peerless makes a friend...maybe...(Tenshi)

[Sheeka Riva]

When it came to certain types of jobs, there was nobody better for said jobs than the son of the Riva mafia family's boss, Alessandro Riva. Especially, when these types of jobs involved child trafficking and children in general. He hated the fact that he did, in general, resemble a child, but he also loved that fact. It made people underestimate his abilities, made him think he wasn't dangerous and in general, was the best way inside of any operation that involved such things.

Sheeka's fingers flipped casually through the manila folder as he took a small drink of wine at the bar he currently was residing in, catching up on his job. It wasn't anything too big, but given the Riva's attempts on gaining a foothold in the Japanese underworld it was something that would help them greatly. Children had been going missing for several weeks now, among them were Yakuza leaders as well as the granddaughter of Japan's prime minister, although it was children from all sorts of backgrounds that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Returning them and stopping the ones behind this would not only put the Riva in the good light for the Yakuza and any future alliances, as well as the prime minister for future expansion of their business aspect.

He rolled his shoulders in a shrug as he finished the information and handed to the bartender who had shown it to him. The bar was run and owned by an Italian man who had a pocket in all of the going on in the underworld, as well as had a hand in mafia dealings, but not a Riva member or a member of any particular group. An information broker, of sorts. As he did this, he also slid several bills of yen to him, paying for the information before finishing off his single drink and hopping off the bar stool and grabbing his bag from the floor. It seemed way out of place in the bar, overly childish for some reason. Sheeka disappeared into the back for several moments, but never returned to the front.

He reemerged in a dark alley after checking that nobody was watching, looking quite different than what he had been wearing before. He was wearing something that looked ragged and childish. He'd messed up his hair and rubbed various dirt and mud onto visible areas of skin. His hair was already untamed enough, but he'd made it look even more unmanageable. In general, he looked like some kid that had spent a few days on the streets. Double checking his various knives in hidden places, Sheeka thought it best to have the least amount of people see him, but he did have a general idea of where the disappearances were occurring. It was just a convenience that his information broker was in the area.

With a massive amount of dexterity and skills in parkour, Sheeka managed to go across several rooftops and buildings, grabbing onto fire escapes and other various ledges to keep himself steady. He had learned acrobatics generally easily as a child in the streets, but when he was taken in...that had evolved into parkour and other forms of acrobatics. After looking up on his mother, he had found out that she'd been a gymnast herself and it just seemed that flexibility and acrobatics were another thing he'd inherited from his mother rather than his father.

He hadn't been a street child in a long time, but he'd acted as such before and he could recall how he had been then. It was almost easy, slipping back into that persona. The lost, angry street kid that he had been before he'd joined the Riva. He didn't particularly like that version of himself; but it was something that he couldn't have helped.

He padded silently along an alley way, just sort of looking out for any suspicious activity as well as actually looking for trouble. He did tend to find it, after all. He liked to think he was a trouble magnet and he most definitely was a magnet for trouble. He also tended to attracted pedophiles and other creepers; which is what he was banking on now. Kidnapping attempt, kick their ass, and interrogate them. Easy as 1, 2, 3. Probably.

[Tenshi Reach]

Patience. A virtue to the overworld, but an absolute necessity to an assassin. It was what made the difference between a clean kill and a lethal mess. It was what made the difference between getting rich and getting caught. And it was no more enjoyable for its necessity, particularly when it came to tracking down those who had taken Genbu. "Otter, tell me you have something.", Tenshi hissed, his voice barely above a whisper in order to minimise the chance of detection. Not that it was entirely necessary, given the spell he was using to bend light around himself.

"Tenshi, I think I've got a face for you.", the voice of Otter, full of barely controlled rage, responded, "Lifted it from a traffic cam near the scene. I'm sending some stills to your phone now.".

"Good. I was getting tired of not knowing who we were looking for. You talk to that info broker yet? The mute blonde?", Tenshi replied, scanning the alleyway below.

"Not yet. She was with a client. A former American citizen it's best you not know too much about. Suffice to say one of maybe six people in the world who know more about me than I want them to.", Otter responded.

