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___youwillknownihilism Captain
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 Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:19 pm
██ ▌▌O U R￤ O B E L I S K S
xxxxxxxxxxxx◀◀◀xxxx 『 Vigilance ￤Support』
xxxThe Three Pillars is an area of Otogakure that sits in the center of the villages busy commerce zone, marked by three, 50 foot tall sculptures made by the people of the rice country out of rare metals to the likeness of Kya Jaeger, Armand Tikoshi, and Masako Chiru. It is said that their spirits all watch over the city, Armand for protection, Masako for inspiration, and Kya for ambition. Even as the city hustles, this area seems especially revered and pristine. Guards will only allow a certain amount of people to ascend the stairs at any given time, and usually ver sparingly at that. The three stand in a triangle, facing each other with each face strikingly similar and accurate to the three of them.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:48 pm
Busy busy busy. That was the life of a Kage, especially one also serving as a council member of a very catty group of CEOs fighting over plots of land and trying to circumvent the laws, all while watching closely over the prostitution to ensure no slaves were being forced into the life, monitoring the less than legal recreational drugs, keeping the money laundering in check, and finally closely guiding the backdoors the corporations used to move products and money around to ensure things stayed in harmony. Katherine had a business mind the last Otokage had nothing to compare with. Numbers ran through her head all day long with little to no time for reprieve. Today was no different as she called a meeting urgently. Everyone hustled into the office building she had chosen, and before anyone had a chance to try and complain they found themselves in a room so cold their skin immediately bumped up. One of them had to be made an example of almost surely, but he was given his trial. He confessed which was good, but tried to justify his actions. Katherine reminded him that the only reason he had any success was because she allowed it and, in a fit of frustration that his mouth opened again she removed three of the man's fingers faster than anyone in the room could percieve. The dangerous Katherine, Otokage, had expressed but a fraction of the power of the shinobi, and as he screamed, she cleaned the blade on his suit jacket, close enough to his neck that the message became clear. She sheathed the weapon, and a guard, alongside a knowing medic, rushed in. She halted them. He can be helped when the meeting is complete. Please step back out the door. she said plainly walking back to sit at the head of the table and continuing with the rest of what needed to be discussed. The man was pale by the time the meeting was over, as was everyone, but she got her point across. She gave him no more a glance until the meeting ended and everyone was dismissed. Fresh from that, the woman was going to ignore her duties for just a little while.
Kat walked right up to the stairs of the shrine with a milkshake in her hands and black, circle framed sunglasses over her eyes. It was a nice day, but far too bright for her tastes. THe guards went to tell direct her to throw away her drink, but a glance from above the lenses warned them to avoid even attempting. The men stood aside, and at attention, as Katherine meandered in, sitting at an ornate table parallel to her ancestor's visage. She sighed, allowing the numbers to float away from the front of her mind, and her own memories to populate the space. As was typical, a hoard of emotion followed behind the thoughts she could only compartmentalize for so long. Memories of blood staining her mask, permeating every breath with the smell, the feeling of guts freed on her sword, which now leaned against her leg. She drank her milkshake, carving a piece of ice into the shape of a Kunai absent mindedly while looking at the face of apathy that so many came to know as Kya's default look. She looked bored of her own descendant. "I know I am a disgrace, Katerina. I don't have your stomach for war, but somehow I inherited the appetite for bloodshed anyway. I left a life of struggle and death behind to come here and ended up causing more. I just maimed a man forever for being too much like me, trying my patience and pushing borders. I murdered the leader of a nation because those were my orders. What makes me any better than him..." she asked becoming frustrated suddenly. "Why has your curse, that of Kaiser flowed down into me. Why can't I escape myself. How did we end up here?" she asked. The sound of flapping wings filled her ears, and heart as well. She looked into the air just before the Great Horned Owl touched down on the her arm, where a bit of ice froze to keep the talons at bay. "Hello Petshop," she cooed as the Owl Hooted and tucked in it's wings. She kissed it's beak to which it ruffled it's feathers and flapped itself up to sit on the back of a chair. She leaned forward, watching one of her few friends as picked at it's wings and cleaned itself. At least one thing she'd brought into the world was a good thing. Petshop was a loyal bird that had hatched and imprinted on her after a successful field mission in the wartime. It was getting old by bird standards but showed no sign of true aging. It was as spry as when it reached adulthood two years prior. The taste of vanilla soothed her as did her companion's voicfe, but her mind was still in the same turmoil it always was in.
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___youwillknownihilism Captain
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 10:02 pm
[TIMELINE]
History made up a big part of life at Hana's home. In many ways, their village was a relic of the past, holding onto old traditions while growing with new knowledge. Steeped in the history of her own village for as long as she could remember, she was naturally curious about Otogakure's own history. For that reason, taking advantage of the pleasant weather today, she had braved the crowds of Oto's commerce zone to pay her respects to the three pillars of the village.
