Chapter Text
The boat-ride was rather boring, just endless blue water.
Earlier that day Madam Kujou had given him permission to go to Nod-Krai. They had received a letter from 'The Harpoon Gang', that a certain Inazuman fugitive, Inasashi Tinsugi, was in Nod-Krai. It was obvious that the gang had reached out to them in the hope that the Tenryou Commission would take Inasashi back to Inazuma. They were in luck, because that's exactly what Heizou was on his way to do.
This boat ride sucked though.
He had been sent with Ammandou and Tsukoso, but they had gone off and were doing their own thing. It looked like they had joined a crowd of people playing Genius Invokation TCG.
Heizou looked at the boisterous crowd, at the way they laughed and placed bets, before looking back out across the ocean. He could see a storm off in the distance but it was moving in the other direction. A shame, it might have made the trip a little less boring.
He sighed and slumped against the railing before standing up and walking over to watch a few rounds of TCG as well.
Before long, several hours had passed and Heizou had grown annoyed by the boisterous crowd, so he went below deck and sat on his hammock, pulling out his book.
Several more hours passed like this and Heizou got bored again, deciding to go back above deck. The tcg match was still ongoing, but there were noticeably less people in the audience.
The sun was beginning to set, and with nothing better to do Heizou leaned against the railing, watching the sunset paint the sky a brilliant orange before dipping into purple. The sky slowly morphed into a dark blue as night fell.
He watched the stars dot the sky. A magnificent white streak emerged high in the sky, painted across the dark blue sky, made up of tiny glowing stars. It was always such a pleasure to look at.
As time passed and Heizou continued looking up, the waves became a little more fierce, rocking the boat side to side. There were a few times Heizou slipped and almost fell overboard, but he always managed to catch himself, mostly thanks to his vision.
Heizou enjoyed the cool air of the night before he noticed unsteady and heavy foot falls behind him. He turned around and noticed a man on the far side of the boat, big and burly and obviously drunk. Heizou remembered seeing him in the TCG tournament. If memory serves, he played a round against the man. Some of his moves surprised Heizou, though Heizou still won in the end. Barely. He wasn't a strategist after all.
Heizou watched the man stumble this way and that, moving wherever the waves directed. He spotted Heizou and began walking unevenly towards him.
"Hey little man! Good playing back there." He said, slurring his words. He towered over Heizou, and Heizou backed up a little, as his personal space demanded.
"You weren't bad yourself." Heizou said. He could smell the alcohol on the man's breath.
"Whatcha looking at?" The man asked curiously.
"The stars. Beautiful aren't they?" Heizou said.
"Oh yeah. Yeah, nice and bue- bu- be- ...uh..." The man said, stumbling over his words before he gave up, cranning his neck upwards to look at the sky. They sat in silence a moment, and the inebriated man's eyes closed, his head lulling to the side. After a moment his head jerked back up, eyes snapping open.
The boat lurched to the side again and both Heizou and the man tipped backwards. Heizou caught himself on the handrail, but the man flipped over it and started falling.
Heizou reacted fast, activating his vision and using the wind to push the man up in the air, towards Heizou's outstretched hand.
"Man overboard!" The lookout shouted from behind him.
All of the sudden Heizou was surrounded by men and women clambering by the side of the boat, looking down at the man. Someone already had a life ring ready to toss. Another grabbed Heizou and started to pull him away. He lost focus and the drunken man fell a little. Another crewman pushed the first away.
"Dude! He's got a vision! He's making that guy ascend or whatever. Let him be." The second crewman said.
"Oh. My bad. Please, continue what you were doing." The first crewman said.
Heizou smiled but stepped to the side, still using his vision to push the man up. The crew didn't miss a second and took his place, grabbing the inebriated man as he came into reach. They hauled him back on board and began checking him over for any sign of hyperthermia.
Heizou sighed and leaned against the handrail before sliding down to sit on the floor. He was exhausted.