"Get in touch. Name drop if you have to.", Tenshi quietly snapped as he watched a kid enter the alleyway. Then pad along it like most kids his apparent age didn't.

"No. Tenshi, I'm talking about someone who knows exactly where I live, and how to track me if I skip. Not to mention someone who serves much bigger fish than Lady Sora. My broker will vid me when she's free.".

As the hacker explained his reasons for not interrupting, Tenshi padded along the rooftop, deciding a slim lead was better than none for the moment. "Sound is a thing of importance. It is worth emphasis. Let no sound in or near the object of my gaze pass without my hearing it.", Tenshi muttered, focusing on the boy as he cast the spell.

[Sheeka Riva]

Pausing for a brief moment, Sheeka couldn't help but get the feeling he was being watched. Call it a sixth sense, or simply paranoia...but it was just that chill up a spine that warned you if imminent danger. He took a quick glance behind him, as well as checking upwards - that was his trick usually, and very few people thought to look up when it came to being on look out...humans simple weren't meant for the upward directions, usually. His tail flicked slightly as nothing came across his vision. It was likely that he was being watched, probably by a member of whoever has been doing the kidnappings and they were just waiting for an opportune moment to snag such an unsuspecting child.

He sighed, further mussing up his hair with his fingers. He definitely hoped he wasn't on a wild goose chase for the night and that for once in his life, he wanted a specific brand of trouble that was likely, to find him. As a child, he hadn't been more than a month on the streets before the first trouble from general people came around. Granted, he'd already known by then that people were the most dangerous things around and had been aptly ready for the retaliation on his first attempts at picking pockets.

It took quite a bit of aimlessly wandering an hour...maybe two, through the various alley ways of the area when his quarry finally showed their faces...sort of. As one blundered loudly towards the front of him, footsteps appeared behind him, masked behind the blundering sound. A cloth was placed near his face and Sheeka knew enough about kidnapping attempts to know what it was. He held his breath and reacted, knocking his head back away and there was a groan as the back of his head made contact with the man's stomach. Thin fingers grabbed the wrist holding the cloth and the man was suddenly being judo flipped over his shoulder and into a wall. Sheeka's head tilted to the side for a brief second as he contemplated what to do next. Oh wait. He knew. A pair of handcuffs were suddenly handcuffing the man to a pole and Sheeka cheerfully smiled as he pressed the cloth to the man's face, knocking him out. "I'll be back in juuust a...nevermind," the second of the two was rounding on Sheeka now with a knife and Sheeka looked at it with contempt. "Do you ever sharpen that thing? It's about as dull as this one is," he stated in an overly cheerful tone as he ducked the oncoming slash. "Poor form," he commented a knife slid out of his shirt sleeve. "blade of power, fly true...let not this one escape, nor allow others to hear his voice." he whispered silently in Italian as he threw the knife. He didn't need the help with aim, but it was the first part of the spell that was important as well as the last part The knife hit itss mark, the man's wrist holding the knife and the added strength not only went through the limb, but also buried itself into a wall. The man screamed, a silent noise coming from his mouth. Sheeka stood up to his full height, which wasn't much. "I have a few questions for you both...well, you," Sheeka stated cheerfully as he nodded lightly at the unconscious one. "I mean...you could choose not to answer...but then I'd have to kill you..." Sheeka was now twirling a knife cheerfully between his fingers, the movements expert and deliberate. "What sort of shape are your kidneys and liver in?" he asked, prodding at the man's abdomen a couple of times before standing up straight. "No, but seriously. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll dissect you while you're still alive, screaming and nobody will ever hear you or find your body. After I make you watch me do it to that one, there," he stated nodding his head to the unconscious one. "What shape do you think his organs are in?"

It was something about a cute child that could expertly twirl a knife, threaten your life with a smile on his face that was definitely terrifying and intimidating. Sheeka wasn't intimidating on his own, but when you add knives and threats of live-dissections and removal of organs...the man was definitely interesting in talking. And he was, which including spilling his guts about the time he cheated on a math test in high school. Sheeka rolled his eyes. "Not about that...the kidnappings. Do tell me about that..." Sheeka casually twisting the knife in his wrist, waiting for his answer.