Of course, as usual, she was not alone. She couldn't be. However, it was not Ayura who accompanied her today. He had other business to attend to. At least, that was what he said and she didn't want to not believe her trusted partner. Instead, today, Takahara had been burdened with babysitting duties.
Takahara was sort of in the middle ground of stranger and old friend to Hana, so she acted with a modicum of restraint as he watched over her little sightseeing. She didn't scamper ahead, expecting her watcher to keep up with her. Instead, she paced herself to stay besides Takahara, peacefully eating the crepe she had bought in the busy marketplace while one her way to the obelisks. Every now and then, she'd try to steal a glance at this person she was supposed to trust. She kind of remembered him from when she was younger, but that was forever ago to the twelve year old. Then he came back and he was basically a stranger to her.
Hana was doing an admirable job of acting like a respectable little lady, minus the crepe she was nomming eagerly but neatly on. That is, until she and Takahara reached the stairs to the obelisk. A guard stopped her and told her that she couldn't enter the premises with any food. Hana was shocked. Then sad. Hana's goal was so close. She could literally see the gargantuan sculptures, each 50 feet tall and easily towering over everything else in their vicinity. All she needed to do was ascend the stairs. She pouted at the guard. Then at her half-eaten crepe. Then at Takahara. Although, she ultimately didn't expect anything to happen because she was pouting. After taking one last parting bite of her strawberry and cream crepe, Hana regretfully tossed it and plodded back to the guard, slowly chewing the last of her delicious snack and wiping the cream off her cheeks. Only then was she allowed access.
Hana cheered herself up as she ascended the stairs. It was silly to be sad about a crepe after all. Plus, rules were rules. No helping it.
Once Hana saw the great pillars of Otogakure up close, any remaining sadness was washed away. Instead, there was only amazement. "So biiiiiiig," she said out loud as she stared up at the stern face of someone she did not know. Eagerly, she turned to Takahara and pulled on his shirt for his attention, "Takahara. Takahara! Hey. Hey! Wait... Is that a milkshake?" until she recognized a milkshake in her peripheral vision. The sadness of the crepe returned as Hana turned to look at the milkshake drinking lady. Childishly, Hana wondered, but maturely restrained asking such a question aloud. Instead, she pouted. Not jealously. Hana wasn't jealous. Just sadly. Hana just wanted her sweet snack back.
Hana never intended her stare to amount to anything. It was merely a reflex, and soon enough, she would collect herself and move on. However, she stared long enough (and talked loudly enough) for the milkshake lady to no doubt notice her and perhaps react to her reaction. Maybe. Hopefully. Song sucks at being interesting. This was my best, okay Q~Q ?
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 10:21 am
For a guy his age, Takahara had never been bad with children. He'd always been asked to look after many others, told commonly in his youth that one day he'd be expected to lead the Senju Clan and look after all of its young ones. In that way, it was better to start earlier and gain a better tolerance for the snot-faced kids than be a grump in his elderly years. Hana was different than most kids, though - while she maintained the neediness of a young child and the excitement of it as well, she also had a patience that he admired. As they were led through the market and towards the statues the girl had urged him so vehemently to see, Taka found his disposition to be more pleasant and relaxed than he'd expected. The girl had grown well, and he didn't mind showing her around the city.
As the girl was brought to the entrance and was forced to toss out her crepe, the Jounin looked at her patiently, expecting a poor reaction. Children never liked to give up the things they enjoyed, and the shinobi knew that. He was already preparing to appease the child, getting ready the line of "I'll buy you another when we're done" and "I'll make sure it's even better than the last!".
Luckily, though, the girl was mature enough to surrender her strawberry delight and throw it off so they could enter the area. They saw, there, three massive statues of individuals central to Otogakure's history - Kya Jaeger, Masako Chiru and Armand Tikoshi. No Shinsei Karnata, he noted, even though there was once a statue of his visage in this village. Surely torn down after his downfall.
The statues were tremendous in size. He noted the excellence in their crafting - whatever architects were employed here, they were of wondrous skill. He'd seen statues like these, of Meiko Senju, Lucius Uzumaki, Christian Uzumaki and even of the man he was named after - Takahara. Those statues, however, were much smaller in scale and spoke of few stories but the visages of the ones they represented. The power he felt in each of these images was one he could scarcely describe. He truly did feel an inspiration as he looked upon Masako, one who had attuned to nature long before he had been born. He felt power and righteousness in the imagery of Kya, who he knew had been something of a distant ally to Christian in points of history, though one who'd disappeared a long time past.
