| | | Chance Encounter [Private] |  |
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Ulkira
Age : 31
Posts : 1836
![Chance Encounter [Private] Vide](https://2img.net/i/fa/vide.gif) |  Subject: Chance Encounter [Private] Fri 11 Oct 2013, 6:44 am | |
| There was something about “having fun” that was never “fun” to Masquerade. He was not one to just grin and have a good time. Maybe it had something to do with how someone had to relax to be able to enjoy himself? That would explain why it was uncommon for the male to take part in an activity that he or others might call “fun”. There was no good time to relax - not for a ninja, and least of all for a Nukenin. A shinobi always had to remain alert and aware for safety, and dropping one’s guard could result in a grievous error sometimes. That being said, it was just as illogical to be constantly tensed and poised for action. Without sufficient rest, a person would wear out faster than normal. At least, that was what Masquerade’s… “associate” Subaru had said to the Nukenin. The necessity for rest had been one of the reasons why Subaru had brought Masquerade to Yu no Kuni, a country renowned for its natural hot springs. The restorative and cathartic nature of these facilities made them a common place for recreational trips, so it was not that strange for Masquerade to be brought here.
Except for the fact that Masquerade was not one for tourism, or rather, locations that catered to such folk; such populated areas made the Nukenin edgier than usual. His idea of relaxation was not being around people, as anyone could turn into an unseen threat the moment he lowered his guard. More often than not, he found it far safer to be alone in the woods than in the middle of a crowd. Such was why he had spent the past couple of weeks since arriving in this country by himself. The grave Nukenin had declined all of Subaru’s suggestions (along with those of the blue-haired man’s friend, Rumiho) to “go sight-seeing”, instead keeping to himself as he had wandered around doing his own thing. “His own thing” consisting mainly of loitering in areas devoid of human presence, where he would spent most of his time either training or lounging. When he did visit one of the towns, he purposely gave the hot springs or the other tourist attractions a wide berth, though he rarely went to any of the towns anyway. In fact, he had not even gone back to Subaru’s house since the first day the three travelers had arrived. No one had come looking for Masquerade, and the Nukenin was frankly grateful for that. The idea of interacting with people seemed even less appealing to him at the moment than usual. Lately, he had been more inclined to lengthy periods of solitude than social interaction, probably because seclusion allowed him the comfort of repose.
Sadly, such comfort never lasted long. Just this morning, Masquerade had returned to his temporary spot of rest in the woods to find an unexpected surprise awaiting him, in the forms of Subaru and Rumiho. The older man had pretty much announced that Masquerade would be accompanying the two older folks on a “full day of fun and excitement”. In response to Masquerade’s irked silence, Subaru had elaborated that it was Rumiho’s last day in Yu no Kuni, and he had decided that the three of them would be hanging out together for the day. Naturally, Masquerade had been blatantly adverse to this notion, as he was in no mood to spend time with either of them; the fact that he had not visited or contacted the two of them for days implied as much. Besides, Masquerade did not care one bit about whether Rumiho’s last day was enjoyable or not. These and other reasons had been behind Masquerade’s blunt refusal to participate, and that should have been the end of that, if it was not for Subaru and Rumhio’s persistence. As it happened, after the older man and woman had all but knocked the younger male unconscious and dragged his body along with them, Masquerade reluctantly acquiesced to their whims. So, the three had gone to the nearest town and had prepared to “party hard”, as Subaru had put it. However, within the first hour of their “fun times”, the disgruntled Nukenin had seized his chance to flee when his associates had entered an onsen. Now, over a half an hour had passed since Masquerade had made his escape, and no one had come searching for him. Assuming that Subaru and his friend had gotten the message that Masquerade did not wish to spend time with them, the Nukenin had relaxed and decided to wander around the town some before heading off to do… something.
Soon enough, an unexpected shower of rain began to pepper the town. Well, it was not really “unexpected”, since anyone who had looked up at the sky would have seen the rain clouds drifting towards the area. As it was, Masquerade was among the group people who had not sought out shelter beforehand, and was now being punished for his lack of foresight as water repeatedly doused him from the heavens. The fact that he lacked any covering to shelter him from the rain, and that the temperature had dropped abruptly by several degrees, meant the Nukenin was making a beeline for the nearest building in sight. He did not pause to check what kind of structure he was entering; he just marched right in without stopping. Dripping water on the entrance mat, Masquerade observed that he was in a diner - a tidy, cozy little establishment. The sight of the dense crowd before him made the Nukenin frown for a moment in distaste; almost on instinct, he did a quick scan of the room, examining the customers for a chakra signature that implied at a ninja lifestyle. Soothingly, the results were negative in that regard. Everyone here was a civilian, which boded well for the cautious Nukenin. It was rarely good news for a missing ninja when they ran into another ninja.
Deciding that this was as good a place as any to wait out the storm, Masquerade made his way to the counter and sat himself down on one of the stools before it. The neat man behind the counter approached Masquerade, welcoming him prior to asking if he had an order in mind. Without much care for it, Masquerade gave an order for a glass of hot milk, which earned him a fleeting look of confusion from the waiter. The waiter kept his thoughts to himself, instead replying a nod before heading off to fetch the shinobi’s drink. In the meantime, Masquerade linked his fingers together and placed his hands on the counter, closing his eyes behind his mask as he waited for the weather to clear. Once it did, he would return to his present place of stay in the woods, and to his repetitive regime of training, lazing, and solitude. After all, it seemed unlikely that anything interesting would happen today to be worth his attention.
---------------------------------------- - Special Characteristics Used:
Name: Sensor Ninja
Rank: B
Type: Chakra
Physical Requirements: N/A
Training Requirements: A 1200 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The ninja awakens a dormant talent they've possessed and develops a new type of sensory. Now being classified as a "Sensor Ninja" the ninja is capable of detecting the presence of other people through their chakra. A sensor can detect their targets from a great distance which can extend 100m, as well as differentiate the characters by their signature chakra alone. They can pin-point any individual within their sensory limit even if they are surrounded in a crowd and even locate other sensor ninja. A sensor can determine a person’s location, chakra capacity, chakra type, and even emotions when in a locating position.
