Description: Zach Glenn goes seeking answers for the knife he found in his leg following his fight against Nagase.
The riverbed is pretty much as it was left during the clash between ninja and monster slayer: dry. Only a small stream of water is passing through the channel right now, with most of the water remaining in frozen state higher up the mountains. The riverbed shows no signs of footsteps, save for the impressions of the two formidable fighters' struggles -- they haven't seen fit to replace their divots yet.
Really... if one seeks to find clues, they will need to look outside the riverbed. Prerequisite knowledge of ballistics may be helpful in narrowing the search, as the riverbed is surrounded by trees, and darkness is beginning to close in soon.
Zach's not entirely sure why he decided to come back here, other than instinct. He also had the kunai that was thrown at his leg, along with the note warning him off. Zach scowls just thinking about it. Seriously uncool. Besides, telling him to stay away is the next best thing to an invitation to investigate.
Zach starts with the woodline; Nagase did not throw the knife at him, and the forest provides the best place to conceal oneself to deliver a message. His eyes, and mind, are open, and Zach is relying on all of his senses to try and find some kind of lead.
As Zach walks along the treeline, he will probably not see anything in particular until he gets to one spot, where the tree coverage is minutely less dense than the rest. As Zach has had some training in tracking through the Scouts and his Marine coverage, he'd be able to spot this -- but even still, for him to linger on this particular spot, he might need some help.
Such as his phone, bleating out an audible notification that it's unable to reach an antenna. Zero bars. If he were to step out of the region, service would return to his phone. But if he steps into the area again...? Dead.
The zone of electronic interference appears to be centered on a spot within the treeline. Specifically, a small black box, secured about 20 feet off the ground. If he steps closer...
Well, let's not spoil the surprise.
Zach looks at the small box for a moment. Jammer? Probably. If he wants to check it out, though, well. Zach frowns for a moment. What the hell, he thinks. In for the penny and all of that.
Zach walks towards the tree the box is tied to, reaching into a coat pocket and pulling out a knife. He unfolds the blade as he carefully approaches the device.
Jammer, yep. If he stares at it for ten seconds he'd probably see the faint reflection of a light winking on and off at regular intervals, though steps have been made to conceal the vents from casual viewing. It's only because he knows -what- to look for, of course.
But he probably won't need to get -too- much closer to the device.
"Stay calm, Zach Glenn. I don't wish to harm you."
The voice is coming from another tree -- or more specifically, a ninja standing casually upon it, dressed in forest green and camouflauged -much- more effectively than the box was.
Two kunai dangle by their rings from the ninja's fingertips.
"Promise me the same courtesy, that we may proceed."
Zach looks at the ninja, making no sudden moves, before bringing his hands in front of him to close the knife. Zach then shoves the tool back into a pocket, before making a show of empty hands. Both men know, and should understand, that while Zach doesn't have any weapons drawn, that hat is no barrier to his ability to fight, if it came down to that. The folding knife would have made for a crappy weapon if it came to that anyway.
Glenn folds his arms across his chest, watching the ninja. "Seems like an odd place for one of those," he says, nodding towards the box. He's willing to let the ninja volunteer a little more information before making any more decisions.
To a ninja, the lack of an obvious weapon only removes a small subset of options. Like Zach, the ninja understands what trust means -- and it's that trust that allows the ninja to bow his head with respect, and hook the kunai back onto his belt.
The ninja taps his forehead, at the notation that Zach was wearing something different the last time he was conscious. "The devices, yes. We needed to be sure that they were off before approaching you."
The ninja considers his words thoughtfully, before adding, "The warning to stay away -- was not a warning to you. But to her. And them."
The ninja makes some expression, but it's hidden by his half-mask. "You have questions. And we've not much time. So ask."
To her and to them, huh. Zach's got guesses, and they are good guesses. Sasuke... wait, no, that's a little presumptive. "Do you have a name I can call you, or do I just go with Sasuke?" Zach asks, mentioning what he understands to something of a default name for a ninja in dramas. "And is the woman you mention the woman that I fought today, or someone else?"