He was as awe-struck as the young girl was beside him. Takahara looked to Hana and smiled, "Hella big," he said, confirming her statement with a growing look of genuine excitement. Then, he saw the woman Hana referred to, the one drinking from a milkshake as she lowered her head almost gloomily in the distance. Takahara's eyebrows rose as he looked back to Hana. "Hana," he started, "That's not just any milkshake. That's the Otokage's milkshake," the shinobi stated. He was almost positive, just based on what he could see from here, that the visage he looked upon was one of Katherine Strehkovsky.
"Maybe we should, you know - leave her to her lonesome though. It's a really busy job and I don't want to infringe on her quality time alone. Adults really need 'me' time every now and then. Especially people in her position." Takahara was at an impasse, mostly because he actually did want to see her, but also partially because he thought it would be golden to introduce her to Hana. He didn't know if the woman already knew just what the girl had been hosting, but even so it would be wise to form a bond between the two so that the Otokage would protect the girl if Takahara ever found himself unable to.
That, and perhaps she could show him where to get a good drink around here. He pondered while looking to Hana to gauge her reaction.
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___youwillknownihilism Captain
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 2:17 pm
Katherine was in her own world, leaned over the table watching Petshop absentmindedly turning his head around, looking for rats, rabbits, even looking as other birds flew over head. He was a fast bird, faster than his species should be, and often in the corner of her eye she swore the bird somehow smiled in a very devilish way, but either way he was her baby. Quite like Otogakure was large even for a hidden village, and the village, too was her baby from the moment the Kage Ceremony ended. She swallowed vanilla icecream and milk, ignoring the beast always stirring within her. Her eyes never left Petshop, whom she'd always believed was the culmination of her wisdom and ferocity. The bird locked eyes with her, then turned behind her, and looked back again. He flared his wings and gave a deep hoot. "What is it Petshop," she inquired sitting up as the bird flapped it's wings and took off, flying over her towards Takahara though on a path of ascendance that sent it far over head. She watched him go, landing on the shoulder of Armand's statue, and then her eyes fell on one of the newest jounin in her village... alongside the special companion she had requested from the lands of [i forgot the name] long ago as a bargaining tool. Her safety would be ensured as would their nation so long as the nine tailed jinchuuriki joined her military force. What Katherine hadn't known was that Hana was but a young, untrained ninja at the time. She gave a wide smile as the girl stared at the shake. The guards were serious about keeping the place clean. Petshop too had found no look with rodents there, and within a minute would leave his ward.
Katherine motioned for the two of them to join her. The table wasn't super large but it had two other chairs around which people could sit. "Takahara, Hana," she called to them. "I'm glad fate has decided we meet here. Join me, would you kindly?" It sounded like a request, but something in her voice, as usual, demanded they respond no matter how nice the tone and implication. Another lesson from Eiji: be kind, stern, and absolute. As they approached Katherine would remove her straw, producing a second one (because who doesn't keep straws on hand,) and plancing it atop the still mostly full desert. She chewed the end of her own straw after ensuring nothing would drip from it, and then pushed the drink to Hana with a smile that said she insisted. "I trust the village has treated you well in your short time here," she added, glad to see she hadn't somehow been accidentally abducted by some nerdowell types and launched a demon bomb at them. Katherine would regard Takahara with a nod akin to a respectful bow before sitting back and crossing her legs, leaving an arm on the table, tapping it somewhat rhythmically.
Once again the wheels began to turn.
"I wanted to bring you here to discuss some things Takahara. I can only imagine, being as new as you are and knowing who I am... rather knowing my involvement in the war two years ago that you have somethings you'd like to know or discuss. You've become a jounin within the village, and as such one of those trusted with information both sensitive and important to the villages safety, and likewise the special situation surrounding Hana makes her an equally important part of Otogakure even in youth. I cannot deny you either closure, peace of mind as I can provide, nor information on the whole. Even if you simply wish to criticize I am all ears for a conversation. One of respect, mutually." The last sentence came and she held up a finger to draw specific attention to those words. She wasn't for being insulted, but she could take it if he wanted to scream and shout at her for the small hand she had in Konoha's downfall. It was something on her conscience always, and talking to one leaf villager would obviously not clear her skeletons. Still, as she said this was more for him than for her.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 10:32 pm
Hana's mouth made a silent "oh" as her eyes grew giant. She looked at Takahara. Then back at the milkshake. Then at the sun glassed face of the Otokage. Milkshake. Takahara. Otokage. Takahara. Otokage. Milkshake. Takahara. "Uh-oh," she exclaimed quietly as the owl seated besides the Otokage flew towards but above her and Takahara. Quickly, she clung to Takahara's side and hid herself behind him while muttering, "Oh no." the young one thought to herself as she buried herself behind Takahara,
From behind, Takahara would feel Hana's head move up and down in a nod as she agreed to his proposal. However, all hopes of an early exit were shattered when the Otokage called their names. Hana peeked out from behind Takahara in response, still clinging to his shirt. A quick glance at her current keeper was enough for Hana to understand that he was not opposed to the invitation. Clearing her throat a little, Hana detached herself from Takahara and dusted off the front of her outfit. Despite her earlier mistake, she tried her best to appear polite and presentable.