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|  | | Søren
Posts : 1187
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Sat 12 Oct 2013, 1:09 pm | |
| [Arrival]
It had been two hours since the nineteen year old Nukenin had arrived in the Yu no Kuni. Unfortunately it took him an hour longer than previously thought so it was now three hours past midnight. It took him one to find civilization a further one to find a room to stay. Now he was lying in a bed counting down the minutes until morning. In hi past two hours he had already decided that it was not as good as he had previously thought. Although it had been one in the morning and not many people were there. It seemed a lot more basic than he had previously thought. But who knew? Maybe a market or something would open up in the following days. Though having talked to the inn keeper he could tell most people were stuck up, rich snobs. It was going to be one of those places were even a whiff of money could get you any where. Luckily food and objects were not the only things that he stole. Plus since he rarely used it except from for gambling, there was large quantities of it in his wallet.
But there he was, on a large mattress, in a large wooden framed bed, in a small inn, in a large town, in the Yu no Kuni. Tenshi had decided to only stay in this land for a week or two, then onward. Unless of course his presumtions had been wrong and it turned out that this was the place for him. Leaning over to his bead side table the Missing-nin picked up his book. Once he had finished the chapter the book was put down. He got out of his resting place and looked around. When he had packed to come on this journey he had packed several books. Since he was already bored of one he moved on to the next. It was a manual on card counting and advanced shogi tactics, a book that it was able to stop and start as it was not a story. Tenshi was an avid reader and much of his time would be spent pouring over old books and manuals that he collected. After reading an especially lengthy chapter on the basic methods of card counting he looked at the clock. It was four thirty, it wold probably be a good idea to go to sleep around about now.
Just before bed he jumped off his mattress and went over to the pocket of his trousers, his hand grasped a small rectangular box. Ace, the lighter, he had no idea why he named all of his stuff. But it seemed to fit with this one, you just had to look at the pattern on the front to see that. It made a lot more sense than his cloak, Hummingbird. Then again this was based on the deep blue colour of the inside. Flicking it so that the little orange-yellow flame cast a strange glow over the right side of the room he walked over to a candle holder. Within this was four candles raised at different levels. Lighting each one in turn Tenshi then proceeded to wander back over to his bed. It was not so much that he wanted a light to sleep with, he just wanted something to do. Another symptom of psychopathy, prone to boredom. He lay there in the half darkness, lighting and putting out his flame. “Perhaps I should take up smoking?” He said to no one. It would be a great way of using it more. It was one of his favourite pieces of equipment, however it got little use. Finally, ten minutes later he fell asleep.
***
It was ten o’clock when he finally got out of bed. It was not the best night sleep he had ever had, but he had gotten used to the large, cool cave he currently resided in. Clambering out of bed Tenshi went to the window. Opening the blinds he gazed out upon the town. People were bustling around despite the possibility of rain. He could tell this from the grey clouds that overcast the sky like a bed sheet. Looking around the room he took in more than he had that previously had that evening. It was an old style room with wooden beams and leather furniture. A sudden impulsive new urge took over him. Leave his mark on this place. Taking up Ryu Ejji he carved a large T in the beam above his bed. It was not like he was doing anything wrong, it was a tiny gesture. Collapsing down into fifteen press ups and twenty five sit ups the teen found this to be a good way of waking himself up.
Going over to the en suite bathroom he splashed water on himself. There was not really any point in having a shower, as he planned on going to the hot springs today. Another thing that it would be good to do on this trip was to try some of the local gambling. There must be a casino somewhere either near or in the village. Splashing water on his face he then put some toothpaste on his toothbrush. After brushing for a short out of time he spat and rinsed out his mouth. He examined himself in the mirror, his chocolate brown irises, smirking mouth and long black hair. Unlike many people these days he was happy with how he looked, in his eyes he was the embodiment of perfection.
It was not like in this grey weather he had to dress up. So he threw on some generic casual clothes. As a Nukenin it was often important to blend in with the crowd. So he probably should not strut around wearing an expensive suit. So instead he put on a loose black t-shirt and a zip up hooded top, which he left undone. Then some trousers and finally a dagger was strapped to his waist, just concealed by his jumper. Pulling socks over his bare feet he slid into his shoes. He got his wallet and stuffed it into his trousers as he was going for breakfast. Snapping his head so that he was looking at the clock he took in that it was coming up to eleven. If this was the case then he would go to the hot springs at one. It would be so much nicer, having your body in the warm water, while his head was in the rain. If it ever came, but he had a strong feeling that it would eventually.
Locking up his room he left the building. In the street there were a few people. For the first time in a while he felt uneasy. If there were a lot of people it would be easy to blend in, but with this number everyone would be able to see him. This was a major problem with living quite far away from all other civilisation. He was not used to being with people in the open. And normally when he was out in the Grass Country he would often keep his head low and make sure no one could see his face. Hoisting his hood over his head and eyes the Nukenin went onwards. It was five minutes until he found a suitable place. By this time the heavens had decided to open. It was not bad but the rain was falling. He was glad to get into the warmth of the room. It did not look like there was a massive stock of food, but he was not very hungry anyway. Walking over to the bar he shrugged of his hood. ”Hey waiter, I’ll have an orange juice and some dango. Make it quick” |
| | | | Ulkira
Age : 31
Posts : 1836
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Mon 14 Oct 2013, 2:35 am | |
| If someone was to ask Masquerade whether he considered himself a lucky man, he would have to take a few moments to consider the query carefully. In all honesty, he could not say for sure what kind of luck he was inclined to have. Favorable situations did come his way on pure chance, but such cases were not exactly a frequency. In fact, nine out of the ten instances that Masquerade might name as the result of luck would likely be because something he did brought about that result. Many of these “fortunate” moments were actually achieved thanks to his own skills, but he never acknowledged that. He had a perplexing tendency to always attribute his own accomplishments to luck; he always branded them as a fluke, even when it was clearly not true. Whether this was done purposely or was due to sincere ignorance was anyone’s guess; Masquerade never bothered to elaborate on his peculiar habit. To make a strange quirk even stranger: whenever something undesirable happened to him, it was highly probable that he would call it a result of some error or deficiency on his part. However, in this case, he was willing to acknowledge that, sometimes, life just loved to screw with him.