Zach doesn't ask about the 'them'; the electronic jammer implies he doesn't want the tournament organizers listening in on the conversation.
The ninja bristles with being called Sasuke, but he's a modern ninja. And not, like, a humorless one, either.
"I could be extra-pretentious and demand to be called 'Ryu'. But no. 'Sasuke' works for now."
He snorts afterwards. Smartass.
As for the question of the young woman, the ninja nods quietly. He does not relax -- for that entails falling off the tree.
"Yes. The ninja Nagase is of the Iga-ryu clan, a rival of ours. She trespasses upon our sacred grounds, and seeks to exploit it fully. As do this 'HitBit' company and the 'Rumble Committee.'"
The ninja frowns, though it'd be hard to see, of course.
"Nagase has already stolen from us, many times. She knows the price of trespass. You have earned the right to pass, for now."
The ninja looks towards the setting sun, quietly.
"Fair enough," Zach says. He doesn't use the name; it doesn't take a psychic to know that this person didn't care much for the name. Defense of territory, of home, is an understandable motive. So is defense of family.
"Is there something you'd like me to do about this?" he asks. Offering help is something akin to ingrained reflex to Zach.
"Something I'd like -you- to do about this?" asks the ninja, with little delay. "If you can, tell the Rumble Committee to keep their cameras out of our homes. But I doubt they'll listen to anything less than violence."
He pauses for a moment, as if about to continue, but sucks in his breath afterwards, choking back the words.
"Failing that, no. But what I can tell you is this -- the yakuza are involved in the shifting tides. The patterns of current that have remained constant for years are shifting. Be mindful of the path you choose, for I cannot guarantee that we will not be enemies the next time we meet."
He pauses deliberately, looking once more to Zach. "If I might ask you one question...?" He pauses again.
"What good is the sword with no edge...?"
Is it a legitimate question, or a riddle..?
Zach considers, shifting his weight back and tilting his head to one side. Could be a riddle. Could be a legitimate question. If it's a riddle, Zach doesn't know the answer. He treats it as a legitimate question. "It's still a very effective bludgeon," Zach says, referring to his own weapon. "It is also an excellent training aid, for when I have to use the sharp one."
Zach shrugs, "It's also very hard to kill someone with it, and my participation in this tournament isn't worth killing for."
The ninja pauses to consider that. "Not using a weapon to kill. An... interesting philsophy."
He does not seem to have a whole lot further to say, though he does have one other question that came to mind. "This ninja. Nagase. If you see her again, do not trust her. Not at arms' reach, not at spearpoint. And do be mindful of the danger which this 'HitBit' device can wreak. If you abide by those..."
The ninja shrugs mildly. "You will have no quarry with us."
The ninja turns as if to leave, then hesitates. "If there are no other questions, then I shall be off."
The ninja pauses to consider that. "Not using a weapon to kill. An... interesting philsophy."
He does not seem to have a whole lot further to say, though he does have one other question that came to mind. "This ninja. Nagase. If you see her again, do not trust her. Not at arms' reach, not at spearpoint. And do be mindful of the danger which this 'HitBit' device can wreak. If you abide by those..."
The ninja shrugs mildly. "You will have no quarrel with us."
The ninja turns as if to leave, then hesitates. "If there are no other questions, then I shall be off."
Zach grins a bit. The ninja doesn't get it. Or doesn't approve. Neither of those matter to Zach, really. Glenn thinks for a moment. "Yeah," he agrees, "She seemed like a shifty character." Zach bows slightly at the waist, a show of respect between two warriors. "Go peacefully," Zach says, stating his intention not to fight or keep the ninja here by force. Zach turns to put deeds to spoken intent.
The ninja bows back, responding in kind. "Go peacefully, then, Zach Glenn."
As soon as Zach turns, the ninja is gone without another sound, as if he had not been present in the first place.
Log created on 20:21:50 02/06/2016 by Zach Glenn, and last modified on 03:08:09 02/09/2016.