Still hesitant, but feeling much more comfortable after being given some time to recover from her earlier mistake, Hana found the confidence to step forwards without having to wait for Takahara to take the lead. She approached the seat offered to her by the Otokage, gave a polite bow, greeted, "The village has been very nice, Madame Otokage, and it is a pleasure to join you," and then took a seat as gracefully as possible.
Head bowed modestly, Hana listened patiently as the older people to talked it out. She had seen the Otokage's insisting smile in regards to the milkshake and had returned it with a grateful smile and nod of her own. However, she didn't want to seem too greedy or needy, so she resolved to wait for just a little bit before going for the milkshake. The same went for anything she wanted to say in response to the Otokage's offer of open disclosure. She would wait for the older Takahara to finish speaking. Afterwards, if there was still time and if she was expected to ask for something, then Hana would say whatever she wanted to say.
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Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 6:49 am
Takahara listened as he was brought forward by the Otokage. His demeanor immediately became more respectful, soldier-like. He had been ingrained since early youth to be a proper shinobi, and it very clearly showed when he stood before Katherine Strehkovsky. He appeared obedient and resolved. He only became more relaxed when the Kage asked whether or not he had any inquiries he'd like to address to her. Given that she essentially told him to give himself free reign on the sorts of questions he'd put forward, the shinobi lowered his head slightly to address the question and placed his pointer finger against his chin.
He thought, and thought, and thought. There were a few questions he wished to ask, but which ones were the most important to him? He wondered that. The shinobi figured that not every meeting with Katherine would be so open for questions, so he would need to take this opportunity as he could. The man's eyes rose to the woman's visage, one that demanded authority, and nodded to himself. "Yes, Lady Otokage," he began. "I have a few questions, as you might have suspected. These are all important to me, and the people of my Clan. So I'll be very concise and clear with them." He lowered himself, knuckle and knee against the ground with his eyes facing the pavement. He asked these questions respectfully.
"Lady Otokage, what was this village's motivations for warring against Mizu no Kuni and Hi no Kuni? Understandably, resources and wealth are always motivations, but were these the sole motivations? Despite being a Jounin, my Lady, I have not been given any answer for why Otogakure took part in the deaths of so many people during the Great War." The question was very forward, but he would not sugar-coat it. Takahara was honest. He had no grudge against this woman, considering she was not the Otokage who had lead the charge. Takahara had killed the one before her, claiming vengeance for the Hidden Leaf Village. For the sake of closure, he merely wished to know why such carnage had to occur in the first place.
And - he had another question for her after that one was answered. He glanced to Hana before asking this, aware that this might come off as alarming to the young girl. "Secondly, as the slayer of the previous Otokage, by all shinobi law I am anathema to this village. I would be killed on sight by any other leader if they knew what I had done. I was sent to do so by the previous Hokage but did so gladly, of my own free will. Why have you allowed me not only to live, but to serve this village with such a high command attached to my name? To be honest, it does not make sense to me. I alone cannot preserve Konoha's culture, and my power alone does not justify my presence. Is there not a future in store you would have for me outside of merely what I have presented to you now?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 10:24 pm
To say the Otokage was caught unawares by the line of questioning that was presented to her would be a lie. No, she was sure that his curiosity would lead him there. What did catch her off was the fact that he decided to kneel after meeting her eyes to ask his questions. Even still, they did strike close to home, and she sat back in her chair, fanning her foot left to right and crossing her arms as she thought about where to begin. She went to speak after a silence that was somewhat telling. "At ease, Takahara, we are here not as military man and his superior. Take a seat. It could soften the impact of learning the truth." Her arms relaxed themselves and PetShop, sensing the unease of his master, hovered down to perch on the edge of the small table, giving a hoot to which Katherine replied by absent mindedly rubbing his head. "I think... mostly because it's easier... I'm going to answer your second question first.The former Otokage, Manse, was not a well liked man. By the time I joined the village I had seen why myself. He was a frail man, not so old but so very weak. I was surprised he had become Otokage at all in fact. But he was not the man he was when he was chosen. Naturally when the war came along, the army looked to him for leadership,a s did I. He disgraced himself in our time of need. He abandoned us, turning tail in mid combat and running away from the village. He was awol for a week straight before Eiji took command. I was only a member of the military then, in the special forces, but even I was taken aback. You killed Manse, but you didn't kill the Otokage. He's a traitor, a deserter and a hated individual as history is concerned. You killing him would paint you in a favorable light honestly. Beyond that," Katherine continued as Petshop spotted something skittering along, watching it with keen eyes, keen ears focused. "You would be anathema to a time gone by. Otogakure was a village long in the making for a rehaul. I love Eiji to death, I do, but his lack of presnce here literally allows me to do whatever I want for the most part. Following the war I was made Otokage for my involvement in the war, which will be explained shortly, and immediately gave complete amnesty to those who were members of the hidden leaf village army, and that of the mist a short time later. It was not fair to blame all of you and continue to cull and ravage your lands further. I'd seen enough of war in a short 22 years, 16 of which were spent as a punk in the country, and a large majority of the next six were in actual full scale war. I would look to the future before I let the past hold me back. You have in you something I didn't understand until I saw it myself. The will of fire lives strong in you. It was a gesture of both good faith and a sort of apology for what happened to your people. I hope that in your time hear you come to find that the leaf village was only my enemy due to a set of circumstances that forced a soldier to action." She held back her response to his final inquiry for the moment.