A crewmate extracted himself from the huddle and walked over to Heizou, crouching beside him.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Hmm? Yeah I'm fine." Heizou said, a little woozy.
"You sure? You seem a little tired."
"I didn't realise tired was a type of 'not-okay'."
"Well, I guess it's not... I just wanted to come check on you."
"Thank you. I appreciated it."
"I should be the one thanking you for not letting that guy over there fall into the water. He should be okay."
"Good to hear."
The crewman crouched awkwardly by Heizou, unsure of what to say.
"Um, anyway, do you need help back to the passenger quarters? I'm sure that was exhausting and we don't want you to be all over the place when the waves are like this. Usually means a storms approaching." He muttered that last part to himself, but Heizou heard.
"Sure, thank you. A little help would go a long way." Heizou said, pulling himself up using the handrail. The crewman quickly wrapped Heizou's right arm around his shoulder, supporting Heizou and they started walking across the deck. Heizou's shoes clacked as they walked across the wooden surface and the waves tossed the boat. They staggered around, but the crewman was able to keep them from falling.
"I've heard over-using a vision is the same as over-using your muscles." The crewman said after a while, obviously not wanting to walk in silence.
"It's pretty similar. In my experience at least." Heizou said. Silence fell over them again. "Is hyperthermia a big concern?"
"Yeah. Especially around these parts, being so close to Nod-Krai and all. It's definitely warmer near Inazuma. In my experience at least."
Heizou and the crewman fell into silence again as they walked into the passenger quarters. They walked over to Heizou's hammock and the crewman helped him sit down.
"What's your name?"
"Shikanoin Heizou."
"I'm Kendri. A pleasure to meet you. I'll leave you here to rest."
"Thank you."
Heizou watched the crewman leave before he fell back into his hammock. He only meant to rest his eyes, but he quickly fell asleep.
The next morning he woke up to see that the sun had risen high in the sky. He sat up and looked around, still feeling groggy, but willed himself to move anyways. He sat up in his hammock and immediately the cold air hit him. He wanted to do nothing more than curl back under the warm blankets and go back to sleep. They were still sailing almost all of today anyways, and if something happened Ammandou or Tsukoso would wake him up. So he laid back into his hammock and went back to sleep.
He woke up later feeling much better. He got up and realized he was still in his uniform from yesterday. He thinks it was yesterday, anyway. He smoothed out his clothes before walking out onto the deck. He looked around but nothing had changed.
Ammandou and Tsukoso were standing off to the side along with some other passengers. They talked quietly, staying out of the crew's way.
Heizou walked over to the other side of the boat, which was the same spot he was in last night. He looked out over the sea and noticed an island off in the distance.
He heard someone walk up behind him and turned to face them. It was Ammadou, Tsukoso not far behind him.
"You're finally awake. I saw you passed out last night. Mr. Kendri told us what happened, so we decided not to wake you up this morning. It was funny though, the way you didn't react to anything. Tsukoso even drew on your face and you didn't even stir." Ammandou said.
"Hey! You promised not to tell!" Tsukoso cried. Heizou laughed and Tsukoso turned back to him. "Don't worry, we washed it off, there's nothing on your face now."
"Thanks. Did you use water?" Heizou asked, touching his face.
"Yeah, the ink I used was washable, a dunk off the side of the boat would have taken it off." Tsukoso said. "Or standing out in the storm."
"There wasn't a storm." Ammandou scolded. "Some of the crew seemed surprised about it actually."
"Well I would like you to explain that to all the scared kids then. I'm no good at comforting kids." Tsukoso said.
"Well, that's your own problem isn't it." Ammandou teased. Tsukoso scoffed like he was offended, playing along.
Ammandou and Tsukoso continued talking and joking with each other. Heizou listened to them for a moment, smiling at their banter.
After a while of this, he decided to review some of the details of his case while the two beside him bickered. He was trying to decide his next move.
He pulled out the files for the case and looked them over. He had been allowed to take them with him so long as he was careful. Normally no one is allowed to take case files from the police station, but this was an exception.
