Village Troubles [Jina/Open]

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Iemasa was in a small village outside Owari, trying to enjoy some of his down-time. He was seated in a tavern, sipping on a cup of sake. A tussle seemed to be growing behind him, but he was trying to avoid it as long as he could. He couldn't even make out what they were fighting about, because they were so loud and obnoxious. It ended up getting on his nerves, though he was trying so hard not to get involved.

And then someone got pushed into his back.

Angry, Iemasa spun out of his seat, slamming his cup into someone's head. He pulled his rifle off his back, aiming it up to the ceiling and firing off a single round from his rifle. Everyone who was fighting halted, turning their attention to the Oda officer, who was clearly displeased.

"Alright... what the fuck are you guys going on about? 'cuz I was enjoying a pretty good cup of sake - those are hard to come by."

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina looked at the stranger, rubbing the back of her head. Her hands were callused, not the hands of a woman. She looked the Oda officer from his feet to his head.

"Just a dispute over money, sir. So sorry for interrupting your drink."

She dropped a few coins on the counter in front of him, enough to cover the drink plus another. She turned and walked back towards the men she had been fighting with. She grabbed her cup from the table, downed it, then walked out of the bar, turning back one more time. She bowed to the officer, then walked out of sight.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

"Woah, hold up," Iemasa began, putting a hand on the smaller person's shoulder as they turned to leave. He had an issue here, and he wasn't going to just let it dissipate like nothing. Sure, he was going to accept the money, but he wanted his point to get across.

"You don't just walk off like that. Got it? This is an issue, involving assaulting an Oda officer over petty issues."

He held his rifle at his side, waiting for a reaction. He was ready to shoot at whoever tried to pull some bullshit moves, which Iemasa was all too used to.

[Zhuo Jina]

"Yes sir, I understand sir."

Jina's head was lowered respectfully. Her instinct was telling her not to fight. She stared at the ground in front of her. Her eyes were piercing the ground below her. Her hands rested at her sides, she wasn't attempting to move.

"How might I remedy the situation? I am only a mercenary attempting to be paid for my day's work."

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Iemasa cocked an eyebrow. So this person wasn't paid for her work..? That was the issue. Now Iemasa understood, patting her on the shoulder with a smile. Time to remedy the issue in its entirety, then. "Ahh, I see. Well, you didn't get paid, huh? So, let's get you your money." He assumed that was her cue to turn around.

The Oda officer grinned, raising his rifle. It was pointed across the crowd, and he eyed every single person there. "Who owes you the money, then?" It was a good excuse for him to let off some steam.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina raised her head and looked at the officer who was treating her more kindly then most men. She smiled slightly, not wanting to hurt anyone but not willing to give up her pay.

"He has a scar on his upper left cheek. He owes me money for about the past three weeks that I've been working under his orders."

She left her hands at her sides, not attempting to anger this man in any way. 

"With all respect, what do you plan to do?"

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Iemasa shrugged. He had a lot of options. He could kill the guy, shoot him in between the eyes for being such a scumbag. He could beat on the guy till he submitted and gave up the money. Hell, he could even just ask for it! That was part of the fun, not really knowing.

"I guess we'll find out."

The officer let out a small laugh, eyes scanning around the crowd. Scar on his upper-left cheek... that'd stick out. So obviously the guy wasn't at the front of the crowd, so he'd have to change his methods up a little. Intimidation. Threats.

"Alright, here's how we'll do this: you come out now, I won't hurt you. You make me find you, I'll make you hand over the money. You fight me, I'll shoot you." He shrugged. It was that simple. "You think Lord Nobunaga got this far from not paying his soldiers?"

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina watched the officer from the a few feet away. She admired his forcefulness. It reminded her quite a bit of her father. She listened to his words carefully, taking note of his gun. She assumed that he was being quite serious, having dealt with many military men in her life.

"He might be gone by now..." She spoke quietly. "I do know where to find him, though."