PetShop hooted once more, and Katherine looked to him, craning her neck and raising an eyebrow. The bird shook itself, then flapped it's wings lightly before tucking them in again. "Stop showing off, we know you're a pretty bird," she chided coddling the creature as he rubbed his head into her face. She would sigh and let him go, and PetShop flew off once more, looking for whatever had caught his attention before. He'd be back before long, and now Katherine had to address the first question. She wasn't particularly proud of what she'd had to do in the war; talking about it wasn't her favorite thing to do. But for the sake of Takahara she would do it. "Takahara, you have to understand something, friend. I was a soldier following orders. I didn't know any of this until it was far too deep in for it to matter. The war began almost a week and a half before the country was made aware that the two countries were our enemies. Sound ninja were kidnapped by ninja of the mist, and a ransom note was left for their safe return. The same occurred between cloud and the fire country. It was just the feather that tipped the scale on it's own; relations were not stellar in the first place. But we abided by the terms and a retrieval team was sent with the hefty ransom. The men were dead, and had been for a long time by the time the sound squad arrived. Realizing they were duped they rana way back to sound. Predictably they never made it..." she replied letting the words carry their own implications. Flashes came into her mind, the bloody scene left behind after she had murdered a group. She made a fist on the table, pushed the memories back and agressively exhaled before looking to Takahara again. "Cloud contacted us, Kikiyo, their shogun, spoke to Eiji and they formed an alliance. This couldn't go unanswered. I became a piece on a chess board. I thikn I was the knight... sorry. I took a liking to chess when I arrived here. At any rate, the terms were simple: We would wage ware against the land of water for the brutality they showed, and they would do the same to the land of fire. We were given to helping their operations against Konoha. I was sent behind enemy lines once or twice into the land of fire, but as is known my involvement was wrapped up and hidden in confidential files. But you should know, Otogakure's involvement in the war against the Leaf was minor. I know not how many or how heavily our missions against you all were but I know that our focus was on the mist." Once more her eyes seemed to go elsewhere before they were snapped shut. A bead of sweat appeared, heart beat quickened. She was back there in her mind.
Eiji's susano'o ravaged their gates, our nation was pouring in for the final offensive but I was not there. Kuhaku distracted a platoon with his men, waves of power emanating from him and masking my silent infiltration as his fists crushed skulls and broke spines. The streets were chaos, and the blood of the mist already soked by blade as I killed those in my way. I came upon their command center quickly. They were well guarded, the Kage, the advisors, jounin, anbu captains and the commander. It was perfect. Eiji somehow predicted that as the assault began so suddenly they would have little time to act and they would gather to get orders on how to handle things. I made a mad dash from the rooftop. The guards tried to stop me as soon as I was in view but I could not be stopped I teleported damn near using the pale demon skills we were notorious for. I was in the center of the room before anyone could respond, and the power of my blood exploded, assaulting the room with shards of ice like glass, the very air working against them as I spun, throwing weaponized air freezing into the shape of blades right through the skull of the kage and anbu commanders. By the time I finished blood splattered everywhere and I was covered in gore. My job, my mission was done. Eight more souls freed of mortal shells. Eight more screams on my conscience.
A hoot snapped her eyes open as Kat came out of her own mind, breathing heavily as she relived that moment once more. "I am not proud of what I did. Perhaps my guilty conscience is what's talking, what made the decision to request you come here. But either way I do have plans for you. In a little while I will begin an expansion process into the lands of fire, stone and wind. I plan to begin with colonizing the land of fire, and rebuilding the leaf. Before that can happen, I need someone to claim the territory. I wanted to wait unil I ran it by Eiji, but if he has a problem with it he can come to me after. In light of current thoughts, I believe one bearing the will of fire in his veins should be the one who brings your former home back. For what it's worth once again, I am sorry for your people." she finished speaking, her eyes drifting to the jinchuuriki in her presence. In the corner of her eye, perched on the shoulder of Kya, Kathernie saw Petshop holding the body of a mouse, in one talon and what she knew only as PetShop's smile on it's face before it gorged itself on the dead rodent.