[Tenshi Reach]

Tenshi smirked silently as the youth's eyes looked up at him, then away, apparently having never seen him, the mark of a spell decently made. Not many people thought to look up, which made Tenshi's job a bit easier, but not being seen when one did was an invaluable asset. Especially for a game of follow the leader. As he thought about how long it would be worth his time to follow for, the realisation hit Tenshi that he'd seen the boy before, and not on the streets.

When the bait was finally taken, Tenshi simply watched, marveling at how a ring so clumsy could have been so successful in their kidnappings, luck notwithstanding. Granted, their quarry wasn't typically looking for them, as Tenshi was now certain the 'child' had been, but...

"Tenshi, can you get your phone centered on that kid?", Otter's oice sounded in Tenshi's ear.

"Sure.", Tenshi snapped, setting his phone to camera function before pointing its camera at the now-ended fight.

"Well, that guy napping is definitely a match. As for the kid, I'm fairly certain I've seen him in a picture somewhere... Let me search a bit. In the mean time, go ahead an see if you can get sleeping beauty awake enough to talk. I've got Lady Sora breathing down my neck. Sending a few more faces to you, as well. My broker really came through for me.".

"Let none but myself and my burden move nor speak until the sleeping target wakes.", Tenshi whispered, releasing the spell as he balanced at the edge of the roof. "Let no fall injure the Peerless assassin.", he whispered, then leaned forward.

Tenshi landed as softly as a leaf next to the unconscious kidnapper. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow this. It's got information I want.", the assassin quipped as he disabled his stealth spell. "The Peerless gaze exerts impossible weight. Mere handcuffs cannot withstand such weight. Shear.", he continued, snapping the handcuffs with the spell, then retrieving three long, thick zipties from his pocket.

[Sheeka Riva]

For some reason, Sheeka was expecting this to be a lot more difficult than it had been. Plan A had been to let himself get kidnapped, but he didn't have the back-up required for such a stunt. Plan B was to let them kidnap somebody else and then follow, but that would cause undue trauma to some other child. Plan C was let them try to kidnap him and the interrogate said kidnappers. Granted, that could have turned into Plan A...but he liked it better as its own plan. Made it seem like he'd thought things through more.

Sheeka slid the knife he had been twirling back into a sheath as he worked on tying up his new...companion. He was making sure to wipe the blood from the knife he had just pried out of his wrist and the wall behind him off on the others clothes when the sound of another person entered his hearing. How had he not...?! There was no way he could have missed somebody. It had to be somebody trained in stealth, or something else to be able to pull the wool over his eyes.

Sheeka turned fast, the knife ready to be thrown...but the face swimming before his vision was familiar. Wasn't he...that definitely explained why he hadn't been noticed before. He was a unit half. Sheeka lowered his throwing knife, his head tilting to the side in a curious fashion. He was asking to borrow his other victim? Wait...those words. Those were definitely the vocabulary that came with a spell. Sheeka snorted, realizing that this could have ended pretty badly if Tenshi had been an enemy...although, he might have also had a knife hurled in his face...whichever happened first. Sheeka glanced at the man still pinned to the wall by his knife, the blood running in rivulets down his arm as he whimpered in fear. He'd already told Sheeka want he wanted, so he was put out of his misery...and Sheeka didn't kill him; just smashed his head against the wall hard enough to knock him out as well. He could have done it a better way, but this guy was kidnapping children. He deserved this.

"What's Septimal Moon want with these idiots?" Sheeka asked as he looked at the other male in his presence. "And I suppose you can have him...just as long as I get his organs when you're done..." Sheeka waved a hand dismissively as he opened up his phone, dropping a text in Italian to one of the Riva members in the area. They would come clean up the blood as well as retrieve the tied up, unconscious man. His tail twitched back and forth as he kept an eye on his latest companion. "Given Septimal Moon's less than legal actions, but their lack of interest in these sorts of things...I'd have to say you work for somebody else entirely..." Sheeka admitted lightly as he thought about it. "Given that this is Japan, probably a local Yakuza? But you're not Japanese...so it could be something else entirely..."

