Necessary Evil [Private w/ Kinto Boreas]

[Ahia Seiryú]

Foreverfall Forest… a natural beauty of a landscape, known for it‘s perpetual red leaves and autumn atmosphere. A tranq uil retreat, if it weren‘t for the fact that the forest was also known for its population of Grimm prowling through the thicket. At the very least, it made it so no common man or woman was just going to set foot into the area. The crowns of the forest prevented most from looking into the clear sky or vice versa, except for a lone clearing within. A few large rocks reached out from the ground at the edge of it, in front sitting anything but a normal woman.

Ahia, in her extravagant matriarch garb and her weapon lying on the floor next to her, sat with her legs crossed and her back to those boulders. In front of her was a board of bright almost marble like wood with a kettle and three cups sorted, as if to make for a makeshift table to sit at. It seemed like she was waiting for a guest or two to arrive, until which she looked upon the scroll fixed to her right arm. She interfaces with it via. a pad that extended into her palm. Just then, she receives a message: “Eagle is enroute.“ to which she smiles and deactivates the scroll, beginning to pour herself a cup of black tea.

The occasion as to why she was here was a certain individual she knew by the name of Boreas for now. A week ago, he had hacked into some of the hidden spycameras of the Seiryú in Vale, a transgression that could not be ignored however you may look at it. That being the case, Ahia knew enough about this ex-military man to see that he had his uses. So on her behalf, Snake Byte hacked some of his drones and hijacked them. She then blocked the visual feeds of all but one of the drones and sent him a message through the console of said drone that read as such:
“I suppose you‘re well aware that you are treading on my territory here, so I will make this brief. I believe we can come to an agreement concerning this matter that will see us on more favorable terms than two animals fighting over their territory. Rendevouz alone at the attached coordinates at 17:00 to discuss this matter in person. I neither care nor will it matter to me if you bring any weaponry or equipment you desire or deem necessary. Until this meeting has transpired I will hold your drones as collateral.“

Nearby, around 50 Meters or so there was another figure waiting. This was Orochi, the real Ahia that had created a perfect clone of herself before slipping into her alter-ego and traveling to this location. There was no guarantee that this meeting would go about smoothly. She went ahead to make this meeting as favorable to him as possible, but should he try to use this opportunity to attack her, he‘d be dealing with a copy, making it so she isn‘t in real danger no matter the outcome.

[Kinto Boreas]

The Seiryú, a powerful and well organized crime syndicate, was led by an even more imposing woman, known by many names, yet the one he knew her as, Ahia Seiryú.
Upon his departure from Atlas to Veil, Kinto had done his research on the world he was about to dive into, which was the underworld of Vale.
She and her organization had stuck out to him, impressed him even, which is why Kinto felt it necessary to test them, poke the beehive. While their reaction was delayed, they had noticed his little poke into their network only a day after he had finished his work, the response was adequate, it seemed that Ahia and he were of a similar mindset, seeking mutual gain, not destruction.

Now, time to gain, and to do so, he had to make a good first impression, while not giving away too much.
The Guide had touched down in a clearing about 500 meters away from their meeting spot, never leaving its stealth, Kinto himself used his stealth to leave the ship completely unseen, as he then walked the rest of the distance, allowing himself ample time to fix his outfit.
The disguise of the day was short yet well-kept brown hair, a tidy full beard to match, and green contact lenses, Kinto looked like an entirely different person, yet handsome nonetheless, with a red tie, white suit and black dress pants to complete his disguise.
He approached, slowly and calmly, a small bag in his left arm, as he shot Ahia a smile.
""Hello there, Miss Seiryú, I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long."
Kinto bowed, his hand on his chest as the other then revealed his gift.
"While you have already thought of refreshments, I brought the perfect thing to go with tea, pastries.
He said, revealing a small red metal box filled to the brim with all kinds of cookies, pastries and delicious things from Atlas.
Taking a seat, cross-legged, in front of her, he placed it on the table between him and her.
"A bit of cultural exchange is always nice."
He showed her a smirk, as Kinto poured himself a cup and then very openly put a small device in his tea, one that after a few seconds would shine green, confirming that the tea was safe to drink.
"Apologise for that, I'm sure you understand."
Kinto said as he stowed the device and took a sip, he smiled, the tea was delicious.
"Now then, to business, how come there's a third tea set here?"
Kinto asked, after which he took another sip, patiently waiting for an answer.

