Business in the Deep~

Rika and the rest of the group seemed to make it to Dipu alright, it was a trip she had made countless times in her life, as Dipu was where she tended to spend most of her time, although that would likely be changed soon, for now it was just how things were. Rika had taken an interest in the civilians, she wasn't really sure why, perhaps it was because she had always been interested in the life of civilians, even longing for it a bit. She sighed as they found there way to the shopping district, this would be the ending point for the pointless journey they had made. As they made there way through the crowded streets, Rika fell a little bit behind and she was passed a note by a random passerby. It was done professionally by a high ranking shinobi, no one would have noticed it whatsoever. Rika looked at her next orders and was surprised to find she would be hanging around one of the civilians a bit longer, a B-rank mission this time, perhaps this was why she was ordered to watch over the other one, it seems like it was leading up to this. She was just glad that her time wasn't wasted like she thought it was. Rika tucked away the note before catching back up with the group and putting back on her cheery smile. "Looks like we're here! Mii~"

Jasmine was taking in the sights of the village, it was quite beautiful and she was happy that she had decided to take her time out to visit, of course the first place she wanted to see was the shopping district as they needed to fence their jewels and she was sure that they'd find someone willing to exchange it for them especially when Rebecca was haggling. Speaking of Rebecca she would glance at her friend waiting until they made it to the front of the village bank before she would sigh and tap her sealing formula so she could bring out the treasure chest and the other materials from storage.

Hey do you still have those things you found give them to me so I can put them away and I'm leaving the chest in your capable hands when you get the money just um..place it in the bank then when I get back I'll take it out and put it un my personal storage just make sure you keep the treasure chest I need that. Also see if you can sell someone my armor don't worry I'll be back in a couple of hours just going to make a material run I put in a B-rank mission so II should have a decent shinobi keeping me safe.

Spoiler:

Bec nodded, unwilling to do much else. She had three goals for this afternoon, sell the jewels, sell the equipment and of course, find a tavern and finish the evening off there. "Good luck, i'll catch up with you somehow at some point in time. See ya." She gave a quick over the shoulder wave as she walked away, hopefully towards the merchant's dome so she may perform her various shopping activities.

{exit}

Rika sighed as Rebecca and Jasmine carried about there business. She wasn't sure how she would go about the following situation, it would be obvious she lied about not being a shinobi once Jasmine found out Rika was the one assigned to go with her. She decided she'd just play dumb, she knew Jasmine wasn't stupid and wouldn't fall for it, but she would just put the subject at a stalemate and hopefully end it. "Thank you for giving me company on my way home, Bye bye!" she said to the both of them before disappearing into the crowd. She made her way to the meeting point where she and Jasmine would meet up before taking off to gather raw materials or whatever it was the blacksmith was after. All Rika really cared about was fulfilling the mission and keeping Jasmine safe and doing whatever was asked of her. If things went well, it was likely this blacksmith would become a great part of Dipugakure's economy, and more importantly it's military supply. Of course if it got out of control she would have to take action to maintain balance between the villages.

Jasmine smiled waving a quick bye to her friend before her face became serious and she moved through the crowds as she had hoped that her actual mission was replied to by now, hopefully her ally would be able to help her in obtaining the materials needed otherwise she was afraid that she would be quite fucked as she didn't exactly know how to fight on her own. Sure she still had a couple of skills from her Academy days but that honestly wasn't enough, and if her guard was lacking then there would be absolutely nothing she could do other than running that would keep her safe. Sure enough she saw her escort in the distance, unsurprising that it was the other girl who she had bumped into, she wasn't exactly not suspicious when Ka had called her a shinobi and she had said she wasn't yet here was the proof seeing as she was in the meeting place and was a familiar face.

So..not Shinobi are you my escort? If you are then okay at least I know you so we can skip the foreplay and go right to the fun part. I here most of Dipugakure's minerals are underwater, you got anything that can help us breathe under there or am I going to have to switch my priorities.

Rika sat on a bench waiting for Jasmine, and upon seeing the girl in the distance she stood up and waved with a bright smile on her face. She waited for the girl to drawn near before greeting here. "Hello, hello! I'm Rika, I'll be your escort today!" she said happily. It didn't take long for Jasmine to get down to business, it seemed she was interested in underwater materials, but there wasn't much Rika could do for her there, as she wasn't a generic Dipu nin, well technically she wasn't a Dipu nin at all. "I'm afraid not. I have a breathy thingy for me, but I only have one." she said with a slight frown. If the girl wanted to explore the deep, she should have put that in the mission description so a proper shinobi could be her escort, but it was too late now, she would have to learn to be more descriptive in the future if she wanted to get exactly what she wanted. In the end Rika didn't really care, there were plenty of other places they could go.