Sheeka had leaned up against the wall, trying to figure things out. He suddenly had somebody he knew from Septimal Moon seeing him work...Worst case scenario would be to have him killed...but if he did work for a local Yakuza gang, then he could work something out. Part of his job was to find a way into the hearts of the underground in Japan. He could use this to his advantage. Giving him one of the men he'd captured was an act of good faith, at least for starters. And then dealing with this problem of the kidnappers would be another act of good faith and if he could work with Tenshi...then all will be good. He preferred the idea of working alone, but having back-up could be helpful.

[Tenshi Reach]

"Sloppy, kid.", Tenshi remarked as he zip-tied the unconscious man's hands and feet, ignoring the Septimal Moon question for the moment, "If I'd wanted to, I could have killed you at any point of my choosing in the last couple hours. You might want to think about checking for stealthy opponents in the future.", he continued, "Otter. I've got a live one. Tell Zhūquè to prep the guest quarters.", he ordered, knowing the hacker had the sense to ask for a pickup team as well.

"Tenshi, slight complication. That kid? Adoptive son of Alessandro Riva. As in suspected Mafia boss Alessandro Riva. Runs a medical company, too. A pretty successful one. That's probably why the kid wants the organs. Odd that there's no records before his adoption... Could be why Day was... Never mind. Point is, be careful around that kid. Sheeka Riva. He could be trouble we don't need.".

"You're right, half right, and wrong.", Tenshi remarked as soon as he'd checked the bindings, "You're right that I'm with the Yakuza. The Fusui, to be specific. You're half-right that I'm not Japanese. I apparently took more after my father than my mother. You're wrong in that it's something else entirely. I'm hunting the same group you are. They took my sister, I'm getting her back. I doubt these clowns were the specific ones who took her, but they ought to be able to lead me to their masters.", he explained. At this point, cooperation would only benefit the mission and his family, and there was really no reason to be less than honest. As far as he explained. "Rouse the bound man, but let him make no movement.", Tenshi incanted, "Let his voice be heard only by Fusui and Riva ears. And yes, if my boss is willing, you may have his organs.".

[Sheeka Riva]

"Ugh. I know, right? It was sloppy of me to completely miss you...but you were also probably hidden under a spell, right?" Sheeka stated, lamenting slightly at the fact that he had basically been a sitting duck. "I do keep a spell shield up...and it would have at least deflected a sniper bullet from my vital organs..." he mused lightly, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. "I started doing that after a double hit to the head with a crowbar." Sheeka gave him an odd look for a moment, before further adding. "And considering my current appearance...you would have to second guess yourself on whether or not you were actually shooting at an...unarmed child or not." Sheeka gestured to the unconscious. "I do these sorts of jobs for a reason. I make excellent bait...it's a gift I have to attract all the wrong people."

Sheeka's tail flicked back in thought as Tenshi answered his observations. So he'd mostly been right. He was half-Japanese, Yakuza, and working the same job that he was. He was debating on whether or not to offer a momentary team-up for the job. Things would get done faster and plus, he had the information of where he needed to be. He'd already sent a message ahead to his handler telling him the location of where he needed to be. "Since we happen to be working the same mission, I'll offer you the information I got from this one. There's a warehouse nearby where they're housing their more recent kidnapping victims. They're going to wait another week until things simmer down before sending them to another warehouse near Tokyo Bay. They're still taking bids on some of the kids to sell in the Black Market." That last bit he'd taken from his own information broker who had found some of the missing kids on a list for future sale. "I've already informed my handler about it and he's sending a team there...plan is to take both areas down at the same time so nobody can warn the other." Sheeka informed him, finding no reason that them cooperating was a bad thing at the moment.

He watched as the other male roused the one Sheeka had earlier knocked unconscious and Sheeka glanced at him with a mildly innocent look on his face as he leaned back against the alley wall, beginning to sharpen one of his knives quite casually. "Let me know when we're done and we can discuss what you want to do next...it's better for both of us to work together." At this moment, Sheeka switched his communications device on and was speaking soft Italian into the device. "Cambio di programma. C'è un nuovo pezzo degli scacchi sulla scacchiera. Un membro del Fusui. Attualmente sto offrendo cooperazione con lui ... e forse possiamo lavorare qualcosa fuori con la famiglia in seguito."