[Ahia Seiryú]

After pouring her own tea, Ahia waited as if she was meditating, her eyes closed and listening to the nature surrounding her. The leaves sang of the arrival of her guest, he‘ll be here shortly she estimated. Eventually she heard his steps carrying his body over the fallen leaves on the ground it was only when he greeted the lady that she opened her eyes and looked upon her guest. My, he certainly was trying to make a first impression on the matriarch, looking so formal. She half expected the fellow to arrive clad in armor and gear which could only mean one thing when he didn‘t… he too was seeking mutual benefit here. It certainly meant his little poke into the Seiryú‘s surveillance systems was intentional in whatever way it may be. She remained silent at first as her guest bowed and revealed a box of pastries.

“You‘re right on time Mr. Boreas. Quite forward thinking of you to make this meeting more… amicable with your gift.“ She smiled as she replied, while Kinto took a seat across from her, the last part almost said with a purring undertone. His smirk was returned in kind as he poured for himself and then pulled out a gadget to check the contents of the tea. It wasn‘t poisoned, but it appeared that in the end even Kinto valued caution in such situations.
“I can appreciate a healthy sense of paranoia, so I don‘t mind.“ As she says so, as if to straight up challenge what she just said, her hand went to grab one of the pastries, and as if she was more than a hundred-percent confident that those weren‘t poisened instead, she ate it in one bite, munching for a few moments as she then swollowed with a satisfied grin and a knowing glance shot at her guest. She then subtledly licked her lips after she took a sip from her own cup of tea, to mix the taste with the aroma of the beverage. Even if the pastries were poisened, this wasn‘t the real Ahia. An Aura construct like her couldn‘t quite be afflicted with poisons. It still simulated the digestion of food and drink, but the damage any poison would do would only be transferred to the whole construct, destabilizing it. Ahia could just fuel more aura to repair it.
As for the question from Kinto…

“Before I answer… I'd like to ask you something first, if you don‘t mind.“ She muses as she takes a bigger sip of her cup, drawing out the silence following her words and almost emptying it in the process. She then puts the cup down again, looking towards Kinto.
“Since we were on the topic of cultural exchange… the tea we drink goes by different names based on culture. In Mistral, most people refer to it as “black tea“ based on the color of the leaves. The people there have strong ties to their past and what has been rather than what will be, especially the artisans there practicing their ancient crafts...“ Ahia explains as she seemingly readjusted the collar of her masterly crafted garb.

“...In Atlas it is more commonly called “red tea“ since, when brewed, the color of the tea itsself is red. Atlesians supposedly look more towards the future and what is due to their drive for progress and advancement.“ Ahia continues to explain as she then pours herself another cup, the red liquid she talked about refilling her cup at a steady pace. Only when done and setting down the kettle she continues to ask her question with an expectant look upon her face as she waits for an answer. “Knowing this... how would you refer to this tea?“

While the less astute person might see this question as useless or nonsensical even, the more intelligent or philosophical individual might see the merit in asking such. This was a test of Kinto‘s character. Does he dwell on the past…? Or… does he focus on what is and will be? Even if he doesn‘t give a concrete answer, it will earn Ahia some insight into his character.

In the meantime, Orochi received her own message from SnakeByte reading, "The Eagle has landed." With that she slowly walked through the thicket towards the clearing, taking as much time as possible. She was in no rush, yet.