Such was how he felt when a metaphorical alarm went off in his head. Like a meerkat detecting an approaching hyena, Masquerade’s face whipped in the direction of the diner’s entrance. Almost as abruptly, he then brought his attention back to the glass of milk sitting in front of him on the counter; however, his already wide eyes were still enlarged fretfully behind his visors, remaining fixated on the double doors of the building. Widened eyes quickly narrowed as the moments went by, and they temporarily shifted away from the door to scan the eatery’s interior. As far as he could tell, there were only two exits in the whole building: the actual entrance, and the door which led to the kitchen. Only two possible escape routes, and only one of them available. Expression unchanged except for the narrowing of his unseen eyes, Masquerade returned his focus to the entrance doors, which were just beginning to open at that point. The Nukenin’s hold on his glass tightened slightly, whilst the hand beneath the counter balled into a fist. Tensed, alert, Masquerade watched the individual entering the eatery with the intense glare of a raptor; his head did not turn in the newcomer’s direction, but his obscured eyes kept an unwavering lock on him.
The newcomer was tall, with a head of dark hair and dark eyes, dressed in an informal style. And he was a shinobi. Masquerade had to stop the frown from appearing on his face as he observed the male entering the diner, the higher spiritual energy in the latter’s body radiating like an aura in the Nukenin’s mind. If it was not for the fact that he was Sensor, Masquerade would not have been able to identify this person as a shinobi; neither would he have felt his presence before he had entered the diner. Maybe something about the way the youth carried himself, or something in his gait, could have alluded to Masquerade that this individual was a shinobi like him. It was not uncommon for ninja to be easily identified from their attire alone; many in this profession chose to don clothing that made them impractically conspicuous. Take Masquerade for example: either he was a shinobi, or he was some weirdo from a circus or something. This shinobi with the black hair, however, was dressed so casually that he could be mistaken for a civilian. Maybe he was just here to enjoy the numerous facilities that this touristic nation had to offer? Masquerade would be willing to believe that, if his sense of caution did not border on paranoia. This youth could just be a regular vacationer who just happened to be a ninja. Or, he could be someone that Masquerade had to keep a vigilant watch on.
Unpredictable Raiton and free-flowing Fuuton - those were the natures of the target’s chakra. Significantly high, definitely higher than a rookie ninja. What were they called, again? Genin, yes - C-ranked. This person was undoubtedly of a higher caliber than a Genin. Masquerade had not sensed many ninja’s chakra as of yet, but he had a vague idea of the how differently chakra levels should feel based on standard shinobi rankings. If he had deduced correctly, this was a B-Ranked ninja. The same rank as Masquerade. What were the odds? Needless to say, Masquerade was feeling rather anxious, theorizing that this shinobi might have come here in search of him. Was he a Village Shinobi, here to “bring Masquerade to justice”? It was hard to say. The shinobi did not seem to have noticed Masquerade’s presence in the diner; the masked Nukenin was seated in a corner of the room at the edge of the counter, and likely to be missed amongst the crowd with a brief glance. Still, no reason to let his guard down and assume that he was safe; even if the black-haired youth just seemed to have come here for food, he could still be a threat in disguise.
As he scrutinized the male, Masquerade searched for any sign that might tell him which village he hailed from. However, from his position, he could not spot any informative symbols, whether on a forehead protector or in the form of a marking on his clothing or body. As he searched for an illuminating sign, the thought occurred that this shinobi might not be from a village at all. Perhaps he was a Nukenin, just like Masquerade? Village Shinobi did tend to make a habit of strutting around and practically broadcasting which village they were from; Nukenin, not so much. If this individual was a Nukenin, there was an easy way to find out. Casually, Masquerade’s hand slid under the table and reached into his ninja pouch, pulling out a slightly tattered and bent book. Keeping his face pointed in the same direction as before, Masquerade shifted his eyes down as he opened the book in his hands under the counter, out of sight from the other customers, and flipped through the pages swiftly. To anyone that was looking, it would seem that he was continuing to stare at his glass of milk like he had been for the past few minutes. One of the advantages of having a mask covering his eyes.
Well, well. “What are the odds?”, indeed. The mental words were coated in amusement as the blonde quickly scanned the information listed on the page. Closing the book and pocketing it, Masquerade raised his gaze from his lap to the other shinobi in the room - the other Teinei in the room. Akira Tenshi, eh? Masquerade had never heard of him, but there were hundreds of ninja in the world. It was unlikely that he would ever know all of their names and identities. But back to the matter at hand: the youth before him matched the physical description and image of the one in the Masquerade’s Bingo Book. This “Akira Tenshi” was a fellow Nukenin. Well, “fellow” was a rather loose term. Rogues were not always safer to be around than Village Ninja. Both were equally likely to stab you in the back, just for different reasons. That being said, Masquerade had not met a lot of Nukenin so far, so he was quite interested to see how each varied from the other. Call him nosy, but Masquerade would not say no to finding out what made a shinobi go rogue and abandon his village - or, if it was similar to his own, why they chose not to join a Shinobi Village. He knew what his reasons were for being a Nukenin. What were the others’?
Hmm. Why not? Picking up his untouched drink, Masquerade rose to his feet and calmly walked over to where Akira Tenshi was. He reached the darker-haired youth just as his order arrived, and sidled up to stand beside him. Looking directly ahead of himself, Masquerade allowed a smirk to slip onto his mouth as he took a sip from of milk and remarked to the other Teinei, “Orange juice and dango? Rather a sugary combination, don’t you think?” The statement was delivered casually, with no hostile intentions apparent in his tone or body language. How this shinobi would react to Masquerade’s attempt at conversation was to be seen. Whether it was a violent backlash or a peaceful reply, Masquerade was ready and watchful for a response.