He leaned against the railing and looked over the files, losing himself in thought. It would be best to get local help. They would know Nod-Krai better than him. Perhaps he should pay the Curatorium of Secrets a visit.
He didn't notice someone approaching him, depending on Ammandou and Tsukoso to warn him, since he was fully zoned out and not paying attention to his surroundings. Unfortunately they did not, they only watched as a large, muscled man approached Heizou.
"You're Shikanoin Heizou, right?"
"Hm?" Heizou hummed as he looked up, drawn out of his thoughts. "Yeah that's me. Wait... aren't you the inebriated man from last night?" Heizou asked. He noticed there were two others with him, a woman and a small boy hiding behind her. A family trip maybe?
"Yeah, that's me. The one who fell overboard." He laughed, a little embarrassed. "I heard you caught me, saved me from hypothermia. I wanted to say thanks. I'm not a big fan of cold." He laughed
"Ironic that you're going to Nod-Krai then. Or farther North. Snezhnaya maybe?"
"Just Nod-Krai. I don't think I could handle the cold up there. Or at least I sure don't want to." He muttered. Heizou laughed. The man smiled and continued. "I heard from Mr. Kendri that it wore you out quite a bit, and my wife said you slept soundly, which I find odd, since I clock you as a light sleeper."
"Yeah, I gotta say I was pretty surprised too. I sleep lightly, like a soldier, even though I'm only a detective."
"Really? But you seem so capable..." he muttered. "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you." The man said, his wife smiling appreciative behind him.
"It's no problem. Have a good day."
"You as well." He said as he turned and walked away, his wife and son following him.
A couple hours later, Heizou had done a few more things. Things like: finish reading through the case files, walk in circles, stare wistfully at the horizon, consider jumping overboard and going for a swim, read through the case files again and stare at the sky some more.
He was going stir crazy, itching to move. The TCG ring had started again but Heizou had no desire to join it this time. He went below deck, back to the passenger quarters. Luckily there were very few people and they were all doing their own things. Heizou plopped himself on the ground and started stretching again. He already did so that morning but he needed to do something.
He finished and looked around the room for something to do before sitting on his hammock and pulling out his book. It was from Nod-Krai, about the myths they have over there. There were some about sniffer moles, deers with divinity and weasel thieves that don't sound much like weasel thieves.
As he read, he noticed many people had come downstairs and were packing up their luggage. He figured they must be nearing their destination, so he put his book away and headed out on deck.
Under the pale blue sky he noticed more clouds on the horizon. They didn't seem to be moving, which probably meant they were moving towards them.
He could also see Nod-Krai in the distance. There were two, maybe three islands clustered together. The main island, the one they were heading to, was covered in green grass and metal structures. He couldn't make out more from this distance, but it seemed lively. The one beside it was covered in blue grass. There was a massive stone obelisk, raised high into the sky, emitting a strange blue light. It seemed like quite a beautiful island. He would have to "investigate" it later. For now he had a job to do.
The islands got closer and closer, and more people came up on the deck, obviously antsy to reach their destination. The boat soon pulled into the dock and people flooded off, ignoring the customs officer. Ammandou, Heizou and Tsukoso were some of the few to approach. They presented their paperwork, and the officer seemed surprised but quickly scanned the papers and gave a stamp of approval. Heizou guessed this wasn't a normal occurrence.
He had heard Nod-Krai was not for the faint of heart, a lawless place where people were constantly looking to take advantage of you. As the three walked off the boat, Heizou scanned the docks, making sure to note everything that looked mildly interesting. As he looked around he noticed the customs line for everyone who didn't get their things checked on the boat. Ammandou, Heizou and Tsukoso were able to surpass this check, thanks to doing it on the boat, and continued on into the city.
He looked around and noticed a flyer stuck on the wall, offering a tour of Nasha Town for a ridiculously huge sum of Mora. For a moment Heizou considered it. It was obviously a scam, but it would be funny to see the look on Sara's face.