Sometimes she wondered if he knew how evil he could look.
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___youwillknownihilism Captain
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 10:44 am
Takahara's decision to kneel startled Hana, worrying her over whether or not she had perhaps made a mistake. Was she also supposed to be down on the ground with her jounin? However, unlike the last time she had caught herself acting improperly, Hana's face remained unmoved except for a widening of her eyes. She was fretting just as much as before, but even in her confusion, she remembered to maintain her composure in front of those with authority. Even when Takahara revealed that he had killed the Otokage, which was news to the little one, she did not budge.
Although, her lack of movement came more from freezing in surprise than being conscious of her company. She had known what Takaha had been participating in before his return to the village. He was in a war, and even little Hana knew all the baggage that came with such participation. She had grown up knowing that she will very likely have to carry the same weight one day. While she knew, hearing about a very specific incident in straight details from the person in question gave it a different immediacy. The Takahara she knew was a good man, and she could not see him killing someone who would have been their superior if he was not dead by Takahara's hands.
How did Hana feel about it? Well, she didn't really feel much for the dead Otokage. She knew him not. It was merely the what-if's that had given his existence any impact to her. What was nasty was the very vivid reminder that Takahara had killed. she sorted through her feelings,
She made no move to leave her seat while she puzzled over the correct course of action. Only when the Otokage ushered Takahara to his seat did Hana snap out of her reverie. She understood, However, she also felt, While the Otokage answered Takahara's questions, Hana popped out of her seat and gently pulled on Takahara's arm without a word, helping him get up and into a seat. She mustered a smile, which wasn't all that hard because she knew, even if her emotions had still not completely recovered, that Takahara was still Takahara.
By the time Hana and Takahara were seated, Hana had lost all interest in the milkshake. She'd kind of lost her appetite as a whole. Maybe this was just the usual business talk for the two war veterans, but for the child, the questions and answers being carefully given weighed heavily on her even if she had nothing to say. War, its formation, its consequences, and such. Violence and death were only scantily mentioned, but even this much was heavier fare than the sheltered host was accustomed to.
She did her best to not show this weakness, though, knowing full well that it might interrupt the conversation if she appeared too meek or uncomfortable. Once more, she donned a composed expression, only her eyes really revealing how she felt about matters as a whole. If Petshop had yet to fly off, she would be admiring his beauty while keeping an open ear to the conversation. If he had gone, then Hana would focus on the details of the Otokage's face for a lack of anything appropriate to subtly distract herself on.
Sharp little eyes caught the wrinkles the eyes made when they closed as well as the solitary drop of sweat that had no place on a pleasantly cool day like this. The tightening of the lips and the way the eyebrows stretched out like they were trying to flatten themselves were noted. Even the subtle way the Otokage's fist tightened and the changes in breathing pattern were signs Hana read and deciphered. Anger did not cause this sort of reaction. Exhaustion and sorrow were only indirect results at best. The Otokage's face was that of someone who could not escape the actions of their past. Hana tried to name the emotion she felt in the Otokage. In the past year or so, it was a face she had become quite closely acquainted with on a personal level. She didn't have control over the Kyuubi yet, but it was not for lack of trying. She had tried. Many times. Over and over. The Kyuubi had responded with its impressive repertoire of nightmares, which it used to make up for Hana's lack of any nightmarish memories, gathered from its innumerable hosts. More times than she could count this past year, Hana had been forced by the Kyuubi to watch the breaking points of various hosts, their nightmares, and their fears. In opposition, Hana endured it by focusing on the face of the host rather than their surroundings. Each face was different and its expression had its own subtleties. However, after seeing so many of them, Hana could also pick up on their universal similarities. She might not yet have found a suitable name for the emotion that went with the expression. Perhaps there wasn't a word for it that could encompass it all. However, she knew what it was even if she did not have the word for it.
Now that Takahara had received the answer to his question, Hana didn't think it was so rude that it was now her chance to ask something small. Takahara could even ask more and the Otokage probably wouldn't have a problem squeezing in an answer to her inquiry. It was such a simple question, after all, because Hana didn't really know what to ask in this game of politics and foreign relations. As of right now, she only knew how to quietly listen and learn from these experiences.
Eyes wandering to the owl that had just returned with its afternoon lunch, Hana lost herself in the spectacle. Her mind had already given her mouth permission to speak, but the question she asked was not what she had meant to inquire. While distracted with the owl, she mused aloud, "Are we the mouse?".