---------------------------------------- - Special Characteristics Used:
Name: Sensor Ninja
Rank: B
Type: Chakra
Physical Requirements: N/A
Training Requirements: A 1200 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The ninja awakens a dormant talent they've possessed and develops a new type of sensory. Now being classified as a "Sensor Ninja" the ninja is capable of detecting the presence of other people through their chakra. A sensor can detect their targets from a great distance which can extend 100m, as well as differentiate the characters by their signature chakra alone. They can pin-point any individual within their sensory limit even if they are surrounded in a crowd and even locate other sensor ninja. A sensor can determine a person’s location, chakra capacity, chakra type, and even emotions when in a locating position.
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| | | | Søren
Posts : 1187
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Mon 14 Oct 2013, 9:48 pm | |
| It was raining quite heavily now, Tenshi could not wait to finally get into those hot tubs. The quicker his food came the less time he had to wait. Hopefully this would not take too long. Every five minutes taken he would kill a member of this room. Some may call this too far, he would say otherwise. Starting to drum his fingers on the table he started to contemplate life. Often would he do this when he was alone. Which was most of the time. A man could get awfully lonely living his own. Maybe some day soon he could get someone to live with him. If not a man then a beast, a monster from the depths of hell. When he said this he just meant a deadly animal. Maybe a lion or tiger something that could rip people to shreds at a command. It did not matter whether it was pet or summon, anything would do. It would probably not be hard to achieve. Then again he had to find someone that could how him the secret of summoning jutsu. That could be one of his goals for the coming months, get an animal companion. For one of the first times in his life the Nukenin had made an achievable goal. He was proud of himself.
Outstretching his arms above his head the man yawned loudly. It attracted the attention of a few people around him but after a, ”what are you looking at?” They all swiftly went back to their own conversation. Tenshi wrapped his hands around the hilt of his dagger. It’s cool, smooth metal felt good against his fingers. It was unlikely that he was going to need it, however it would be good for peace of mind. If a fight broke out, - which it hopefully would - his jutsu were not strong enough to kill. So this small blade would have to do the trick. Either way it was highly unlikely that anything of that nature would in fact start. Looking down at his attire the Tenei suddenly realised how bland it actually was. He knew that he was meant to be being inconspicuous but he could not help the feeling that this was too much. Always had he been one for fancy and rich looking clothes. Often would people back in Kumo say that he had a good eye for fashion. Not a particular attribute that he was fond of, it did sound quite feminine. But then again it was not his fault, it was just the way he had been made. That and some particularly nasty habits.
The fact that he had not brought a book to read. But he had not really planned ahead, rarely did he ever do so. Sitting at this bar would have been a good time to get some pages finished. Still he knew that it would only take a while until he was bored with it. Such was a shame really, to be in the middle of a good book that you know you will get bored with quickly. At a time such as this there was not much to do, unless of course you had company. But Akira Tenshi was not graced with this virtue. One day he would though, on a day when he was so feared people would be forced to. He dreamt that the day would come where he was the most feared person in all the lands. ’A king must be respected, not only feared. He thought to himself. This respect would come through killing the most powerful of ninja. If you kill a tyrannical master, does that make you a champion to the people? Well of course it would until you turned on them. This was what he would do, someday. Still he would have to find someone, as soon as one of the leaders of a hidden village was hated, he would be there. First in line to make sure that their head was on a stick. Then, once this had been done and he was adored by the people, they would suffer his reign.
Five minutes had passed since his order had been put through. That meant that the barkeep would have to be punished. ”Did I, or did I not tell you to make my order quick?” He would roar as he smashed his face into the bar. Letting a torrent of blood gush from his face so that it flowed across the canteen floor. It would send a warning to everyone else in the village that he was a force to be reckoned with. Even though it would attract a lot of attention and he would probably have to leave before getting to try out the hot springs. It would not have been his fault if he did, the bar tender would be completely to blame. As he had not brought his order quick enough. Still it was probably best if he did not, after all it would be a shame to waste such a marvelous chance to go swimming. He would wait and see how much longer his food would take to arrive, then he would decide once and for all whether to take action. Pushing away the stool he got up. Hopefully his food would be there by the time he got back.
A sign to the toilets were to his left. So that was where he would go, after a few large strides he reached the door. Inside was marble white flooring, there was an overly sickly smell of disinfectant. After relieving himself the black haired man rinsed his hands under some ice cold water and strolled back out to the bar. To his dismay his food was still not there. It should not take that long to pour some orange juice into a glass and add a bit of ice. Clearly on this day it would, maybe he should follow the owner back to his house and put a horse head in his bed. Although that would be nearly impossible as he did not have a horse. Even if he did he would not waste it on revenge, it would be used for getting him to his destinations at higher speed than he was able to travel at. Perhaps a horse would be sufficient company, he was aware that many young rich girls grew very attached to theirs. However a horse was not much good for protection, but it could kick someone. He would have to look into it.
Once he had pulled out his stool and sat down a he caught a strange thing from out the corner of his eye. Continuing to look forward the image looked like a white blob, but as it grew nearer and nearer it began to take the form of a man. Still did he not bother to turn his head. It was not until the person was about to pull a stool up next to him did he turn his head. A boy, possibly younger than himself was just about to perched himself on the seat next to him. He was dressed in strange attire, too strange to be a normal person. The guy was either a shinobi or a loon Tenshi decided. He wore a long flowing white coat and his hair stuck up in a mass of blond spikes. With mirrored shades with a blue tint the guy was an odd sight. He had no idea what this person wanted or what he was coming over for. But if his presumption about the guy being a shinobi was correct, he may have been recognised. If this was the case it was probably best to take out the knife. As he was sitting down it was hard to size up the newcomer. Although he seemed to be somewhat thin.