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

It wouldn't have hurt for her to have mentioned that a little sooner. Now he kind of looked like an ass. He didn't entirely mind that, but still. Saving face, and all that. "Well, I'll tell you what. You take me to this guy, I'll get you your money."

He wasn't joking in the slightest. He should have been, considering that all cost him his sake, earlier. He did, though, go to the counter and take up the coins she left behind. If her pay was less than that, he would have just given it back to her. But, three weeks of pay sounded like a lot of money, and he wasn't going to let someone in his territory get ripped off like that.

"After you, m'lady."

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina nodded and began to walk off. She headed off to the east, she was walking quickly. Her long legs carried her twice that of what it would at her normal pace. She knew that if she waited too long, and if he wasn't intending to pay her, then there might be some other kind of violent action taken if the man with the scar had enough time to prepare.


She decided to tell him what might happen.

"Unfortunately, I was working for some terrible individuals."

"Money is tight these days."

She quickened her pace.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Iemasa followed suit, his long legs taking him along at the girl's pace with no problem. He may not have been interested in her whole story, but he would listen just the same. Who knows, maybe he could have ended up finding it interesting? It wouldn't hurt to know what he was fighting for, anyway.

"If money's proven tough, I can understand doing shady work. But why not find a Lord to serve under? Your pay is guaranteed for your services in such a line of work."

He wasn't trying to advertise or make Lord Nobunaga sound like the greatest man to ever grace the country, but he was. That's just how it worked. And, it wasn't much of a lie, either. Iemasa had never gone a week without getting his pay.

[Zhuo Jina]

"I don't find a Lord because I am not truly loyal to any side in this crazy situation."

Jina knew the man could tell the was foreign and she was worried that he would ask about her past. She did not want to disrespect this man's Lord, not truly knowing much about the war. She had attempted to stay out of the way for quite a while now, but every once in a while, she needed to complete a job that was involved in the politics.

She continued at a brisk pace, her strong legs carrying her with ease. Soon, they reached the street where the man tended to hole up with other shady figures. The building where they stopped was in a more run down part of the city. The windows were shut, there were a few bullet holes chipped into the building's entrance. 

Jina stopped amongst some rubble at her feet.

"This is unusual. Last time I was here, the building was in tact."

She turned to look at the man, not sure how he would react. She was now worried that he would take her into custody, now seeing the kind of work she was into. Previously, the building did not stand out, but now it looked like the base of an underground rebellion.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Iemasa cocked a brow at the sight of the building, eyes passing from it to the girl. This was definitely some shady shit, but fighting for your life wasn't exactly a crime. He didn't know why he was going to do this, but he was going to help her regardless.

"I don't know exactly what kind of work you're getting yourself into, but I won't ask. Let's just get in there and get your money." If he caught some lord of a crime ring, it was just a bonus, right now, so a lot could work out in his favor. He could help out a "damsel in distress" of sorts, and maybe even get a promotion because of it.

The officer brought his gun up, pointing at the door. "How hostile should I expect these guys to be, exactly?" He was hoping for a fight. He wanted to be able to shoot some bastards.

[Zhuo Jina]

"Hostile is a good way to describe these guys."

Jina turned to face the building again, her feet now creeping towards the side door of the building. She motioned for the stranger to follow her, since it seemed he was willing to help. She drew her rapier from it's sheath quietly, pointing at the door. Jina wasn't sure if the man would be home, but she knew someone would. Their money was just as good as his.

Jina gripped the handle of the door, swinging it open while out of the way of the entrance. Shifting and quiet whispers could be heard from inside. Jina nodded at the man and swung her body through the door, the rapier held at waist height.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

"Just how I like 'em."

The officer followed in after the door, gun raised. He would observe the surroundings, looking over every corner to make sure they wouldn't be surprise attacked or some crap, and he would keep a look-out for the scar-face guy. There was no way he could hide like that.

"So you guys got a vault or is there going to be money everywhere? That'd be nice to know."

If there was money everywhere, Iemasa might be tempted to take a little somethin', considering these guys seemed to operate without the law in mind, anyway. Couldn't really hurt.