A short pause as Hana's focus drifted away from the owl and back to the conversation at hand.
A little longer as she processed what she said.
"Gah!" she apologized immediately, "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant to say!" and corrected herself, "What I meant to ask is 'Are you okay, Madam Otokage?'. Takahara, too. Are you okay, Takahara?". Her self-control broken by her mistake, Hana continued to blather after her apology and correction, trying to make up excuses for her strange question. They ranged from a rather fragmented explanation about some legends passed down through her village to the more immediate reason of being distracted by the owl when she shouldn't have been and how sorry she was for that as well. Her outburst really didn't take long, too. One minute, at most, and then Hana realized that 1) she actually didn't know why she asked what she did and 2) she was being awfully rude. One last, small, "Sorry," and Hana receded into composed silence again, eyes glued to the table in front of her, tracing out the grain of the surface. An embarrassed blush still flushed her cheeks.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 2:53 am
The Jounin stood with dignity as soon as the woman informed him that he could stand face-to-face rather than kneeling as he was keen to do. He smiled faintly in response, sat next to her, then remained silent as she spoke in response to his questions. Her answers were very thorough, and he had learned since meeting her that she did well not to disappoint her shinobi or lay mistrust in them. He was nodding along, pleased, throughout her speaking - Takahara genuinely felt he understood the circumstances of the war, which was a relief considering how adrift he'd been since his family's migration.
"I understand," the man replied as she described her feelings towards Manse. His tone of voice was still quite formal - it would take a while to get used to treating Katherine as anyone but a respectable individual of vastly superior authority. Even not kneeling as they spoke felt quite odd to him, almost threatening; like he could be punished for it at any moment. It was a military life he had led.
"Honestly, Lady Otokage, that man was a scum in life as he was in death. As he passed away, he spoke of the destruction of the Leaf and the dismantling of my people. Amidst the war, people lost their dignity and began to idolize the Rice and Lightning Countries, but in a way that represented fear. The Konohakara, my people, became blindly nationalistic and crude towards foreigners; xenophobic. They felt the weight of the world crashing against them, wondering if it was their penance for the cruelty and devastation of the Karna Empire. People like the former Otokage only increased this rhetoric. Now, I can scarcely go to the Leaf without seeing the effects of him and the Shogunate of Cloud shattering the mentality of our society. There are signs on every store that read "no foreigners allowed". People from the Rice Country are being ejected and sent back home - the Fire Country is filled with people that think everyone is a spy who wants to eradicate their way of life. It's sad."
He spoke perhaps out of line in describing this, but this had greatly upset him. He was told to "******** off" by many a member of the Leaf, called a traitor and a deserter for leaving the village alongside his Clan. No longer basing themselves outside of Konoha was a sin - it was proof of the decline of the country and that terrified the people that lived there. They called the Senju "outsourced", noting the loss of much of the ancient ties that were forged in the Leaf.
More than anything, he wanted for an Otogakure that would amend these cruelties and give back to the world from their position of dominance and wealth. He knew Katherine was pragmatic, to a degree, but he did have faith that she more than most would be willing to give such a wild ambition a try. "I hold no grudge against you or our fellow people, My Lady," Takahara said, with a slight bow of his head. "I'm one of you now, and I know that you only followed orders. If you place me into a position where I must follow orders, too, and go to war - I will do so. That is the life we lead as shinobi - we are to be commanded of and disposed. We fight for the greater good that others claim to know. I genuinely do believe that you, though, may actually know the greater good. I'm proud to be led by someone like you."
Even though . . . he raised his gaze, head tilted up slightly. "I wouldn't say that we should colonize Hi no Kuni, though. Colonization was part of what made the Karna Empire as strong as it was, but it was also what produced its loathsome reputation. The people of Konoha will fiercely defend their territory and they will never abandon their Shogunate. If we wish to make things better for those ravaged by the war, what we can do is force an alliance of military and trade. Bind the Shogunates together with marriage and appease the people; show the lost souls of the post-war that the Rice Country won't rain fire and brimstone on them when they're least expecting it. The fear and loss of order is what has most effected my people. It must be amended for progress to begin." Takahara spoke surely - as if he'd done a lot of thinking on this. He had, but as he spoke, he realized that something quite troubling had displayed itself and he didn't have the decency to inquire.
Katherine had begun to breathe heavily for a while, dozing off as if some sort of health issue had gripped her. Takahara leaned forward and asked, "Are you alright, my Lady?" with concerned eyes. He then glanced to Hana and beckoned her over. "I'm not sure if Lady Otokage is okay, Hana, but I am. You're an aspiring medic, right? Perhaps the Lady Kage will allow you to examine her," he mused. If she actually was ill, he could mend the issue very easily. He wasn't too concerned, but it was a surprise to see her as vulnerable for even a moment.
