"Damn, there are ninja rules for everything," said Naruto, who wasn't so much for following the rules much less remembering all of them.
"So how are we to return?" asked Sasuke, curious.
"No clue, but this guy might be our best bet for further information about this world and a way back," said Sakura.
Several people who had very dark skin and were wearing all white came in with various trays.
"Food," said Naruto, sniffing the air.
"So, uhm, cooperate but keep village details secret?" not quite suggested Hinata.
"Sounds like a plan," agreed Sasuke.
She had trouble believing these were ninja.
They certainly didn't act like her old clan. Nor were they like the groups the Empire utilized.
Yuriko Yukinohara was the name she gave nowadays. If anyone used her old name, she most likely would have to kill them. Her past was something to leave behind, only using those skills to protect her boss.
Her boss, Deever-sama, knew of her combat abilities as well as those skills she could bring to bear as a spy despite having hired her as a maid. He didn't inquire further, other than to ask her point-blank where her loyalties were. When she'd answered, he'd considered that and then apparently dismissed the whole thing. She understood that as long as she was not a tool of the Empire - she was welcome to stay.
In the old days, a ninja served their lord in whatever manner was deemed most needed at any given moment. A knife in the dark, a spy in the castle, or an efficient maid were all likely. That was her own mindset, as she'd been initially raised to fulfill such duties.
After the events that had caused her to leave Japan, she'd sought out the rich and powerful to determine who had the best cover for her to live away from the Empire. After carefully gathering information, she'd chosen Frank Deever of the Deever Conglomerate. As near as she could tell - the Deever family were among the Gifted. They had a talent for finding the right people for any given job, being able to pull one out of a crowd of similar applicants that just "felt right" somehow.
She was usually around Ivan. The big bald Russian was tall and imposing and had thick muscles and a passion for physical exercise. He was the obvious bodyguard who'd seen war and survived. Good shot, a capable boxer, and someone she could demolish in about six seconds. He was also very fond of things considered Western High Culture like ballet and opera. Things which Deever-sama generally eschewed himself.
These three thought they were discussing among themselves their future in private, not realizing that there was a microphone hidden nearby or that Yuriko excusing herself was actually so she could listen in on their conversation.
She thought Deever-sama had the right idea. Their language was mostly Japanese but the sentence structure was off and unfamiliar words popped up regularly. So some dialect that had drifted off from Japanese more than a generation ago. That was actually a good sign, as the events in China had demonstrated several tendencies that would not reflect well on Deever-sama if potential employees were to display them.
The Peerless airship was large for an airship, but a small community for all that. Best to not cause waves unnecessarily. She could also keep an eye on them for any difficulties they might pose to her employer.
And if they turned out to be from the Empire, she could observe whether they could land safely from nearly a mile up.
He had a feeling about these three. One was potentially useful if a bit of an idiot - guy had Hero tendencies in there somewhere. To a lesser extent, the girl with Prophet Eyes looked like she'd follow the blond's lead. The girl with pink hair, apparently natural, was likely to follow the black-haired boy's lead. The black-haired boy was more of a tossup. Anti-hero in the making? Maybe.
The Deever "gift" was an instinct about people. Some people just "felt right", and that instinct was usually pretty good. Some people just "felt wrong" and you avoided them. That was how his great-grandfather had met his mother and despite his being a full-blooded Iroquis had ended up owning a Mercantile in Kansas. How he himself had ended up finding the right people for the right job and parlayed that into making Deever an internationally recognized name.
So it wasn't just four kids, it was also two couples, and these guys were 'ninja' of some kind. Prior to this, the only time he'd heard the term was in reference to the Empire's Legion Of Assassins. He wasn't quite getting that vibe off of any of these kids. Maybe black-hair boy.
So, a job offer. They were about twelve or so, and there WERE some child labor laws about that kind of thing, but he could have the lawyers look that over and advise him. Hiring them on as students would probably work - apprenticeship sort of thing with them learning the language and such counting for the schooling.
As to the rest - if they WERE escapees from the Empire then that was all well and good. Conditions for the common folk weren't that good according to what he'd heard. Not that the Empire would let them know about that.
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(Posted Tue, 14 Apr 2015 17:07)
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