Airship Dock one day prior - Arrival | City of Thorne Slums then night before - Rendezvous with the Kyreth-tan | City of Thorne - Pursuit
-[@Ryteb Pymeroce][@Laios]-[/center]

	Seruh heard the captain of the airship call out the next stop, Thorne City, her destination. First class wasnt available from Kimura to Thorne today, unless she waited till tomorrow to hitch a ride with the [color=6ecff6]Yasuharu[/color] boy. She had done dirty work for their family before and knew she could get aboard if she talked to them and dropped a Gil here and there, but the Kyreth-tan had sent word that they needed her there tonight for some reason. As far as she knew, she was just doing routine check-ins with the local clans, but something seemed odd about this. [i][color=660066]Whatever,[/color][/i] she thought as the ship landed, [i][color=660066]It cant be that urgent.[/color][/i] She looked around and noticed that everybody else was already standing and flocking toward the exit. She waited a second, knowing there was no chance of asserting herself over the crowd, and preferring to sit anyway. She yawned while she sat, her ears drawing back and her mouth opening wide. When she finished, only a few people were still standing by the door, so she got up and joined them. 
	Once outside, she breathed in the warm Thornian air. Something about it always felt better, more [i]breathable[/i] than the Kimuran air. The smells of the festival filled her sensitive nose. She could smell all sorts of treats being made, blood from the tournament grounds, metals and exotic woods in the market, and somewhere in between there was a familiar scent of booze and puke that brought her back to The Mythril Chalice. Somewhere, she also smelled the stench of the slums, a reminder to her childhood growing up there. That was where the Kyreth-tan were set up. Not because they couldnt afford better, but because the Castle Guard had a looser hold there. And so, she set off in the direction of the slums, to confront the Kyreth-tan about their issue, and to face up to her past.
[hr]
	
	The leader of the Kyreth-tan was tall and lanky, and he had a sort of deep grimace permanently glued to his face. His head was bald and a scar ran across it from front to back. He was missing an eye and had a fair amount of stubble growing on his face. His body was rather thin and didnt quite match his head, which suggested a much more buff man. The last time Seruh had seen him, he had worn a torn black Gi with a ornamental sword strapped to his back. This time he wore a red Gi and the sword was noticeably absent. [b]"The Shadow of Kimura has arrived.."[/b] he said, almost mockingly, [b]"Its about time."[/b] His voice was that of a man much larger than him, deep and imposing. [b]"As you were most likely told by your superiors, the Kyreth-tan have fallen on rough times,"[/b] he continued, Seruh nodded halfheartedly, waiting for him to mention her pay. The crime-lord most likely noticed this so he began to speak deliberately slow, [b]"There was this... sort of... incident about a year back... where this... thief... had gotten a hold of the blade of Kyreth-tan."[/b] 
	Seruh cut him off, [color=660066]"So you want me to kill him and return the blade to you, I get it. But whats the pay?"[/color]
	[b]"The bounty is 2000 gil,"[/b] Seruh almost rolled her eyes at the small sum of cash, but the boss interrupted her, [b]"But, since youre [i]one of us[/i],"[/b] he was using the term loosely, [b]"I'll give you 5000 Gil if you can confirm the kill and return the blade to me."[/b] 
	Seruh's face lit up a bit, and her tail whipped back and forth a little. [color=660066]"Is it possible for me to... get a [i]little[/i] more?"[/color] She looked at the man before her, smelling the traces of alcohol on his breath and the remnants of blood on his clothes, then batted her eyes a little, but the man simply replied with, [b]"We'll see,"[/b] in a stern voice. Seruh left the hideout that night with little in her head but thoughts of how to get more than 5000 measly gil from that old ninja.
[hr]

	[color=660066][i]Back at the docks,[/i][/color] she thought, waiting for the thief to show up. Intel told her that he was a red mage from Takhtajan who had sticky fingers all around. Hell, one source told her he had considered trying to steal the Crystal of Light once. She looked around and saw that not too far away, there was a man matching the description of him running for his life from citizens and guards alike. [color=660066][i]Must be disliked all around,[/i][/color] she thought, as she started her pursuit. Her battle gear was on and her normal clothes had been left in the inn above the tavern across from the Temple, where she had chosen to stay. 
	She glided across the landing area, sometimes behind airships, sometimes over, crossing massive distances with each leap. She passed a very well decorated airship, Kimuran in design, and she heard an adolescent voice yell [color=6ecff6]"Zantetsuken!"[/color] from within. 
	Eventually she reached a point where she was almost directly above her target. She followed him a little ways, the other pursuers fell back, figuring the standard 2000 gil wasnt worth it. When she was the only one remaining her turned around and shouted, [color=orange]"Look, I don't wanna die yet! Can't we settle this in a way that doesn't involve sharp objects?"[/color]
	[color=660066]"What, you mean these?"[/color] she remarked, tossing 3 shuriken in a triangle around him, not intending to hit him but to scare him. Then she jumped down behind him and tapped his shoulder [color=660066]"Wrong way sweetie, I'm over here..."[/color] She took a large leap and landed 4-5 steps back from him, just for safety's sake, [color=660066]"I can be bargained with... But it wont be cheap."[/color] She smirked as she spoke, the smell of fear pungent in the air, adrenaline rushing.