He decided against it and continued into the town. He looked at the various streets branching off the one they were walking down, lined with metal houses.
"So what's the plan?" Tsukoso asked.
"Um... we could look around, see if we can spot him?" Ammandou said, unsure.
"I'll head to the Curatorium of Secrets. They deal in intel, so it will be a good place to start."
"Ah, that would be a better idea. Let's go."
"Actually, it might be better to divide and conquer. Maybe you two could take a look around Nasha Town, get an idea of its layout, in case a pursuit unfolds. Let's meet back here at noon. That gives us about an hour to do our separate things."
"... alright. I've heard nasty things about Nod-Krai though, so keep your wits about you."
"When do I not?" Heizou said, walking off into the town, Ammandou and Tsukoso disappearing from view.
However as he walked through the city, he found himself lost. More than once he turned down a street only for it to be the same one he kept winding up at. It led out of town, leading to the ocean.
He sighed and turned around again walking back up the street. Maybe it would be best to ask for directions.
That's when a sleazy looking man approached Heizou.
"You don't seem to be from around here. Are you lost? I can help." He said. He had red, unwashed hair and dull worn clothes. He seemed pretty desperate. Maybe he was homeless or in a massive amount of debt. Heizou's heart ached for the man, he had seen people like this back in Inazuma. And Heizou was indeed lost, but something about this felt wrong.
Heizou was about to agree, but his intuition practically yelled at him that it was another scam. Heizou was silent for a moment, thinking.
"Well? What's your answer, where do you want me to take you?"
"...and what do you want for it?"
"Just some Mora."
"How much?"
"You gotta agree first, then I'll tell you."
"That sounds like a good way to get scammed."
"That's just how we do things here in Nod-Krai." The man said, obviously frustrated.
"Ah. Well, thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." Heizou said, starting to walk away.
"Hey, wait! I'll give you a good offer, I'll bump the price down. How about 500,000 Mora and I'll throw in a tour of Nasha town." He said, frantically following Heizou.
"No thanks." Heizou said, continuing to walk down the street.
"Oh, come on, this is the best deal you'll find around here! Everybody else will charge you through the roof!" The man shouted, his franticness turning to anger.
"I said I'm fine." Heizou said firmly. "Now leave me alone." The man stepped in front of Heizou, blocking his path. Heizou stopped and looked up at him before trying to go around him. The man side-stepped, blocking Heizou again.
"Listen, Inazuman-" the man started, spitting the word.
"That's enough. I said I'm not going to take your deal, now leave me alone." Heizou hissed, narrowing his eyes. The man opened his mouth to say something more when a voice spoke up behind them.
"Ishheim, stop trying to scam foreigners! This is your last warning, if I catch you doing this again, I'll tie you up and drop you halfway to Ochkanatlan!"
The man tensed and looked behind him. A tall woman stood there in a dark coat, a sword sheathed at her hip.
The man's eyes widened when he saw her, and he ran away, down an alleyway that Heizou hadn't been down before.
Heizou hadn't noticed it at first, but looking at Ishheims retreating form he noticed his hat was well taken care of, and something told Heizou that it was quite expensive. Perhaps his unwashed hair and ratty clothes were a style around here?
Heizou shrugged to himself and looked at the woman who helped him. She was standing in the middle of the street, taller than anyone there, as she walked up to Heizou.
"Sorry about him, he's a bit of a pushy jerk."
"A bit?" Heizou remarked. She shrugged.
"General rule of thumb here: be stingy. Not saying don't pay what you owe, but don't be so willing to part with anything valuable, like mora. Here, let me take you to wherever you're going." She said.
"And what do you want for it?" Heizou asked.
"Asking questions, that's good. But I'm a Ratnik, it's just part of the job to guide foolish outlanders." The Ratnik said. "Then again... I guess you aren't. Some of the others I've met though... I know someone who managed to get scammed twice before getting lost and ending up here."