[Kinto Boreas]

Kinto, with raised eyebrows, looked at Ahia eating his pastry without a second thought, she was either extremely confident in herself and him or foolish, Kinto, in hopes of having a fruitful partnership, hoped the former.

While he wasn't pleased about his question not being answered, the query he got instead was intriguing enough to keep him happy.
He mulled it over for a while, stirring the tea in his cup by gently shaking it as he looked at the liquid.
"Mahagonny, that's what I see. While what I'm looking at is definitely red, it's dark. I never wish to look back, but I cannot deny that, much like this red liquid, my drive towards the future is undeniably sourced from the past, a past that will always leave its tint."
Kinto explained, as he himself took a sip while also eating some of his own pastries, they indeed, weren't poisoned, he'd have to be a bumbling fool to try and do that with a forest that had so many of the Seiryu members crawling within.

Kinto yet perked up, he could hear heavy footsteps approaching. His gut was screaming at him that danger was approaching, he steadied himself, putting down his tea and pastry.
With one swift motion, he got up, his right hand at his hip. What Kinto wasn't honest about, was him being unarmed, a high caliber firearm was hidden away in the sleeve of his suit, ready to slide right into his hand, should he need to defend himself.
"Excuse me, Miss Seiryu, but are you expecting a heavily armored guest to arrive?"
He asked, while still remaining calm, he had plenty of options, prepared in case he needed to make a get away, the Guide was right around the corner after all.

[Ahia Seiryú]

Orochi drew ever closer during the conversation, waving in between bushes and branches. By then she was close enough that the clearing was pretty much in sight as her armor clad body slowly walked towards it.

Ahia listened attentively, as Kinto gave his answer, and with a satisfied giggle she herself took another sip.
“Yes, quite the adequate answer.“ she replied as she rested her hand with the cup on her leg.
Much like Kinto, she heard those heavy footsteps approaching, him preparing seemingly for the worst, Ahia was calm as she had been the entire time, neither moving from her place nor heeding it any more attention than she has to. She sat there with closed eyes as if she was reveling in the taste of the brew.
It was only when Kinto had asked her and those steps drew ever so closer she opened her eyes and looked at the atlesian.
“Indeed, that would be the other guest.“ Ahia explained as she took another sip and put down her cup on the table. “So be at ease, Mr. Boreas. I have given you the same choice, if you remember? Besides… given the tense nature of this particular individual, I doubt I could have convinced them to arrive without their equipment anyway.“
The matriarch then grabs another pastry from the box and eats it with delight, this time not in one bite. It was then that Orochi‘s presence became more noticable as she crushed twigs beneath her feet and bent or broke branches of the thicket around her. At this point she wasn‘t even trying to be subtle anymore.
“She‘s a vigilante, a bit more… rougher… around the edges than yourself, I‘d say. You may have heard of her and the exploits associated with her alias… Orochi.“

Just as Ahia mentioned the name of this armor-clad warrior, she looked over to where Orochi then stepped into the open area, halting at the edge of the clearing as if that faceless visage of hers was scanning the two figures in front of her. There were no expressions beneath that abyss black visor as Orochi simply let out a distorted sounding grunt. That crimson armor of hers was tinged way darker than the red leaves falling around her. One could even argue they could see actual smears of dried blood on it. The claw hand of Ashura in her left, occasionally clenched itsself closed, surprisingly cleaned without any smears, while Ruhfrieden fit tightly to her right arm. She didn‘t seem to be carrying any other weapons or auxilary equipment from the look of things, but even then with the presence she was eminating she may as well appeared like a one-woman-army. After remaining in place for a few moments she walked slowly towards them. Waiting for any other reaction from Kinto as she approached as her visor seemed eerily focused on him for the moment. "..."

