Heirot

Rai grinned and giggled, running a head. "Here he is!" She told the man who did magic for her. She was still holding the flower in her hand.

Soran took in everyone in the room as he descended the stairs. Mizuki was eagerly speaking with that past acquaintance who'd been in her room the night before. His attention lingered there a long moment before noticing Rai standing eagerly next to someone he hadn't seen before. It wasn't the same person as the night before. The rogue took careful measure of the stranger as he approached and stood across from he and Rai expectantly.

Jhaptal stood and smiled at the elf. He offered his hand out in a hand shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last Soran Nightblade," he said. "I'm Tensho Masado."

Soran extended his hand and accepted the handshake firmly, wondering why this person knew him. "You speak as though you've been looking for me," he commented with only mild interest, taking the other seat at the table with a sidelong glance at Mizuki and Red.

Jhaptal nodded. "I have been," he replied. "Or at least, I've been looking for someone who might be able to help me. I've heard the stories of exactly how good of a fighter you are, and I need some help with aquiring a certain item that was stolen from me."

"What manner of item?" Soran said, his expression unreadable.

"It's an old family heirloom," Jhaptal replied. "My family had a katana passed down from generation to generation. However, one day a group of bandits broke into our house soon after my family immigrated to Ighten. They killed my family and the katana was amongst the things stolen. I was left alive by a miracle."

"That's unfortunate, but Ighten is a large place. I'm not planning to travel anytime soon," Soran said.

"I've recently discovered their hideout," Jhaptal continued. "But there are a lot of them and I don't think I can take them on alone." Jhaptal had a pleading look on his face. "I'll reward you handsomely for your trouble even."

Soran considered the man thoughtfully and was silent for several moments. A waitress approached the table shyly and set down the rogue's predictable order of whiskey before disappearing again. Soran wasn't fond of mercenary work, but if the plot he had in mind was still for sale, he suspected he'd need a down payment.

"I can get it back for five gold pieces," he said, "and on the condition that you follow my command if a raid is necessary." He met the man's eyes evenly.

"It's a deal," Jhaptal added. He still had a very decent amount of his travel money remaining. "I'll even cover our travel fees, so you don't have to worry about those."

"Agreed. What was your name again?" the rogue said.

"I'm Tensho Masado," he repeated. "And it was a pleasure doing business with you." The ninja smiled. "When will you be willing to start this?"

"This afternoon. I'll meet you outside at one," Soran said.

"Agreed then," Jhaptal responded. "Outside at one. I will gather provisions for 2 for a week long trip, though the trip should only take one day each way."