It was now the time when his food decided to turn up. ”Well it’s about time.” The Nukenin growled in a low tone of voice. His new ‘friend’ had a drink of his own, a tall glass of milk which looked like not even a sip had been taken from. Breathing in the tangy, sweet smell of the juice he smiled to himself. ‘Truly this was the best smell in the world.” He thought, then the new one decided to open his mouth. “Orange juice and dango? Rather a sugary combination, don’t you think?” Who was this guy? And why couldn’t he just go away. ”What is it to you?” Tenshi made his dagger visible. To any normal person this would send the signal to leave. With his other free hand he popped a dango into his mouth and washed it down with a sip of orange juice. ”Wow, I must say that is some of the nicest dango I have had in a long time.” Relieving his grip on the hooded jumper it slid back over the blade. ”Waiter, bring me a beer and quickly this time, unless you value your life.” The bartender started to say something about identification and proof of age. But Tenshi swiftly cut him off. ”I don’t care about ID and neither should you if you know what’s good for you, just hurry the hell up.”
Last edited by Chronical on Fri 18 Oct 2013, 7:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
| | | | Ulkira
Age : 31
Posts : 1836
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Fri 18 Oct 2013, 2:03 am | |
| Aggressive. Challenging. Self-confident. Irascible. These were the initial impressions that Masquerade had formed of the male based on his mannerisms thus far. From the way he spoke, it was apparent that Tenshi did not appreciate Masquerade’s attempt at conversation. He had replied in an almost angered tone to Masquerade’s comment about his order, as if Masquerade was intruding on his leisurely time; and he most likely was, that much Masquerade was willing to admit. He himself would be lying if he said that he enjoyed people trying to disturb him when he was occupied in his own business. After all, a very similar situation had occurred this very morning, and was the reason why Masquerade currently sat in this diner. The irony of the situation, that Masquerade would be doing the very action that had irked him just a few hours ago. No, not irony; hypocrisy was probably the better word.
Whatever the case, the major difference here was how the irritated party displayed his, well, irritation. While Masquerade would normally have just ignored any annoying guests from the start (a popular course of action), this shinobi had decided to go with the equally preferred response of intimidation. Masquerade had to admit, not many people he had run into thus far had tried to scare him by covertly drawing focus to a weapon they had hidden on their person. Such a tactic would have worked, if Masquerade had not been the sort to be scared of a fight. Yes, he was more inclined to avoid a scuffle altogether, but if forced into one, he would not be averse to defending himself. He was, after all, a shinobi, and this Tenshi person should have deduced as such by now. Or at the very least, he ought to suspect it. He had not shown any indication that he did, though. In any case, Masquerade was not going to run off just because someone flashed a dagger at him threateningly. Not yet, anyway.
Following Tenshi’s demand for a beer and the proceeding threat, the attendant paused for a moment, before giving a reluctant nod and heading off to fetch Tenshi’s drink. Perhaps it had to do with the chilling tone that Tenshi had used to indicate that he was dead serious about his threat, or maybe the staff here was just lax about serving alcohol to minors. Whatever the case, Masquerade was quite surprised that the waiter had not taken any disciplinary action in response to Tenshi’s aggressive words. He would have expected the dark-haired male’s belligerence to be taken as grounds for expulsion. Luckily for Tenshi, he had not been told to leave the building, which was probably fortunate for the waiter as well; Masquerade highly doubted the attendant would have walked away without suffering Tenshi’s wrath. The Nukenin seated beside Masquerade seemed to be of the temperament that was exceptionally eager to draw out the blood of others. Over the years, Masquerade had met several people, usually of the immoral disposition, who were all too willing to harm or kill another, just to sate their bloodthirstiness. Such people were the ones that often drew attention to themselves, due to their tendency to go around attacking others physically, verbally, or both. Masquerade knew he did not fit into this overall category; the question that briefly flashed through his mind was whether the rogue ninja beside him did. It was too early to say for sure.
For a moment, Masquerade recalled that time when he had first travelled to Hi no Kuni. Not long after entering the country’s borders, he had met another Nukenin, though he had been deceived by the forehead protector that the rouge had been wearing. For a while, he had thought the woman had been a Kumogakure shinobi; eventually, he had figured out the truth. There was no point in making this situation a repeat of that. Since being snubbed by Tenshi, Masquerade had not said another word or moved from his seat, having been content with simply sitting there and evaluating the individual beside him. Now, Masquerade finally made a move, pulling out his Bingo Book once more and opening it under the counter, once again keeping it hidden from the surrounding customers. Due to his close proximity with Masquerade, Tenshi should have no difficulty noticing this action, though he should not be able to see the contents of the book from his angle. Wordlessly, Masquerade would flip through the small book, stopping at one page to bookmark it with a finger, and then flipping to another and bookmarking it in the same manner. Once he was done, the masked shinobi would lean back slightly and tilt the book under the counter towards Tenshi, allowing him a clear view of the contents on the page. If the dark-haired youth had not been paying attention before, he certainly would be now.
With a knowing expression that was surprisingly easy to read in spite of his mask, Masquerade silently showed Tenshi the page with the former’s profile on it. Masquerade kept the page open long enough for Tenshi to be able to read his name and rank, before he flipped to the other page he had bookmarked - the one detailing Tenshi. With that, Masquerade just as casually returned the book to its storage spot. By showing his own profile, he had informed Tenshi (if he did not know already) that Masquerade was Nukenin just like him; by turning to Tenshi’s profile, Masquerade had revealed that he knew the taller male’s identity. It was a simple, discreet way of revealing both shinobi’s identities; surely safer than saying it out loud and risking someone hearing them. There was no hostility in how Masquerade had gone about this, and there was no such air to his behavior as he looked over expectantly at the rogue. Why had he exposed himself to another shinobi, when it was clearly unwise to do so? Why was he continuing to converse with a person who had just threatened him with a weapon, and would probably keep good on his promise? Even Masquerade was not completely sure why. Maybe because he wanted to see how the youth would react to these developments? Probably. He was rather interested in seeing what his reaction would be, to be honest.