[Kinto Boreas]

Kinto relaxed as Ahia confirmed that this was all to her plan, while he did not trust the crime queen, he did also much prefer this guest to some unplanned assassin sneaking up on her, him and past all her men, that would have truly been a cause for concern.
He did not mind, the armaments Orochi had brought, he had indeed been given the same choice, but chose to forgo, most, of this own arms as a show of good will.
Orochi did not seem to share his incentive, or had something to hide with that visor now glaring at him, a notion that Kinto responded to with a polite smile, bowing his head respectfully but in a much less devoted manner than what he had done for Ahia, it was very clear who of the two women he respected more, but he did still hold Orochi in some regard, he did know of her work and while it was a bit messier than his own, the results spoke for themselves.
"It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Orochi."

With the same motion he bowed, he had secured the firearm up in his sleeve again, once more taking a seat in the same calm and collected manner as he had before, taking another sip of tea and one of his own pastries.
"Now, where were we, Miss Seiryu? Ah, yes, while I am a fan of philosophy, perhaps we should get to business now that we are all gathered?"
He asked, an eyebrow raised at the Gang leader.

[Ahia Seiryú]

The moment Kinto had bowed to Orochi, the latter seemed more lax concerning the man as her gait became a bit less hesitant.
"Hm." She doesn‘t answer him directly, only nodding in response and letting out a faint, distorted, grunt. By the time Kinto asked to get to business Orochi was at the other seat, though didn‘t sit down yet.
“Right. Please Miss Orochi, take a seat.“ Ahia motions to the space below the warrior as she continues to take joy in the pastries and tea. In response Orochi does finally sit down, or rather kneels down.

“Now, regarding business… Mister Boreas. You have taken from a dragon‘s hoard...“ Ahia‘s expression was a smug and almost happy one, that seemed to radiate almost downright carelessness. “...and yet the dragon is willing to hand over some of it‘s pile, should you add something with more woirth to it.“ The matriarch sets down her cup of tea, letting her hand rest on her legs, her expression shifts from it‘s smug attitude to a stern and serious visage, as if stopping to speak and convey through philosophical anecdotes had made her a dead serious person. Her voice still had that tint of smugness, but such an emotion could now not be read from her expression alone.
“There is a large airship with it‘s cargo full of various types of dust en route to Vale from Carrion Limited. I need it to vanish, preferrebly into the coffers of my own organisation.“ There is a short pause. “Of course, I‘d rather not reveal my involvement in the matter, so…“

“That‘s what you meant with a favor.“ Orochi‘s distorted voice rasped through the helmet, made entirely unrecognizeable from the person that was actually beneath the mask, though interrupting the matriarch, who didn‘t seem to mind it for now as her serious facade breaks again for a bit. “Good, you‘re catching on. Though excuse me doubting your capabillities, but I fear something of this magnitude might be difficult even for someone of your caliber. It‘s not something you pull off on your own.“ Ahia responded. Orochi only grunted in a mix of annoyance and acceptance, as if she was ticked off by the statement, but also couldn‘t disprove the truth of it.

“So, he‘ll be taking part in it aswell?“ Orochi asked the obvious question, as it was quite clear were this was going.
“Now, now… no need to be so hasty. I have yet to lay forth the terms and rewards for this little… joint venture...“ Ahia, with that said, directs her gaze to Kinto. “...if he is still interested, that is.“ she simply raised an eyebrow to the man, patiently waiting for an answer.

[Kinto Boreas]

Kinto simply listened intently, he had indeed "taken from the dragon's hoard" as she put it, which wasn't all that true, she had reclaimed all that he had taken, from what she knew at least, but this sort of reaction was his plan, no better way to get someone's attention than boldly like this, plus it had worked out, a large dust shipment was right what he wanted out of this partnership, something he could never get his hands on if he and the Seiryu were enemies.

He himself acknowledged the fact that he was tasked to take this on together with Orochi was regarded with a quiet hum, the masked mercenary seemed as rough around the edges as her first impression had made him think, but if Ahia found her capable then he'd simply believe her, for now, how worthy this knight was in battle would be seen later on.