"Twice? ...Actually that's not hard to believe. Still, you would have to have more Mora than sense to fall for some of these scams."
"Ha, yeah, a lot of people don't have a whole lot of sense. They don't have a lot of Mora either. We see a lot of debt collectors around here."
"I bet you do. Now back to the matter of you pointing me in the right direction. Would you be so kind? I'm trying to find the Curatorium of Secrets, but I'm not having much luck so far." Heizou said.
"I can tell, given the three times you've ended up here." The woman snickered.
"You were free to step in any time." Heizou grumbled. She laughed again.
"It's this way, come on." She said as she walked away. Heizou followed her, keeping his guard up.
They passed through the alley on his left, the same one the man ran through. They wound their way around a couple corners and soon came out from under the covering of the alleyway into the open sky and main part of the city. Heizou heard many vendors selling their wares, the smell of cooked food and metal blending in the air.
They walked up a ramp on the far side and followed the path it lay and soon enough the Ratnik stopped in front of a door.
"Here we are. I wouldn't recommend being stingy with the boss."
"Thank you." Heizou said with a polite smile.
"Just be sure to stay safe here in Nod-Krai. Don't want a foreigner's death on our hands, that would be a hassle. Since we don't have a specific person to handle that and all." She said as she walked off. Heizou watched her for a moment before turning and opening the door, going inside the Curatorium.
Heizou had an interesting conversation with Nefer. She was unnerving, and kind of scared him, but he thinks he did pretty good at not letting it show. It was something about how she seemed to know more than she let on. She could probably talk for hours, leading you cluelessly in circles, leaving you more confused than you were before.
Luckily she hadn't done that. She had only sent him to find her employee and roommate, Jahoda. Nefer said she might be at the flagship, getting a drink in between commissions. He hoped it was nothing alcoholic, but who was he to police others.
Nefer didn't tell him where the Flagship was, but that's alright, he remembered passing by it with the Ratnik. It was the place with that interesting glowing sign.
Heizou left the Curatorium, stepping into the cold air. He shivered slightly and considered putting on his haori.
He decided against it, since it seemed too official and restricting, and quickly set off back down the ramp, spotting his target and walking over. Nefer had given him some advice: to walk with purpose. It was a good thing he already did that.
Heizou quickly crossed the plaza, his shoes clacking noisily and the haori tied around his waist brushing against his legs. He entered the Flagship and found exactly what he was expected. More metal floors, tables lining the walls, a bar and lots of people.
He looked specifically for 'Jahoda', one he had yet to meet. Nefer said she was on the shorter side, with braided hair pulled up into two loops.
As he was peering around the room, the door opened behind him and before he could react a tall man bumped into him.
"Watch it, shortie." He said.
"Oh, sorry. You're the one that ran into me though." Heizou said.
"And you were the one standing right in front of the door. What'd you think was gonna happen?" He retorted.
Heizou blinked as he realized he was standing in the walkway and moved to the side.
"Alright, that was my bad, sorry. Although did you have to be so rude?"
"Ha. That's just how us Nod-Kraians are. Better get used to it." He spat. Heizou didn't appreciate the tone, but chose not to say anything as the man walked past.
"Sheesh. Is that what it was like when the Traveler came to Inazuma?" Heizou sighed and shrugged it off before returning to his search. He looked around and spotted a girl with blonde, braided hair sitting at the bar. She was turned away, but as Heizou approached she turned slightly to see him.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Jahoda?"
"Who's askin'?"
"Detective Shikanoin Heizou of the Tenryou Commission."
"That doesn't sound good. In that case, no, I'm not Jahoda. Try looking elsewhere." She said, turning back to the bar, facing away from Heizou.
"Oh no, you misunderstand, I'm not after anyone from Nod-Krai. I'm after an Inazuman fugitive. However, since I'm not from around here I figured it would be best to get a locals help to track him down. I went to Lady Nefer and she directed me to you."