“So then, I hope we can be a little more civil with each other?” Masquerade remarked in a drawling manner to the other shinobi, mouth curled in a knowledgeable smile. “I can assure you that I mean you know harm. I simply felt the need to converse with someone in a similar… “position” as myself. As for my earlier comment about your order… I meant no disrespect. I was merely making an observation. Really, I’m not in a position to mock someone for their dining choices, am I?” He held up the glass of milk pointedly. If anything, it was stranger for someone to order a simple glass of milk at an eatery than anything else; especially at a place like this, where they did not even serve milk. They had milkshakes and the like, but not plain milk. Only after insisting repeatedly for it had he gotten the waiter to bring him some. Perhaps the staff here was lax with these kinds of things.
And speaking of the staff, the waiter from before had just returned, and far rapidly than before. Clearly, Tenshi’s “persuasive” words had given the waiter the incentive he needed to speed up service. After Tenshi’s drink was placed in front of him and the waiter left to handle another customer, Masquerade raised his own glass and took a sip of its liquid contents. “Isn’t it nice when people can so sensibly see reason?” Smirking, the masked one set his glass down and placed his gloved hands on the countertop, thin fingers clasped together. “So, are you a resident of this fine nation? Or a tourist? Or maybe you’re here for “business” reasons?” By business reasons, he of course meant activities of the law-breaking nature. However, he had not asked the question in an attempt to learn the reason why this Nukenin was here, or even as a means of learning more about a possible job. It was simply a way to start a conversation. Nothing more. |
| | | | Søren
Posts : 1187
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Sat 19 Oct 2013, 4:58 pm | |
| While his beer was being prepared he glanced again at the new comer. He was truly an odd sight, hopefully he was only here to order a drink. Then again his current drink - milk - was untouched. The fact that he was unable to see his eyes was rather eerie. You often based a lot on a person’s eyes. As it was the eyes that showed most emotions, a person wearing tinted glasses were often hard to talk to. This was because it was hard to understand and empathise them. Not that Tenshi would often get the opportunity to talk to people anyway. So he would have to decide whether he was a friend or foe from what he said in the coming minutes. The way he was dressed was rather odd, mainly the glasses though. He began to wonder what lay behind them. Each lens was rather unconventional, covering half his face. It had been rather startling to have this man walk over to him in such a swift manner.
Popping another dango into his mouth and chewing it slowly he let the flavour burst in his mouth. Perhaps he should apologise to the bar tender and congratulate him on the quality of his food. Although it had been rather annoying having to wait for such a length of time. In fact it had not been that long, perhaps he had over reacted somewhat. It probably had made a bad first impression on this new comer. What if he did not want to make a good impression on this man? What if he was an enemy, a bounty hunter sent to bring him in by Kumogakure? Not that his bounty would be particularly high, this would change soon. He had a right to be suspicious of this guy to his left, he would just have to wait and see. Tenshi was determined to wait it out, not just leave now. The possibilities were, he could make a new ‘friend’, add to his body count or get brought back to Kumo kicking and screaming. The good things out numbered the bad things, he liked those odds.
A delicious alcoholic beverage was placed before him by a frightened looking male. He ordered a second one, just because why not? After deciding against apologising he nodded and put the glass to his lips. Taking two large gulps, the guy with the strange hair reached into his pocket. His reading habits did not concern the black haired Tenei Nukenin. After draining the orange juice he ate another dango. This did not seem to satisfy his hunger so he ordered some sushi. Maguro to be precise, there was something about the purple slabs that had made him fall in love with the sea. Still they did not compare with orange juice. This time, when he ordered the food it did not come with a threat. After all if they made sushi like they made dango the threat was not needed. If it was then he would truly be in heaven. ”You should really order some dango, it is divine.” He said to the figure on his left. But he did not respond, the man was flicking through his book apparently trying to find something. It was easy to make out what the book was about as the reader had positioned himself out of the way, it was a list of profiles. But he could not say that he recognised the book, the profiles were probably something to do with royalty or something. Maybe he was in the presence of a member of a daimyo’s son and he wanted to make the nineteen year old bow before him. After quickly draining his beer bottle and giving it to the man behind the counter he looked up. It was clear that he had caught the attention of many people. As when he cast his eyes around the room many people looked up at him. He was getting clocked by many people. Clearly they thought that he might start a fight.
Half a minute passed until strange hair-coat man offered his book to the Akira. It was a page on the man, probably he was just trying to show off about how rich he was or something. He probably did this on regular basis to any random person that he met in a bar. Well he might as well read it, not that he cared in the slightest. It soon became apparent that his previous thought was wrong, this was a bingo book. A book of dangerous shinobi and there was the man before him. Murasami Kai, Tenei, seven tails jinchuuriki. So not only was he a Nukenin, same rank as Tenshi but he was also hosting one of the most powerful forces in the know world. The black haired Tenei was impressed. Respect was earned, not given and in this short amount of time Murasami Kai had earned his respect. Then he flipped onto a similar page. Akira Tenshi, Tenei, missing from the hidden village of Kumogakure. It was odd, he could not remember seeing a village for Kai. Nodding slowly Tenshi straitened up and stood tall on his chair. Maybe this was going to be an interesting day after all.