As the attention was back on him, he simply smiled, taking a bite of his biscuit before answering.
""He" is still very much interested, I am all ears, Miss Seiryu."
He took a sip of his tea as he looked at Orochi with a smile, meant to keep up a formal appearance in the face of her brash attitued, yet something caught his eye, the way she moved was...odd.

His gaze fixated on her arm, he had been in the Atlas military for some time and prosthetics were very common in the military, better more life like ones only among the top brass, while they always got close to imitating a real limb, it was never perfect and even harder to imitate for those that simply weren't used to their new limb yet, Orochi showed plenty of those signs,
He turned his gaze away from her arm, instead looking at Ahia again to listen to her plan of business, regarding further proceedings.

[Ahia Seiryú]

Upon hearing Kinto‘s answer, Ahia became visibly exited, her smug grin making way for a short elated smile. Orochi on the other hand, even if one couldn‘t see it, rolled her eyes in a notable fashion. She took note of Kinto looking at her claw and was figuratively staring daggers at him despite not having her head turned to him.
“Excellent. Then the terms shall be as follows...“ she exclaimed in her typical smug manner.

“Upon completion of this mission, Mister Boreas, I shall release your drones from my custody and in turn grant you access to the footage of our quaint little surveillance system here in Vale.“ she throws a knowing look towards Kinto as she takes another pastry, before continiuing. “As for you , Orochi, I will make sure to honor my side of our agreement in full.“ she exclaimed as she looked over to Orochi as she then ate and munched the pastry, letting what she had said simmer and letting the other two think for a moment.
"Sure." Orochi agreed, nodding once. Only after taking a sip of tea, does Ahia continue.

“As for your more direct rewards… after you both have boarded and commandeered the Carrion Freighter, you‘ll send it onto course to our chosen extraction point far outside the city. From there my organisation will be taking the spoils while leaving fifteen percent of the ships cargo to each of you.“ Ahia continues on as her expression grew ever more serious. “Are these terms acceptable for both of you?“

Orochi paused as if she was thinking for a moment before her head turned to look to Kinto, the faceless visage of her helmet staring at him as if she was waiting for him to say something or object in any way.

[Kinto Boreas]

Kinto listened to the plan without really showing a change in his demeanor or expression. As Orochi looked at him following the explanation, 15% was too little; even with a haul like this, it would not be worth it.
Kinto took another sip of his tea and placed his cup down, looking at Ahia.
"25%."
He said, leaving his reply in the air for a few seconds and taking another sip to accentuate his pause.
"Considering myself and Miss Orochi will be doing most, if not all, of the heavy lifting in this operation, 25% seems apt to compensate me for my quality services, and Miss Orochi should not be sold short either from what I have seen of her."
He waited another few seconds, giving Ahia a few seconds to think.

[Ahia Seiryú]

When Kinto demanded 25% of the cargo instead of 15% he got himself a small nod from Orochi, however Ahia‘s reaction seemed to be less pleased. She looked upon Kinto with a furrowed brow and a stern expression. Only thing missing was a twitching eye and she‘d look proper annoyed.
“I‘m sorry, but did I hear that right? You want me to leave you with 25% each? 50% of such a haul?“ In the end, she only sighs. Despite the apparent displeasure, her tone of voice remained calm, almost understanding, for the most part.
That was... until she continued, that her voice started to sound almost offended, slowly shifting towards disinterest as she went on. She leaned forward resting her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand as she looked upon the atlesian. A demeanor quite the opposite to how she was behaving until now.

“Supposed I do give you both 25%… what will you even do with that much Dust? Better yet, where and how will you go about transporting and storing it?“ she asked in a smug manner that pretty much exuded taunting curiosity.
“Can‘t imagine your personal vehicle to be able to hold that much.“
Her head turned to look upon Orochi.
“And even less can I imagine you possessing the faculties to store your own share, let alone to transport it.“
It was then that Ahia straightened herself again, back to playing a more regal persona.
“Hiring people to move it? That bears too many risks for you two, especially since dust is now in high demand… Such cargo draws too much attention.“
As Ahia went on, Orochi‘s non mechanical hand balled to fist in restrained anger, knowing well not to interject.
“And that is to say that it certainly can‘t stay with the ship. It‘s owner, Carrion Limited, will eventually track it down and believe me when I say... you don't want to be around when they do.“ she finished her explanation as she took her cup once more, ready to drink form it.