"Oh, so this is a commission. Alright, I was wondering what else Boss Nef might throw at me today. Gah, right as I was almost finished for the day too."
"Is this a bad time?"
"No no no, I can help you out, I just, uh- wasn't prepared, y'know?
"Hahaha, things always catch you when you least expect them to."
"So what's this about?" She asked, not turning around.
"Well, a few months ago we caught a thief. It was a pretty standard case, but a lot of people of been victims of his crimes. Unfortunately he got away before we could secure him. The Tenryou Commission received a letter from a gang in Nod-Krai, telling us that our fugitive had joined a different gang and was causing problems here as well. I was sent to hunt him down and bring him back to Inazuma. And in summary, that is the commission we're here for. How's that sound to you, Jahoda?" Heizou asked.
"All the same to me. You should ask yourself one question though. You wanna catch someone in Nod-Krai, how many lives are you prepared to lose for it?" She said.
"Hahaha, well, I once read a story. It told me that if I find a deer with divinity, I could use its antlers to take my place for one death. And what do you know? "Deer" happens to be one of the Inazuman characters in my name, and I've got my own life to spare. That makes two."
"Don't say that too loudly, you might offend the Frostmoon Scions." A new voice spoke up and both Jahoda and Heizou turned towards it. They found a girl with short blonde hair and a white dress highlighted with blue walking up to them.
"Traveler? What a coincidence. What are you doing in Nod-Krai? Another stop on your journey, perhaps?" Heizou asked.
"What are YOU doing in Nod-Krai, Heizou? Has some investigation brought you here?" The Traveler rebutted.
"Sharp. Heh, I'm here in pursuit of a fugitive who fled Inazuma. He's racked up a real rap sheet, and is always trying to flee further and further abroad. A few months ago, we received intel that he was hiding out in Nod-Krai, and had joined a band of bandits. He soon returned to his usual M.O.- that is to say, robbing homes and raiding caravans. I think they call themselves the... Seahook Gang or something?" Heizou said. Jahoda glanced away, like she knew exactly who they were. "Word is they're quite a big deal in Nod-Krai, and have taken in exiled criminals from across Teyvat. After that I knocked on the doors of the Curatorium of Secrets, Mora in hand, and asked the boss to get me someone who could point me in the direction of this Seahook Gang." Heizou finished.
"And that someone is Jahoda?" The Traveler asked.
"That's right. Judging by your expression... I take it you're acquainted?"
"Very much so. She's very good at what she does."
"I can tell." Heizou said, turning to face Jahoda. "My intuition tells me that if Jahoda ever became a thief, even I'd never be able to catch her."
"...Eh, you can cut the chatter. Boss Nef gave me the job, so it's only natural that I'd be good at it." Jahoda said, turning away, embarrassment written on her face. "But the Seahook Gang you're looking for isn't the original Seahook crew." She continued. "The original gangs long since disbanded. The people calling themselves that are just riding off the name and scamming folks left and right."
"You really have all the intel, huh, Jahoda?" The Traveler said.
"Haha... Yeah, I guess I do, huh..." Jahoda laughed nervously.
"Interesting. This is news to me. Would you mind telling me about this new gang of imposters, Jahoda?" Heizou asked.
"What's there to tell? New or old, fake or real, the Seahook Gang are bandits. A bunch of scoundrels who banded together for Mora, then fell out over it." She said, voice full of disdain. "Their old leader wound up thrown overboard as fish-food, while the underlings fought amongst themselves for the scraps." She said with a mixture of anger and sadness. She turned away, a complex look on her face. "Some died, and others continued their wanderings. Long and short of it is the Seahook gangs dead, gone, or both."
"Wait, doesn't that mean that some of the suspects within could have started going around committing crimes again?" Heizou said, anger creeping into his tone.
"When a house goes poof, the snakes and rats nestled within find other walls to burrow into. That's just how it is. Nobody wants to die out in the wilderness." Jahoda said, with the same sadness in her voice.