Sheeka nodded his head a few times in response to his answers before turning back to Tenshi and the man he was kindly interrogating. "We'll talk a little bit more after we finish this job...but the Riva would like to set up a meeting with your boss..to get to know each other more." Probably to form some sort of alliance with the Fusui. He had the authority to do so, being one of the two heirs to the Riva family. Alessandro was currently in Italy handling the affairs there, but if worse came to worse...Sheeka and Lanza could handle the affair. However, considering the fact that it would be rude of Alessandro not to show, he would most likely make a visit to Japan. He did enjoy being able to get away from his work to see his children, after all.

(Translation: "Change of plans. There's a new chess piece on the board. A member of the Fusui. I'm currently offering cooperation with him...and perhaps we can work something out with the family later.")

[Tenshi Reach]

"Should it have mattered?", Tenshi pointedly asked, "You looked right at me, after all. The feeling you were being watched should have automatically had you countering any stealth spells.", he continued. "As for a potential assassin hesitating...", he added, drifting off as he gazed pointedly at the two would-be kidnappers, "If I wanted you dead, I'd already have known what you looked like, and made my peace, long before stepping out into the field. Even having taken the job would have implied a willingness to kill. Not that I'm an assassin, per se.".

"Otter, see what you can do about getting me the plans for a couple of warehouses. See if the US has a Kennan that can see Tokyo well enough for imaging data. I'll text the info to you as I get it.", Tenshi instructed, "And Riva's after the same group we are. Tell the boss they've made an offer of cooperation. One that seems mutually beneficial.".

Tenshi only had a handful of questions that hadn't already been answered, most of which had to do with specifics at the warehouse, and he'd gotten all of them answered by the time a white van crept into the alleyway, driven by a vermillion-haired woman. "Toss him in the back and get going. You've got a green light.", the driver snapped, "I'll process him and dump him later."

"Get someone to harvest his organs before you kill him. We'll hand them over to the Riva as a thank you.", Tenshi responded as he tossed the man unceremoniously into the van, shut the door, then banged on the side twice. "Ready when you are. We can talk future plans once the current job's done.", he told Sheeka. "The name's Fusui, by the way. Tenshi Fusui. And I should be getting the plans for the warehouses..."

"Sending them now, Tenshi. Good hunting.".

"Got a phone? I'll send them over.", Tenshi offered.

[Sheeka Riva]

"Point made," Sheeka answered casually, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. "I tend to try to leave children out of it...it's more of a Riva thing than anything. We don't like anything involving children, which is one of the reasons I took this job," Sheeka stated simply before his tail flicked in dismissal of the conversation. The Riva, although not as known in Japan as anywhere else did have a reputation to fighting against child trafficking and really, any situations in which children were involved. There waasn't too much invovlement of them being involved in anything to huge; besides maybe their trade in illegal organs and assassinations of people they didn't particularly like, which usually were people who deserved it for the most part.

It was a few minutes after that Tenshi's pick-up team arrived, that two members of the Riva literally dropped in from one of the rooftops to pick up Sheeka's. Their car was parked just outside of the alley way, more inconspicious than the large white van had been. A tall and rather busty blonde as well as a slightly shorter black-haired woman. Together the two managed to take the man, making it look like it was just two women taking home a drunken companion. A moment later, the blonde returned to discuss something in Italian with Sheeka, giving a cursory glance over at Tenshi for a moment. Her hands made movements as she spoke, seemingly just a habit as she asked a question, in which respond was a nod and a smile.

"quando si sta per essere a casa?"

"Coppia poche ore al massimo? Sicuramente prima di andare a dormire stanotte ... a meno che qualcosa viene in su. Dille di non preoccuparsi." Sheeka's answered easily with a bright smile towards the woman. She ruffled his hair for a moment, amused by his answer before giving Tenshi another look. "Try not to scar too many kids for life." She looked at Sheeka for a moment, amused as she added. "don't worry about this kid though. He's warped enough in the head as it is."