Hmm well now I know oh well, perhaps we can travel to one of the islands how about Crescent Moon Island or Haunted either one is fine which of the two are closer? Jasmine said with a slight frown as she was really looking forward to getting underwater materials but it would seem she would have to get another escort for that. She would look at Rika before sighing and turning around seeing as they could just talk about where to go on the way might as well already start moving anyways. Let's talk on the way to the elevator, quicker that way anyways not to mention standing around instead of hunting down raw materials get's me angsty. she said with a slight smile when she thought of the materials she had received from her friend, honestly she could just make some sort of re-breather mask for an underwater trip but the water pressure that was the actual problem.

Rika nodded cheerily and began walking beside Jasmine, perhaps a bit too close. She listened to what Jasmine had to say and thought for a moment. Both of the islands were fine, she really didn't care either way, Crescent moon would likely be the easiest, and she preferred that if they were attacked by chance, that it would be a... tangible... enemy. "Haunted Island is spooky spooky, lets go to Crescent Moon Island, it's pretty! Mii~" she said in her usual voice, keeping up her image that she preferred people to view her with. She wondered how civilians could get so worked up over rocks, but she sighed... It was the end result that mattered she supposed. She wasn't one for clunky armors and large weapons though, so it really couldn't be helped how little she cared about the materials. What did matter to her though was keeping the ones in charge of her happy, that way she could be one of the ones in charge eventually and then her opinions could matter.

Alright. Jasmine said as they continued on and eventually after walking for an undisclosed amount of time they would happen upon the terminal that was heading for Crescent Island. Luckily it was a free transport for shinobi, hence why she wanted a shinobi escort anyways, this way she could pay shinobi while avoiding having to pay to go from one place to another using Dipugakure's fancy transportation system. It was much easier that way anyways, hopefully by the time they got back Rebecca had fenced their jewels so she could pay this shinobi directly rather than going through mission channels and the like, that honestly was much to tedious, not to mention she had to pay a village tax...not fun not at all. So...Rika..is your happy go-lucky personality something natural or are you deeper than face value. she said her smirk vanishing as she would rest against the wall of the empty elevator that she entered, that is assuming Rika decided to enter after her.

As they walked along Rika began humming a tune to get rid of the silence. Eventually they made it to the terminal and made it to an elevator. Rika walked in after Jasmine and stood across from her. It seemed to just be the two of them on this particular elevator, although that was expected as Crescent moon island wasn't exactly a location visited very often by the general public, there was Subarashii for that. Jasmine asked a personal question about Rika, which caught her a bit off guard, she didn't expect the girl to be much of a conversationalist. Maybe she wasn't, she was probably just really bored and trying to pass time... or something like that. "I'm not sure what you mean? Rika is Rika! Nipaa~" she replied with a curious tilt of her head. This girl was clearly smarter than she looked, she could obviously tell Rika was more than the cheery little girl that she seemed to be. Perhaps in due time Rika would open up a bit more, but that wasn't really her style, and she barely knew this blacksmith girl.

I suppose that's to be expected, she doesn't know me, I don't know her so why would I expect her to really answer me. Make sense. Jasmine deducted, before shrugging in order to play it off as if she was merely saying such things to say it. Nothing I just wanted to say that to see your reaction, so far I'm satisfied, so if you don't mind I take it your a B-rank shinobi of some sort? I don't think they let genin wander that far away from the village without an escort right. So that narrows it down to Chunin, T. Jonin or Elite T. Jonin since a Chunin Instructor wouldn't go on such mission since its outside of the village. Jasmine said while looking at Rika merely pressing her for answers and making small talk after all nothing to do at the moment.

Tell me, Rika, what sort of armor interests you, personally I think shinobi are more suited towards light mobile armor which doesn't restrict movement but provides minimal protection. But nonetheless different folks are cut from different cloth so I figure eventually I'll have to make more diverse types of armor to suit different needs. Jasmine said seeing as her companion didn't really like to chit chat, it was sad honestly she sounded so bubbly when she did speak. Much to bubbly to pique Jasmine's libido which meant this mission will be devoid of sex...boring.