"Hahaha, but for all the vermin out there," Heizou practically spat the word, wrestling with his anger, "it's also the perfect time to find a good place to settle down, and maybe get a good roommate along the way." He said, glancing at Jahoda. "If I were a rat, escaping the snake would mean freedom from being hunted down and eaten... When you think about it, that's a good thing." Heizou said, trying to comfort the grieving Jahoda.
"..."
...which didn't seem like it worked.
"In any case, you've been most helpful, Jahoda. Thank you for the intel. It seems the Mora spent on your services was well worth it. It's honestly a real load off to know these people are just imposters using the Seahook Gangs name. I have to admit I was in over my head flying solo against the real gang with its international cohort of goons and all."
"Well," Jahoda started, about to correct Heizou. "Wait... you think you can take em on as they are now, all by yourself?"
"Hmm... Yeah, more or less. After all, I'm only looking for our Inazuman fugitive. I'm not here to bring the whole gang to justice."
"Hmph, that's a bold statement... but whatever. I'll help you track down the imposters. Whatever happens after... that's got nothing to do with me."
"How about I go with you? That way, we can round up the whole gang." The Traveler said.
"Your kindness is appreciated, but this time, I'd rather it be a solo outing." Heizou responded. "Now, I suppose that's that. I'll leave locating them to you, Jahoda. As for me, I'll get to thinking of how I can haul this scoundrel back to Inazuma, and have him confess to his crimes..."
The Traveler nodded and started walking away. Jahoda stayed put, lost in her thoughts. For a moment Heizou wondered what she was thinking about, before deciding it was time to get thinking himself.
"...Something that'd get even the toughest gangster to spill his secrets most eagerly..." he muttered to himself, lost in thought.
"Oookay, you're weirding me out." Jahoda said, drawn out of her thoughts. Heizou heard the Traveler snicker as they left the tavern.
"So, where do you think they might be?" Heizou asked, pulling himself from his thoughts.
"Well, even though they're imposters, they're still smart." Jahoda said, anger creeping back into her tone. "They would choose a location that's either easy to get to or has good security. Or a place with sentimental value. I've got a few ideas of where they might be." She said, zoning out, evidently deep in thought. She quickly pulled herself out of it. "But this requires stealth, so I'll go alone to locate, then I'll tell you where they are so you can deal with them." Jahoda said.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll wait for your word then." Heizou said.
"Let's meet back here tomorrow morning. I should be able to find them quickly." She said as she downed the rest of her drink. Heizou didn't have time to say anything as she rushed out the door.
He stared after her for a moment before turning to the barkeeper and buying a room for the night.
It was nearing noon, so he figured he should meet up with Ammandou and Tsukoso and give them an update.
Heizou walked back through the town, retracing his steps. Luckily he managed to not get turned around and it wasn't long before he had made it back to the first intersection they encountered in Nasha Town, where they had split up. However, only Tsukoso was there.
"Hey, Shikanoin, find him yet?" Tsukoso asked.
"No, my intuition tells me we won't find him in Nasha Town." Heizou responded.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Tsukoso asked, slightly annoyed.
"In the hopes that you find something interesting while wandering." Heizou said.
"Not really, just a bunch of, uh... crimes." Tsukoso said.
"Yeah, I've been finding a lot of that too. Rather off putting, wouldn't you agree?" Heizou said, not particularly looking for an answer.
"Mhm." Tsukoso hummed in agreement. "Did you find anything?" Tsukoso asked. Heizou nodded in confirmation.
"Let's meet up with Ammandou first, so I don't have to repeat myself. Where is he?" Heizou asked.
"We split up to look around. I guess he must have gotten lost. Directions were never his strong suit." Tsukoso said with a grimace.
"...we should go find him." Heizou said. He paused a moment before walking off, Tsukoso following. He let his intuition guide him around the city, pausing at each turn. It would whisper left or right to him and he would follow it.