” “So then, I hope we can be a little more civil with each other? I can assure you that I mean you know harm. I simply felt the need to converse with someone in a similar… “position” as myself. As for my earlier comment about your order… I meant no disrespect. I was merely making an observation. Really, I’m not in a position to mock someone for their dining choices, am I?” Holding up the milk once he had finished. ”Well I must say that I did not expect to meet another Nukenin. Forgive me for the way I acted before I was unaware. Do not worry, I took no offense, would you care for something? I guess not seeing as you have barely touched your milk. Good choice by the way.” He said with a smile. His moods were unpredictable and he was sure that Kai would be taken aback by his sudden friendliness. Another beer was placed before him, this time he thanked the man. After all, it was kind of him so serve the nineteen year old. “Isn’t it nice when people can so sensibly see reason?” He had clearly not seen the other beer as he had been finding his profile. “So, are you a resident of this fine nation? Or a tourist? Or maybe you’re here for “business” reasons?” Tenshi laughed this guy was a rather interesting character. ”I agree, sometimes you have to be aggressive to get your way. Well no not exactly, as you probably saw from my section in your book I come from Kumogakure. I am currently living in a much smaller nation than that but not this one. I came because quite honestly, I wanted to take a dip in the hot springs. However, after this I am to move on to the Ta no Kuni on ‘business’ and yourself? As a rather experienced Nukenin I daresay that you do not live here. Oh where are my manners? It is a pleasure to meet you.” He offered out his hand
Taking a few sips of beer he turned back to the bar as his sushi had just arrived. They came in two rows of six with thinly sliced cucumber on the left side of the plate. Two wooden chopsticks were on the plate already. Snapping them apart Tenshi started, he doubted that his fellow Nukenin would mind. It was not as nice as he had previously hoped but still it was good. He finished them all in under a minute. More would be good but he did not want to end up paying a fortune. ”Would you care for something to eat Murasami Kai? Tell me a bit about yourself.” Not waiting for him to start he drained the beer quickly and sat so that he was facing the other man. He could still not get over what he looked like, especially the glasses. Maybe he could ask him to remove them as it was weird talking to someone when you could not see their eyes. |
| | | | Ulkira
Age : 31
Posts : 1836
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Sun 27 Oct 2013, 2:34 am | |
| Well, I’ll be darned. Nothing but the most amused of expressions could be seen on the masked face. This Teinei before him was a rather interesting individual, in that his behavior seemed slightly unpredictable. As Tenshi had surmised, Masquerade was indeed surprised by the sudden show of affability. Masquerade would not have guessed that someone who had just demonstrated such aggression could, seemingly with a figurative wave of his hand, turn into a pleasant, civilized person. It was almost uncanny to see the change, or at least to Masquerade. He had been expecting further hostility from Tenshi, maybe because of cautiousness or suspicion. Hell, the masked Nukenin had even been prepared mentally and physically to react to an unwelcoming response; if the Nukenin had attacked him, Masquerade might have done something like kick the other’s stool out from under him, or maybe toss the glass of milk at his face. Whatever would have seemed more fitting. He did not have to resort to any measure as cheap as that, for Tenshi was being pleasing cooperative. It was nice to meet someone of a criminal mindset who was not inclined to carving up anyone who tried to speak to them. Masquerade had sought a casual conversation with this shinobi, and it seemed he was willing to oblige. Very fortunate.
Masquerade had more or less asked Tenshi what he was doing in Yu no Kuni, and the boy had been kind enough to grace him with an answer to his question; along with a bit more information. While originally from Kumogakure, Tenshi was not a resident of that area anymore, an obvious fact, given his status as a Nukenin; presently, he lived in another land, one he chose not to disclose the name of. Masquerade did not press for any further details on this matter, able to appreciate the desire for secrecy. One shouldn’t tell strangers where they lived, correct? That was one of the many life lessons that a child was taught, after all. One could, perhaps, mention why they had come to their current destination, which was what Tenshi had shared with the other shinobi. As Masquerade had deduced, the black-haired youth was in fact here for recreational purposes, just like so many other visitors to this nation. “A dip in the hot springs”… He wondered for a moment if he ought to actually give such an activity a try, even if he was adverse to the idea of relaxing in an area frequented by the public. No, definitely not. How was he supposed to relax when he was surrounded by an abundance of strangers, any of whom could turn into a potential threat? No rest for the paranoid, it seemed. Plus, he’d overheard far too many bar-side stories about what commonly happened in hot springs. The last thing he wanted was for his R&R to be interrupted by someone giving in to their hormonal tendencies. Damned perverts.
Thankfully, he did not have the chance to dwell further on this matter, for Tenshi had gone on to elaborate that, following his vacation in Yu no Kuni, he would be departing to Ta no Kuni for some work - or “business”. A query was then directed to the masked shinobi, in which the darker-haired one asked what the blonde’s plans were. Along with this, Tenshi was probably asking for the same information from Masquerade that he had just shared himself. Before an answer could be given, Tenshi recalled that he had overlooked etiquette, and sought to correct it forthwith: the black-clad Teinei held out his hand for the white-coated Nukenin to shake. The masked Nukenin did as much, grasping the other’s hand and completing the gesture.
“Likewise,” Masquerade said cordially, in response to Tenshi’s greeting. Naturally, the next step was for Masquerade to reply to Tenshi’s question, but for a moment he could not really think of a suitable answer. What were his plans? He had no idea. He had not thought about what he was going to do, or where he was going to go, once he had spent his time in Yu no Kuni. He was not an explorer; he had no desire to go visit any particular lands for scenic views, memories, or new experiences. He was a little bland in that regard. Really, the only reason that might persuade him to go visit another country would be if he heard of a job opportunity there. At the moment, nothing appealing had reached his ears, so he had thus far stayed put in this nation. He had indeed received word of some open requests in Ta no Kuni, and was certain that Tenshi’s chosen job was one that he had already heard of. However, as stated already, he had no interest in the jobs he had heard of so far. But his pickiness would not last long: as soon as he began to run low on money, he would be willing to accept any mission he could take. That was how his life worked. That was how he made his life work.
As it happened, Masquerade did not say anything, remaining silent as more food had arrived for Tenshi and drew the latter’s attention for a moment. The meal was a plate of what Masquerade identified to be sushi, but could not say anything more about it. His knowledge of food and drink was not very comprehensive. He saw eating as more of a necessity in life for survival than a form of enjoyment. Sure, he could appreciate a good meal, but it was rare for him to actively seek out food for the sake of pleasure. He had seen enough of pleasure derived from eating from his Summon: watching the bloodthirsty hyena constantly lusting after his next meal always killed the Nukenin’s appetite. Just thinking about that animal right now made his hunger disappear. His fellow Nukenin, however, seemed to still be hungry, as he wolfed down the fatty slices of fish so fast that his chopsticks were a blur. Masquerade could not help but give a soft chuckle at the sight, smirking in amusement as he witnessed the bottomless pit of a gut that this boy appeared to possess. The amused grin remained on his face even as Tenshi continued speaking, asking Masquerade if he wanted something to eat, before wishing to know more about the blonde. Or rather, he asked “Murasami Kai”.
