It was later in the afternoon when Ikazuchi found himself accompanying Akushitsuna back to Godfrey’s once more. During the early hours of the morning when they met to discuss various matters they received a letter from Godfrey. It was very coincidental as one of their many topics had been about the next request they would accept. After their repeated dealings with the Blacksmith, neither had a particular complaint about the matter. The only peculiarity was the final request to act normal, something they wouldn’t understand until they arrived.

It wasn’t long before they arrived and were welcomed into the shop as if they were strangers. Ikazuchi nodded as a greeting, paying close attention to the man’s demeanor. ‘Is something wrong with the scroll?’ Ikazuchi could tell that the man seemed slightly abnormal and naturally assumed that there was an issue with the item they delivered last time.

That didn’t seem to be the case though. Unlike what they were used to, the man acted as a stereotypical blacksmith. He suggested purchases and offered his services as if he didn’t know the duo. It was also surprising to see other customers present in the shop. ‘Is this what he meant by act normal?’ Ikazuchi was puzzled, but played along. Eventually, the result would be both of them having maintenance done to their various pieces of gear. The transaction would appear very normal, however they would notice a letter subtly hidden within Akushitsuna’s belongings unable to be seen by the other customers. ‘He’s being awfully secretive…’ Ikazuchi thought this as they re-equipped their gear and left the familiar shop.

It was an odd situation, but neither of them would mistakenly make a scene at this point. In a very natural manner they found a spot in a nearby alley where they could be out of sight. It would be at this point that Ikazuchi would speak in a quiet, but still audible manner to his companion. “What does that letter say?” Ikazuchi calmly checked the alley entrance for any unwanted listeners as he waited for his companion to check the contents of the letter.

Word Count: 350

Akushitsuna found himself accompanying Ikazuchi to the shop of Godfrey for yet another potential mission of sorts, yet he felt a bit suspicious of the manner that the shopkeeper had given them to approach. Upon entering the shop with his companion, he couldn't help but feel slightly awkward about being greeted as if any other customer. The young man couldn't place his finger upon any particular issue between himself and the blacksmith, but decided that there was a problem with his previous mission, or the upcoming one required a certain amount of subtlety.

In the following moments Godfrey would suggest that he could take a look at the integrity of the duos gear.  Aku was well accustomed with the idea of being secretive, and openly allowed the suggestion to be followed through. After the act had been followed through with his own de-clothing to general garbs, Aku would look around the shop in order to appear as a normal customer. He was no foreigner to 'playing it cool' so to speak. By the time that this suggestion had come to mind, the young Rogue was fairly certain that their next mission would involve activities that the blacksmith didn't even want his loyal customers to catch wind of. He had since decided that it was in their best nature to act like normal customers until the false pretext of repairs were taken care of.

A relatively short period of time had transpired between handing over their gear and it actually being repaired, likely due to that fact that they neve needed so done in the first place. Yet, when the two approached to Godfrey's calling, their gear appeared to be in pristine condition compared to before. While the gear was in wonderful condition compared to when it was turned in, they didn't typically ask for a repair until it was absolutely needed. In either case, Aku would notice a pair of notes hidden within his gear in particular when he went to retrieve it from the blacksmith. Deciding that it would be best to play along with the current scenario undergoing before himself, Akushitsuna places a handful of money accompanying 'change' onto the counter, which includes change. "Pleasure doing business with you." Immediately following this, Aku would be seen mouthing particular words to the shop owner before leaving; yet, no one else seemed to notice this as he turns around. "I expect a full refund."

He would then slowly re-attach the pieces of gear as he leaves the shop surrounded by shoppers, secretively placing the notes within his pocket as they leave the entrance. Aku couldn't help but feel that this particular matte that they had been drawn into was either serious, or at the very least extremely personal to the shop owner that often called upon their assistance. The young man wastes no time in immediately seeking a personal spot within a near alley that no one would suspect in a near alley, before hearing his long time companion ask what the general situation was not long before Aku holds out a singular piece of paper as a form of answer. "See for yourself."


WC: 530

Ikazuchi knew his companion well, so he didn’t think anything of his response as he accepted the letter and photo attached. ‘Hmm?’ Ikazuchi had his brows immediately furrow after seeing the image. His expression gradually worsened as he read the details enclosed. By the time he read to the end of the page, he would have unintentionally started frowning.

Unlike the work they usually did, this request overflowed with a sense of inferiority. Godfrey’s request was extremely simple. He wished to have his primary competition assassinated. Ikazuchi lost a lot of respect for the Blacksmith after reading this request. He could accept the shady dealings and violence, but this was killing a defenseless old man. It was something that disgusted him to consider. As a Warrior, both in combat style and mentality, he took offense to this kind of request.

A very small part of him wanted to go confront the Blacksmith after seeing this. He had the self control to reign in that impulsive desire, but he still needed to properly discuss this with his companion. Ikazuchi folded the paper back to its original state and handed it back to his companion with a sigh.

“Would you want to discuss this over dinner at the inn Godfrey mentioned?” He wasn’t sure if they should accept the request yet, but if they were going to discuss it over a meal then it seemed beneficial to observe the target.

Word Count: 230