After walking for a while, they spotted Ammandou in the distance, in a random and completely deserted alleyway. He looked lost, though anyone who didn't know him wouldn't be able to tell. Heizou and Tsukoso exchanged mischievous grins before sneaking up to him. They knew exactly how to stay out of his sight because they were taught to scan their surroundings the same way.
Heizou snuck in front of him, pausing for a moment before standing next to him. Ammandou jumped when he realized Heizou was right next to him.
"Heizou!"
"Hey Ammandou, good to see you too."
"Did you find Tsukoso? I assume he's not far off."
"Yeah, I'm here." Tsukoso said from behind him, tasing his sides and making him jump again.
"Do you have to do that everytime!?"
"Yeah :D"
"Why."
":)" Tsukoso just smiled at him. Ammandou sighed and pinched his brow as Heizou hid his laugh.
"Anyways, did you guys find anything?" Ammandou said.
"No." Tsukoso said.
"Yeah actually." Heizou said.
"You found him?" Ammandou asked.
"No, but I found someone who can help us. Her names Jahoda. She's a local here and knows the Seahook Gang. She'll find them, tell me, then we can go and get our fugitives." Heizou said.
"Sounds easy enough. Although I doubt they have trustworthy prisons here, so we'll be departing immediatley." Ammandou said.
"So what's the estimated timeline for this?" Tsukoso asked.
"Jahoda and I will meet up tomorrow morning. She said she'll have found him by then. So we can grab Inasashi and leave by tomorrow night." Heizou said.
"Great. What do we do for the rest of today then?" Tsukoso asked.
"Well for starters we should figure out where we'll be staying tonight." Ammandou said.
"Already got that figured out. I've booked us a room at the Flagship, I've heard it has a pretty good reputation for its safety." Heizou said.
"I assume we'll be sharing a room?" Ammandou asked.
"If that's alright with you two." Heizou said.
"Yeah, that's fine. Not like it's abnormal." Ammandou said. Tsukoso nodded in agreement.
"Alright. For the rest of the day I was planning to ask around about the Seahook Gang. What do you two plan to do?" Heizou said.
"Doesn't sound like there's much for us to do. I guess we could inspect the room, make sure it's up to par. Then play a couple rounds of TCG." Ammandou said.
"Oh come on, you're in a new land, you're not going to go explore?" Heizou chided.
"I've never been one for pretty views. They're nice, don't get me wrong, they just get boring after a while." Tsukoso said.
"Speak for yourself. That's the only time I get any peace. But it's cold here, and I don't really want to be out and about if I don't have to." Ammandou said.
"So, we'll start by going back to the room and we'll figure it out from there."
"The barkeep said it was the first room on the left." Heizou said.
"Alright. See you there." Ammandou said as he walked off, Tsukoso following him.
Heizou sighed as the sun was setting and he walked back to the Flagship. A long day of not finding anything, other than people that were afraid of the gang. He supposed he could work with that, it just wasn't ideal.
He walked back into the Flagship and a much rowdier crowd than before greeted him. He sighed and moved through the crowd easily, making his way to the back where the rooms were. The door slid open and he looked inside to see a short hallway with a couple rooms branching off the sides. Remembering the instructions the barkeep gave him, he entered the first door and found a small room. Ammandou and Tsukoso were inside, playing TCG. Heizou walked over to them, not bothering to take off his shoes. The floor didn't look very clean anyway.
"Oh, Heizou. Hello. Care to join us?" Ammandou said, pulling out a chair.
"Sure." Heizou said, walking over and sitting down.
"What did you find?" Ammandou asked.
"Nothing very useful. Everyone is afraid of the Seahook Gang, so no one said much." Heizou said, looking at Ammandou and then at the board on the table.
"Sounds like we've got quite the case on our hands." Ammandou said, turning back to the game.
"As if we didn't already know tha- HEY!" Tsukoso yelled. Ammandou had just killed one of his cards, by the looks of it his main dps. Heizou couldn't help but laugh and get sucked into the game as well, giving terrible advice to both sides.