"I'm going to ignore that crack about my appearance and tell you to go away now." Came the deadpan response from Sheeka before she waved casually before heading out. Sheeka rolled his eyes. "Ignore her...I live with her...Papa insists both my sister and I have guards since the whole...heirs thing." He rolled his shoulders in a shrug before he was swinging up onto a fire escape in an impressive feat of acrobatics and his parkour skills and back onto the rooftop that Tenshi had previously come from. "We should get going; we can work on a game plan on the way there."

(Translations: "When do you think you'll bbe home?"

"Couple few hours at the most? Definitely before she goes to sleep tonight. Unless something comes up. Tell her not to worry.")

[Tenshi Reach]

Tenshi watched Sheeka's pickup team, noting their efficiency and their use of subterfuge. Though one had to question the blonde, sore thumb as she was in a land of short, dark-haired women, most of whom weren't exactly Pamela Anderson, being selected for a pickup even partially on foot. Even Zhuque used an illusion to color her hair black when she was seen anywhere besides behind a wheel. As she returned to speak with Sheeka, Tenshi thumbed the speakerphone button on his phone.

Tenshi met the blonde's gaze as she glanced over, and nearly laughed at her remark about Sheeka being too messed up to worry about. "You say that like it's a bad thing.", the assassin drily remarked, grinning slightly, "Guys like us have to be hard to scar. If we're a little crazy, well, keeps us from losing our minds at critical moments.".

Tenshi effortlessly followed Sheeka, thinking over his options as he moved. "We've got a few people who would be useful in the raids. What do you think about sending a couple of them to the Tokyo Bay warehouse to help on that end?", he suggested, "They're like us, if you know what I mean.".

"Tenshi, Sheeka, good news and bad news.", Otter announced, speaking through their phones, "Good news is, the Americans do have a spy sat in place. Bad news is, their DoD's upgraded their security. I'll have maybe half a minute to look through it if I don't want to have to pull up stakes and move to a new location. And it's one of the older models, so I won't be able to see inside.".

"Beginning to wonder why I keep you around.", Tenshi muttered.

"Because of my dashing good looks. It gets worse. Those warehouses had state of the art camera systems until right around the start of these kidnappings. Now the insides are as dark as the space between galaxies. They may as well be hiding in cave networks. You guys are on your own until you can get me eyes inside those buildings. I'll see what I can dig up in the meantime.".

[Sheeka Riva]

Granted, Serafina did stand out like a sore thumb...but she did look like a woman many men would love to bring home to spend a little 'quality' time with. It was just too bad for them that if they did manage to bring her home it was likely that she was going to kill them anyway. She specialized in assassinations, or general information gathering missions that required a woman's touch. Granted, she was married and she did try to lessen her ventures into the beds of other men. The smile crossed over her features at Tenshi's comeback towards her jab at Sheeka as she left after leaving Sheeka some more information.

His new information only seemed to confirm the information Tenshi's latest information as they headed towards the warehouse they were going to take on their own. "The DoD shouldn't be too much of a problem...we know a few guys over there who can erase anything that may come up...but the fact we're in the dark is a bit worrisome..." Sheeka mused lightly as he pondered the issue. It wouldn't be too hard to get into the building; it would be getting around without being seen and knowing where the kids were being held that posed as a problem.

Sheeka looked at Tenshi for a moment, contemplating something before a smile crossed his features. "Bait and ambush?" He asked, pausing briefly to listen to a report that his raid team was nearly in place at the docks down by the bay. Sheeka spoke rapidly back, this time in Japanese for Tenshi's benefit to allow him the knowledge that the Riva would be prepared to receive the backup Yakuza members before switching back to Italian to inform his handler that they would arrive at their place soon as well.

It was a few more minutes before they reached the warehouse and instead of automatically heading over there, Sheeka stayed on a nearby rooftop out of any sort of sight as he went over his own idea. "First we should figure out where they're holding the kids...and how many men there are. Since this is merely a holding area until things quiet down from the police, I imagine there aren't many in the warehouse in the first place, but just to be sure."

