Recruitment. [ Takehiro / Juubei ]

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“My, my. What a wonderful day it is,” Juubei said aloud as he casually walked down a worn dirt path that snaked through the countryside like great serpent.

The sun was out on this day and Juubei Kurosawa couldn’t help but crack a very slight smile as he felt the warmth upon his body. These were the days he truly reveled in. He was presently traveling the province of Totomi in search of a man known as Takehiro. Juubei was growing bored of being you average mercenary and now sought something more. What had drawn the young marksman to Takehiro? He didn’t really know and I guess you could call it a spur of the moment decision. Juubei had left his mercenary camp a few days prior and had been traveling the entire time between now and then, stopping only for five or six hours of sleep each night. Juubei, before leaving the camp, had sent out messages throughout Totomi, via couriers, that he was looking for Takehiro and he hoped this would spur the man to either seek him out or send someone his way. This way, he wouldn’t potentially have to travel as far.

Juubei was dressed in a matching black top and bottom. Over the long-sleeved shirt was a grey coat that had numerous flourishes of blue color to give it some aesthetic appeal. The trimming on the coat was a gold color and possesses ornate designs along its length. As a marksman you’d expect Juubei to have a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his back, but that simply wasn’t the case. Juubei disdained the usage of such old technology and instead preferred to utilize firearms in combat. A tanegashima matchlock pistol was tucked into the sash that went around his waist and within the weapon was a single shot ready to go at a moments notice. Juubei planned to carry more weapons on his person in the future, but this was all he had at the moment.

It was approaching midday and Juubei’s dual-colored gaze looked skyward, judging the time to a rough estimate. An audible sigh could be heard escaping his recently opened mouth as he thought it best to stop and rest for awhile along the side of the road he was traveling through. It was just a bunch of open land, sporadic farms, and not a whole lot of anything else. Juubei tossed his knapsack to the ground and rummaged through it for something small to eat. A bit of dried fish or maybe some fruit he’d picked up along the way. The mercenary leaned his back up against a tree and stretched his legs out as he seated himself upon the ground. Perhaps he’d take a nap after this was all said and done. He was admittedly a little tired and it’d sure help for the distance he’d planned on traveling during the remainder of the day. As Juubei had finished his small meal and began drifting off to sleep, he wondered how much further he’d have to look to find this man called Takehiro. Perhaps he’d ask the next person he saw for some insight on how to track him down.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Yamada Toshi, ex-Bandit Chief and Village Elder, current barkeep of a border-village between Shinano and Totomi and General of the Amakusa army, would end up walking by Juubei after long. The man bore the Amakusa crest on his back, and so it was clear he had some sort of affiliation to Takehiro. Though, it would be unclear as to whether or not this man was Takehiro himself.

"How goes it?" the man spoke as he passed Juubei, though he left the conversation at that.

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He was in the midst of a peaceful nap when Juubei heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps. He didn't open his eyes, twitch a muscle, or give any indication that he was awake. Juubei merely remained as he had been and waited to see how things would play out. When he heard the voice call out to him in a simple greeting, Juubei's eyes opened and caught a glimpse of the man as he was walking away. The crest on his back was that of the Amakusa and that mean that this man was or had something to do with Takehiro, the man he was searching for. Before the unknown Amakusa had gotten out of range for his standard voice, Juubei replied.

"So you're affiliated with Amakusa, huh? That means you should be aware of a man named Takehiro's location, isn't that right? "

Juubei didn't move a muscle as he said this and remained cool and collected.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Toshi stopped in his tracks, turning a curious eye to the man on the side of the road. He looked the man up and down, though his face made it seem he was incredibly disinterested. Toshi's chin rose, as he chewed on a piece of straw.

"What's it to you, buddy?"

It may have come off a little douchey, but Toshi was incredibly protective of Takehiro simply due to the fact the man gave him a new start to life. He wasn't just going to let any random schmuck have a meeting with him.

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Juubei felt a twinge of annoyance, but didn't let even a miniscule shred of it show on his face. He was used to people answering his questions the first time he asked them.

"Nothing too serious, I'm just looking for the guy. Might be looking join a group or something along those lines. "

Juubei ensured that he didn't get too specific with this person as he had no way of knowing who he really was or what he'd do in the future that might affect Juubei. The young marksman didn't really make an attempt to move from where he was presently seated and simply just stared at the man who he was, at the moment, talking to.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Toshi frowned. The lack of specifics wasn't really getting by him too well at all. "Just looking for the guy" could mean a lot of things, and while Takehiro would openly meet just about anyone, Toshi would take the initiative to help protect him.

"If you're just lookin', you're gonna have a fun time. Totomi's a big place."

If he really wanted to find Takehiro through Toshi, he'd need to drop the ambiguity.

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"Indeed it is a big place. If it wasn't, I probably wouldn't have to ask people for information regarding Takehiro's whereabouts."

Juubei sighed. He didn't want to give away too much information, but this conversation, he feared, was going to drag on forever at its current pace. Juubei slowly rose to his feet, back still leaned against the tree, and dusted off his clothing with a sigh.

"Look, guy, I'm just looking for Takehiro. I might be interested in joining up with Amakusa and I figured he'd be the one to talk to."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"Look, pal," Toshi retorted, a smug grin appearing on his face. "You want to join up? That's awesome. We'd love to have new people. But if you're expecting the Daimyo himself to come and talk to you about this when he's got foreign disputes to deal with along the border to every fief we neighbor, you're sadly mistaken." Toshi shrugged, but it was the truth. Takehiro had to deal with the Imagawa, the Takeda, the Tokugawa, and the Kitabatake all on his own. Recruits would best be left to someone else.

"With the head honcho out of the question, I'm your best bet."

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"So, what now, do I just follow you or something?" Juubei asked as he shrugged his shoulders and began walking towards the man. "Oh, and I didn't catch you name." It's true, he'd never even thought to ask the man who he was or even what his name was. Maybe he was starting to lose his edge.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Once again, the general shrugged. He spit the piece of straw from his mouth and popped his mouth, before waving the man over, which he assumed was enough of a response to the question. Toshi was headed to a recruitment station near the center of the fief anyway, and it wouldn't hurt to reach the place with a recruit.

"You didn't catch it because I didn't give it, and I didn't give it because you didn't give yours," another honest response passed from the general's lips as he began his walk down the road. "Why are you looking to join up with the Amakusa anyhow?"

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Juubei took to walking a couple feet behind the man and off to his left side.

" I don't really know why I want to join Amakusa. I've already spent some time as a mercenary and I guess I'm ready for something else. "

Juubei realized his answer was a little on the vague side and provided a scant amount of detail, but everything he'd said was the truth. Juubei couldn't think of a concrete reason for why he wanted to join Amakusa, it was just something he wanted to do.

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It happened suddenly and without cause within the mind of the young gunman. He didn’t know why these thoughts arose, but they couldn’t be ignored. He realized that he didn’t really want to join Amakusa anymore and that he’d rather see himself aligned with someone else. Juubei didn’t say a word and simply stopped, spun around, and started walking away in the other direction. Even if he was called out to, by the other, he wouldn’t give him the time of day as his mind had already been made. So sudden was this alteration that he wasn’t even thinking about Amakusa or Takehiro anymore and was instead mentally compiling a list of notable people whose names he’d heard. From this list a single name would be chosen and that would be the man Juubei would seek out. His pace was quickened at the prospect of something new, something exciting, and it didn’t take him long to disappear from sight.