[Zhuo Jina]

"Hey assholes! Taiki didn't pay me this evening. Mind if I take what I earned?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jina began collecting coins in her unused hand and shoved them down the front of her armor. The men hadn't moved, seeing an officer behind her was enough to scare them into submission. She grabbed noticeably more than what she had expected to be paid, then backed up towards the door. She moved out of the way for the officer to be able to see clearly.

Jina wasn't sure what he would do next, but if he was an officer of the law, she figured it wouldn't be good for her employers. 

Suddenly there was a ruckus heard down the hall, a man with a deep voice could be heard yelling at some poor wench and he stormed out of the room, indecent. 

"Shit. It's him." Jina muttered.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Iemasa assumed she was collecting what was rightfully her's, so he didn't say anything. He would just watch, and keep his gun pointed at anyone who tried to stop her. The officer noticed someone coming down and making a ruckus, and immediately, his attention turned to that guy. So he was the one who neglected to pay his merc.

"Look, buddy, she's taking what belongs to her, and I'll be confiscating a bit of your funds as a tax for Lord Nobunaga. You got any complaints, you can take it up with a bullet between your eyes. Sound good? It sure does to me."

A smiled crossed Iemasa's lips and he pocketed a good deal of the coins, before ushering the woman out. He'd want her out of there before himself, because he had a gun. No one wanted to fuck with a gun, especially in the hands of an Oda rifleman.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina backed up quickly, trying to get out of there without causing too much of a problem. Once outside she turned and began to walk away quickly. She didn't want any trouble with the law, and this guy seemed to have some serious issues with his temper.

"T-thanks again!"

She made haste. As soon as she felt a safe distance from the door, she pulled out her coin purse and began loading the now-warm coins from between her breast armor and her skin. Eventually the purse filled up and she cursed herself for not bringing a bigger one. She dropped a couple coins on the ground while shoving them into the already stuffed purse.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

[OoC: SO sorry I've left this for so long!]

"Hey, wait up," Iemasa called, exiting the building, gun still trained on the men inside. Just for warning, he would fire a single round at one of the men's legs, before chasing down the woman. He had no idea why she was running away, given she had the law on her side. Maybe she had just used him to rob an innocent?

"Why are you running, Miss?"

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina stopped what she was doing, her arms drooping to her sides. She was scared, not because she had done anything wrong, but that this man was in fact a stranger. She knew that he was an officer, but her mother had always warned her about the dangers of strange men who so willingly help out.

"I-I...." her voice trailed off. She sighed, it was better to be honest, "I don't want you to hurt me." This was a man of the law, she figured if anyone understood that she was fearful, it would be him.

She placed the coinpurse down her armor again, this time it bulged out slightly near her sternum. Jina wasn't really afraid anymore, she just knew that she couldn't fight the man if it came down to it. She relaxed some, seeing that the man was showing some compassion and care for her.

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Upon hearing her reasoning, Iemasa stopped, cocking a brow. He was confused for a moment, seeing as he never really showed her any ill will, though maybe it was understandable. A smile crossed his lips, and he rested his gun on his shoulder, trying to show he meant her no harm.

"Understandable," he said, letting out a small laugh. "I'm not going to hurt you, Miss. Not unless you've done something horrible, and it doesn't seem like you have."

If she was just getting the money she was owed, there was no harm in that. And it wasn't like Iemasa sought anything from her because he did her a favor, since he got some coin out of it himself. He just expected decency.

[Zhuo Jina]

"I haven't always been treated right by men. Thank you for being respectful."

Jina bowed, she was truly thankful to this man. Because of him, she had more than she expected, and also earned some respect for herself and for the male sex.

Her next task was to get out of this town. She knew that the men would come looking for her. Plus, her job here was done. Truthfully, this town wasn't where she wanted to be even if there wasn't trouble. The few here, well, it sucked.

"I'm leaving this town now that my job is done. Is there anything else you need from me?"

She was asking just to be polite, not that she really had any plans to stick around.