Sheeka took a quick cursory glance at the warehouse, trying to figure out the best place for them to keep the children, keep them quiet, and keep them from a quick escape route. There might be a basement floor to keep the kids in...but that would definitely make his plan harder. Well, even if he couldn't dress like one of the kids they had...they definitely wouldn't let a wandering kid go in the area in general. "There may be a basement floor where they're keeping the kids, but either way..." He turned back to Tenshi after a moment, further going over his plan. "I pretend to be one of their children who has escaped...they come after me, you ambush them...even if they know all the kids they have by face there's no way they're going to let a lonely little boy wander so close to them without grabbing him..." Sheeka pulled the cutest most innocent face he could muster, which was definitely misleading when it came to his age and the fact that he was far from innocent. Cute, but not innocent. "Especially one who looks like he'd fetch a fair price on the black market." It wasn't exactly arrogance that he was pointing out how much jail bait he was; it was more along the lines of just common knowledge and sense...he /was/ decently cute by anyone's standards. His tail flicked slightly in amusement. "Sometimes the greed of men out weigh their common sense..." It was true, for t he most part. Humans were greedy creatures and if the opportunity for more money came up...it was a rarity for them to not take it.

He nodded towards Tenshi, listening to another report that the allies down at the docks had arrived and they were ready to go. "Ready when you are," Sheeka informed his current partner.

[Tenshi Reach]

"You guys have connections in the American Department of Defense high enough up to cover my tracks hacking into their network of spy satellites? I don't know whether to be jealous, scared, or both. Only thing is, whoever you have may be able to cover my ass after the fact, but that doesn't help if any of the people or systems that are supposed to be watching spy satellite networks catches me in the act, and those updates included features that would let them have me in ten seconds flat if it weren't for my own security.", Otter explained, "Still, how do you go about getting people that high up in the Department of Defense? Only a couple of places in America harder to slip a mole into."

"Otter. Focus.", Tenshi chided. "Bait and ambush could take a while, but, yeah. I can't see them having more than a handful of men outside. Not if they want to keep this warehouse a secret.", Tenshi agreed, "Otter. Get Baihu and Seiryu the address for the-"

"Already done. They're en route and should arrive by the time you get to your target.", Otter announced, "I'm trying to see if any of their group brought something on I can get at, like a cellphone they might have left on, or a laptop. So far, the Bay warehouse's computer is mine, for all the good it does. What kind of casual script kiddie doesn't have a webcam these days? At this point, I'm not sure if they're practising good security, or just technologically illiterate."

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"Otter, get that spy sat looking at our warehouse.", Tenshi ordered as they arrived, "See if you can find all the exterior guards."

"Geez, I'm only human.", Otter quipped, "I'll send a map with the locations and headings marked when I have it.".

Tenshi thought a couple seconds before answering. "My guess would be somewhere in the center of the building, if there's no basement. Easy to defend in case the cops get tipped off, but with relatively quick access to the shipping and receiving area, unless they plan to move the kids one at a time. It would also likely have a limited number of ways in or out, in order to minimise the chance of escape.", the assassin mused, "If you're right, and there is a basement, though... Could get interesting. They'd still want a quick way to get the kids out, in case the cops find the other warehouse, but basements usually don't have more than one entrance. We'd be running into a defensive wall.".

"Keep your phone on. Otter can use the camera to get an idea of what's what, with yout help. And take one of these.", Tenshi advised, tossing Sheeka an earpiece that looked more like a hearing aid than a communication device, "Otter will talk to you through that. I'd also like it back after we're done. That one happens to be one of my spares. You'll also be able to hear me through it. I'd give you the mic that goes with it, but we don't have time to set it up properly. Good hunting.", he continued. "Let none see the Peerless hunter. Fade.", Tenshi incanted, substituting 'hunter' for 'assassin'. As the spell took effect, Tenshi faded from view, light bending around him and rendering him invisible. Tenshi crept to the edge of the roof. "Ready.", he announced.