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___youwillknownihilism Captain
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 3:20 am
Hana had spoken first, and since Katherine had already let her bird like eyes fall on her, she was not so surprised to see her mouth move. Though the deep blue, nigh purple orbs were soft they also had a piercing quality to them. She followed the girl's eyes to PetShop, who seemed unawares until Kat looked at him. Their connection alerted him, and he turned his head, ensuring his eyes were large and unfrightening as he looked to Hana. The mouse was mostly gone from what PetShop intended to consume. This hunt was for sport. The bird took off in a hurry, out of sight and out of mind. Takahra spoke before she could reply and allowed his words to fill her head and heart in equal volumes. She hated the world of the shinobi in all honesty. She left behind a life of blind violence. Eiji gave her something better. A home. He took the girl out of the slums even if she had a habit of talking with her mouth full in his presence, or not wearing an appropriate layer of clothing just because. What she learned after joining the military to repay him, was that war was just organized blind violence.
She never wanted another ninja to feel like their life was disposable, and was visibly cut by the sharpness of his words, intended or not. When he told her he was proud to be in her charge, she let her own eyes fall on his, really taking in his face. Heart in her chest became erratic and a smile graced her lips for the first time since she last spoke. "I'll show you better than I can tell you how much it means to have your faith Takahara."
Katherine spoke to Hana after, reaching across the table to place a hand on her shoulder and speak plainly. "Dear, don't make over apologizing a habit, it's unbecoming. And... yes I am fine." She realized she'd done something Eiji would crack a whip over her head about. A sign of weakness. "Nothing to worry about. Nothing to talk of now anyway. As for your council on the matter of the land of fire..." she trailed letting the expression of one pondering something fit into the mask that betrayed her emotion constantly. "It only now dawns on me how little insight into the land of fire I have. Hi no Kuni is a topic of heat, no pun intended... not really. I have use of someone like you on my council. Someone who could show me better than I could just read about it. Consider this a promotion in status. Welcome to my small court, as it is, Advisor Hawk," she joked movnig a bit of hair from her face and making a slight pun of his name's "taka."
"Let's be less grim, shall we. Let me tell you something most people in the army don't now. As long as you can keep a secret too, Hana." She'd wink at the girl and then clear her voice. "I, surprising as it is, am a singer. Used to do shows in the first two years I lived here, much to Eiji's displeasure. Some of my proudest moments, honestly," she offered to him hoping to lighten the mood as PetShop came, no longer carrying a rat-sandwhich, landing on the edge of the table ahead of Katherine again. "Ah, and this little monster is my baby boy PetShop," she said letting himstep up on her arm on a thin layer of ice, unclear if made by him or her as she kissed his beak and the bird hooted at her. He looked to Takahara blankly, sizing him up, determining that, for some reason, he was friendly enough nto to get immediately crushed under an icy boulder. Kat strategically ignored his more erratic thoughts, chalking it up to bird-of-prey instincts.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2016 4:44 pm
"Ah. Yes, madam Otokage. I'm s-" Hana began to apologize, still flustered from her mistake. However, she caught herself in the nick of time and clamped her mouth shout before the sentence could finish. A troubled expression as she pondered over how she could amend her mistake and then an uneasy smile, the young one's attempt at something more becoming than her prior mistake. With a short bow, Hana expressed gratitude rather than an apology, "Thank you for your advice, ma'am."
More adult conversation followed. Hana was mentioned a little and the sound of her name caused her to perk up a little more and sit a little straighter even though she wasn't sure there was much she could do to help the Otokage. Takahara was given a, as far as Hana's limited knowledge told her, prestigious position. One to be proud of. She considered clapping for his promotion(?) but refrained from doing so, worried that to do so would be unbecoming. She didn't want to do two unbecoming things so close in succession.
Besides, rather than clapping, Hana was still sort of concerned for the Otokage's condition. Like Takahara, she had brushed off her question. Unlike Takahara, the Otokage really had looked worse for wear for that brief moment. Hana didn't want to let go of her question. After all, it was a concern she had asked despite her misgivings about speaking aloud. However, when Hana simulated all the possible ways her pressing the question could go, each route ended in a result she did not find worth the time of anyone at the table. It wasn't like Hana could do much, after all. She only knew enough medical knowledge to really tend to some of the simplest procedures.
Then, the topic suddenly changed. Hana was unprepared and unused to this jarring shift between business talk and casual conversation, especially when she found so little to say in the former and now had something ready to say for the latter. She fumbled her response slightly. Turning to the most familiar person who was also not the person to ask the first thing on her mind, Hana requested to Takahara, "Can I pet Petshop?" with an expression that was equal parts blank, confused, inquisitive, and expectant.
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