“So all in all, I believe I was very much considerate already.“ she paused for a moment as she took a bigger swig from the tea and seemingly mused everything over, either that or she was letting the anger about her smug attitude simmer.
“20%“ she then retorted, doing so in the same manner as Kinto did before, she however putting an empty cup down onto the table. An allegory very much to how her patience has run dry.

[Kinto Boreas]

Kinto still did not change his expression, as Ahia couldn't know any better and while he did not know about Orochi's own situation and capabilities for storage, he himself was more than capable of storing and carrying mass amounts of dust, the Guide was primarily meant for storage, though it was previously for the crew, it had plenty of space for supplies now.
"I have the means to carry that amount of dust, I could even extract most of the haul for you if needed. As for what I'll do with this dust, I doubt you have the time for me to explain the entire process but fighting the staff of Beacon takes a lot of resources."
He would be honest and upfront about his goals, after all it would reflect badly on him if Ahia would later regret supporting his crusade against the corrupt huntsmen.
"Regardless, 20% is acceptable."
Kinto wouldn't push his luck any further, if he needed more dust he'd just have to "gather" more on his own later or have someone else do it, he did have a new partner already after all, one that was more readily happy to share Dust with him, this whole gig was more to form connections with someone powerful.
Now, Kinto simply looked at Ahia expectantly, did she have anything more to add before they got the job?

[Ahia Seiryú]

It seemed Ahia was for once ill informed, at least if Kinto‘s statement turned out to be true that was. In hindsight it didn‘t matter to Ahia at all if Kinto had the capabilities to transport his share, but if anything it made the matriarch a bit more cautious of the atlesian. Nonetheless she gave him a pleased smile upon hearing of Kinto‘s acceptance. Orochi simply nodded to him once more.

“I understand… It is a done deal then.“ she announced, pouring herself another cup of tea.
Once she did, she pulled a scroll tablet from beneath her garment, laying it down on an empty space on the table.
With a simple tap of her finger, it‘s screen shoots to life, projecting a 3d hologram of the ship in question over the table and showing additional information such as cargo, crew, schedule and escort.
“Your quarry has been scheduled to arrive at the vale docks around two days from now at 3am in the morning. You‘ll have to intercept it, disable the crew and then steer the ship towards the extraction point by 2:30am.“ she explained as she then swipes with her fingers over the tablet towards Kinto and Orochi, sending the files with the details to them both.
“At exactly midnight we‘ll meet at the extraction point for a last briefing, in case things change. Are there any questions for now?“ she asked curiously, sipping form her newly pured tea.

[Kinto Boreas]

Kinto listened to her carefully, mirroring her by refilling his cup and quickly slurping it down, the tea was quite delicious, and it would be a shame to not drink a bit more of it before this meeting finally concluded.
He took a second to think, were there any questions he had for Ahia or Orochi, the former had told all there is, but the latter had remained almost entirely silent for the entirety of the conversation, he could respect that, but it was counterproductive to their common goal.
"I have no more questions for you Miss Seiryu, but, plenty for you Orochi, if we are to work together I believe it would be beneficial for us to know what the other is capable off."
This was of course a ruse, Kinto knew more or less what Orochi was capable off thanks to her activity in Vale, but perhaps he could glean some other previously unknown talents of his "partner".
If, she was to stay silent, he wouldn't care, he was very much aware that most of the work would rest on his shoulder, unless Orochi were to reveal some surprise computer skills...unlikely considering the clunkyness of her weapons.