[Sheeka Riva]

A snicker escaped Sheeka's lips at how Otter was both jealous and afraid of the Riva's vast information network and moles. Granted, their way into the DoD was mostly due to Celino's military contacts having gotten in...and the fact that when you run a state-of-the-art medical company where very few can boast of such things, people owe you favors. "We know a guy...and several other guys who owe us favors." Sheeka stated rather loftily, but not adding anything else to his statement. Let them wonder about their guy and who owed them favors. With Celino, Alessandro's right-hand and lover having ties into the American military...members of his former unit were splattered here and there within the military and political system.

The Riva ran top-of-the-line medical companies...so it was likely people who needed silence with any medical treatments. Even with doctor-patient confidentiality people still spread rumors and gossiped. With technology of the present, keeping something silent was nigh on impossible...but the Riva, as a mafia family with several of its members within the halls of their medical facilities, knew how to keep quiet about such matters if it came to a health issue involving somebody in politics.

Sheeka's tail flickered in amusement as Tenshi told Otter to focus and he complained about the either security genius, or the lack of technological knowledge. From the two men from earlier...it was probably somewhere in the middle of madness turning out to actually being genius. "Well, people can hack webcams if they try hard enough...so they might be doing something intelligent." Sheeka offered as he two cents as he attached the earpiece. It took a few moments of fiddling, but he also managed to connect his own people in on it without having the two cause interference between the stations. It would basically be a three-way conversation, with Sheeka as the intermediary. "I don't have a preference for alive or dead at the moment, by the way," Sheeka informed Tenshi. The Riva's habits of harvesting organs would say otherwise, but the organs would be viable for at least a few hours after death. With people here and there, keeping them alive isn't a problem...but when it came to a full-blown assault like they were about to do...he'd rather not take the risk of leaving somebody alive to later stab him in the back.

"Hawkeye. Let not the darkness or distance impair my vision," Sheeka's own spell went off moments after Tenshi's as he scanned the area of the warehouse, pinpointing the location of a couple guards making a routine round. "Fade into the darkness. Fade into mist. Let none but allies see the hunter in the night." Sheeka invoked his own stealth spell, but also allowing allies vision. It was rare he needed to use spells...but he might as well. That little bit of extra stealth could save him. As long as there weren't any Fighters in the group they were hunting to sense either of their presences after the use of spells, they were cool.

"Ready as well," Sheeka informed Tenshi moments after his own confirmation. And with that, Sheeka leapt easily over to the next warehouse rooftop and dropped down, but not quite to the ground. He dangled for a moment from a ledge until one of the men who had earlier been making their rounds came walking back and as soon as he was under Sheeka, the small male dropped down onto his shoulders, slid a knife out of its sheath and had slit the man's throat before he could even make a sound. Sheeka moved easily enough to catch him before he hit the ground and moved him out of sight before sliding off into the darkness to find another target, or to find the kids. He'd rather take out the guards first before freeing any children, though. It was just easier that way.

[Tenshi Reach]

"I know of maybe six people in the underworld with connections to the 'secure' areas of the American government." , Otter remarked, "And you're telling me you got in by being owed favors? Not bad. If I wore a hat, I'd tip it right about now.".

"My vote's technological illiteracy. If they were smart enough to think of hackers, they should have been smart enough not to take a Yakuza kid.", Tenshi stated, "That, or they're just suicidal."

"I'd prefer to keep at least one alive, if feasible. Without eyes inside the building, it might be useful to find out where the kids are being held, and what they've got set up inside, before heading in.", Tenshi replied, "Let's not head in blind if we don't have to."

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Tenshi checked his phone as Sheeka went to work, watching the icons on the map as he worked out when each would enter his field of fire. "Darkness, condense into a sniper's round at my fingertip. Shadow rifle.", he incanted, then took aim at a spot just in front of one of the building's corners, counting down in his head as he did so. <Five... Four... Three... Two... One...>. "Fire."

As Tenshi fired, the man stepped around the corner, putting his head right where the spell had been aimed, exactly on time. "Nice takedown. one on the north headed your way. They don't seem to know we're here yet.", he remarked, "The dark Peerless blade cuts silently through the air. Silent shadow sword. Let no fall injure the Peerless hunter.", he incanted, then dropped off the roof, landing like a sheet of paper blown in the wind. "Any word on the other warehouse?", he asked.