Rika sighed as the ride was going to take a bit and she leaned against the wall to take some weight off her feet, she was exhausted. Intellectual conversation didn't really interest her at the moment, but the girl was pushing it, obviously trying to start conversation. Rika smiled, different from her usual smile though, it was almost cold in nature. She decided she would indulge Jasmine a bit, if only to pass the time. "To see my response? That sounds silly!" she said in the usual voice. Rika paused a moment before replying to Jasmine's questions, studying the girl a bit before responding. "I am a T.jonin... you could say I've been... transferred to Dipu, for the time being. As for armor, it doesn't appeal to me, although once you have a light weight armor that can fit under clothing and provide protection from chakra, let me know." she said, her voice dropping to her actual tone, much deeper and calculating than her usual voice. She was just testing the waters a bit, so to speak, seeing how Jasmine would respond. Rika's smile turned again, returning to it's usual cheery look. "So what kind of stuff are you looking for?" she asked, returning to her usual voice.

Hmm if we get a good haul I'll most likely make the standard wire net vest chakra resistant, it'll be slightly expensive not too much honestly but it'll be worth it, I don't make shitty equipment. I likewise wouldn't be bragging if I said I could make things better than any Rikigaku ever could. Jasmine said as she slid down the wall in order to sit down on the floor leaning her neck back and closing her eyes as she listened to Rika's reply. She noticed the change in voice but didn't give any indication that it had startled her, though internally she was at least happy that her escort didn't seem to insult her intelligence, she perhaps was deeply invested in her cover or it was the rumored coping mechanism that shinobi had to deal with what they experienced in her lives.

Metal and Gems, or more specifically Bulk being Ferrous, with a Non Ferrous or Precious Metal Allow and a couple of gems that I can grind up to influence the end product. Assuming I can get a decent amount I'll be able to make a full armor set. Then go back get more materials for more and continue like that. Once I make about ten I can sell the blueprints to Dipugakure for a profitable armor line and go somewhere else. I'm thinking Aquatic and Amphibious Armor along my generic concealable armor line. I figure that they'll be the bigger sellers. Once I make enough money, it's off to Shigakure. she said with the last part being said idly as if she had already planned out her entire trip ahead of schedule. She had honestly...First it was Dipu, then Shi, then Ibara, then Kaos and finally Hakagakure. Then seeing as she made a round trip in the major villages she would head to Gakusha so she could learn from the Scholars and learn how to weave fuinjutsu into her equipment before settling in a land known for poverty and shipping equipment to the land of greed to sell.

Rika stood there silently as Jasmine kinda just started... talking. Rika didn't know much about the creation of armor and weapons and such, so after a while what the other girl was saying kinda just turned into gibberish in Rika's mind. She didn't lack intelligence, it was just a subject she knew little about. The comment about Rikigaku managed to get Rika to laugh slightly, although it came out as more of a childish giggle. Then Jasmine mentioned going to shigakure, which piqued Rika's interest slightly. She herself had no plans of traveling to Shigakure anytime soon, but where she was sent by the shogun was always a new surprise, although she had been stationed in Dipu for some time now, she wondered how much longer she would be there. Talk of Jasmine's future plans brought Rika's to mind. She had been thinking about making a trip to the West continent to hand pick an apprentice from the academy there. It had been... a long time since she had been there, it would likely bring back many memories. She needed to prepare herself for the journey though, she knew something big was coming on the horizon, although she wasn't sure what. She was worried she wouldn't have time to prepare for war if she left without preparing beforehand. She sighed... hoping it wouldn't come to war. The balance between the villages and the shogun's authority was fragile, she didn't want to come against and of the villages, although she knew she would have no choice but to do so if it came to that. The life of a shinobi was a depressing one at times. Rika had drifted off in thought and completely forgot about Jasmine, she realized she had probably been standing there with a blank expression for a bit, which would have been easily noticeable. "Uh-uhmm yes, that sounds fun! I hope you have fun in Shigakure." she said with her bright smile.

Hmm. Oh it should be fun, it is my home village after all, haven't been there since I was a young girl though wonder how much it's changed. Jasmine said opening her eyes once more as she heard a loud ding. It would seem that they had arrived at their destination, and it was time to go, wonderful now she could get to obtaining materials and once that was done they could head back and the mission would be over. I guess we are here. That was quicker than expected. Jasmine said pushing her body up and smoothing out her clothes before the door opened and she walked out into the Crescent Island terminal with a happy facial expression.

(Jasmine exits)

Rika nodded to what Jasmine said and then waited in silence. The sound of their arrival at their destination came at a seemingly perfect time, as the conversation died down to nothing. Jasmine walked out the door and Rika stared after her for a moment in curiosity, the girl was starting to grow on Rika a bit, she wasn't sure what it was, but Jasmine seemed more than the average blacksmith. "Indeed..." rika said quietly from behind Jasmine as she pushed herself off the wall and began following closely behind the girl. She took a breath of the air of the island, the fresh sea air. It smelled good, she hated the air inside Dipu, it didn't have quite the...taste... of the surface.

[Rika exits]