The Jinchuuriki was lucky that his mask had opaque visors; otherwise, Tenshi would have noticed the sudden twitch of his right eye. It had only been for a second, and would go unnoticed since the rest of Masquerade’s visible face maintained its amused appearance. Keeping a cool composure, the Nukenin calmly stated, “I prefer being called “Masquerade”.” A gloved hand rose to his face to meaningfully tap a thin finger against the rim of his mask. “Seems more fitting, wouldn’t you say?” Though he had done an excellent job at concealing it, Masquerade would have to admit that he was quite annoyed that Tenshi had referred to him by his real name. Well, that was not technically his real name either, since that classification would belong to his birth name. However, the Nukenin did not know what his birth name was, so he had settled with the name he had been given by his orphanage. Why he preferred to be called by his alias was anyone’s guess. It could have to do with the fact that the blonde hated his orphanage, and therefore would hate the name he had been given by it. But that would be too cliché, wouldn’t it? In any case, Masquerade hoped that Tenshi would get the message and address him in the “correct” way. If he did not, well, Masquerade would not walk away, or treat him harshly; he just wouldn’t be pleased with it is all.
With that matter out of the way, it was now time to address more “pressing” issues. “So, you want me to talk about myself? Hmm, where to start…” Leaning forward, he propped up his elbows on the counter and pressed the tips of his splayed fingers together.
“Are you really going to tell another person about yourself? That’s not like you at all, Kai. You’re usually far too distrusting to do that.” The echo of the Shichibi’s voice in Masquerade’s mind yielded no outward reaction from the blonde. He had long since gotten used to the Bijuu randomly speaking up to him, and had already taught himself to communicate with her without it affecting his actions in the real world. Indeed, time had pretty much come to a halt for Masquerade as the Shichibi spoke to him, and the grin on his face widened in his mind as he heard her words.
Oh come now, Shichibi. There’s no reason for me to be so secretive around this boy. He’s already shown that he bears no ill will, and I have no reason to be antagonistic towards him. This is just a friendly conversation between two people who could try to kill each other at a moment’s notice. No reason to be so paranoid. I’m just trying to be a little more social, is all. No harm in that.
The Shichibi sighed audibly, and Masquerade envisioned a metaphorical roll of her eight eyes at her host. “Tch! Fine. Do whatever you want. I’ll be here laughing when it all blows up in your face.”
You’re concern is appreciated, he replied sarcastically. With that, the Shichibi lapsed back into silence, and Masquerade was able to focus on the matter at hand. Yes, he was going to answer Tenshi’s question, because it would be silly of him to refuse to do so, seeing as the masked male was the one who started this conversation in the first place. An entire second had passed since Masquerade had spoken his last verbal words; now, he began to speak in a drawling voice to the ex-Kumo ninja. “Well, obviously I am in the same profession as you, Akira Tenshi, and of the same… standing, as well. You were correct in deducing that I do not live here. I, too, am just a visitor, though I do not have any actual place I call home. I am more of a wanderer; a nomad, you could say.” Another gentle laugh issued from his smugly smirking mouth. “Then again, people like us are not really the type to settle down, are we? We prefer being free more than being chained to something.”
Through a window behind the two shinobi, a single shaft of golden light broke through the dimness and bathed the wooden floor in its glow. Slowly, the beam was widening, and the background melody of rainfall was beginning to weaken. The storm was passing, the weather was clearing; however, Masquerade did not noticed this. He was busy conversing with the other Teinei. Masquerade turned his head a little to look sideways at Tenshi, a curious expression visible on his features. “I’ll be honest, Akira Tenshi: I have not met many Nukenin, both overall and lately. In fact, I think the last Nukenin I encountered was one who had been assigned to work with me on a mission. She had laudable skill, but was too… sentimental for her own good; so much so, that she almost jeopardized the whole mission.” The Nukenin’s attention was diverted to his hands at this point, where his fingers had clenched slightly to show his agitation. A significant sourness could be heard in his tone as he spoke of this, implying how poorly he thought of the Nukenin he was referencing. The grimace on his face only made his thoughts clearer on the matter. “However, I have to admit that I do wonder how and why someone of her temperament would become a Nukenin. I’m sure it would have been quite the interesting tale.” The aggravation transformed back into amusement as Masquerade looked back at Tenshi; at this point, it would not be strange for Tenshi to think that the blonde was bipolar, erroneous though that belief may be.
“That brings me to a question I’ve been meaning to ask you, Akira Tenshi. If you would not mind telling me, what was your reason for abandoning your village? What made you come to the decision - to the realization - that the life of a rogue ninja was more fitting for you? I read in your profile that you have penchant for killing. Tell me: what is the allure in taking people’s lives?” One did not need a high IQ to tell that Masquerade was genuinely interested in knowing the answers to these questions. He was not asking them as a means to mock or insult the youth, but because he sincerely wished to know what reasons this shinobi had for living his life the way he did. Call it strange, but he was interested in knowing these kinds of things.
“Very smart. Ask the homicidal sociopath why he loves to kill people.” |
| | | | Søren
Posts : 1187
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Tue 29 Oct 2013, 11:32 am | |
| While he waited for a response to his first question Tenshi turned back to the bar. This was going to be an interesting conversation. Sooner or later they would probably end up talking about their experiences in the field. At the moment he had none, which Kai would soon find out. That would be embarrassing, but he was sure his opposite man would understand. Hopefully he would not turn out to be some sort of insane assassin that had slain over one thousand people. Which would make the black haired Nukenin depressed. But what if he killed him, then he would be known as the man who killed a dangerous Nukenin. This was if he had actually done anything cool. If not he was just another hopeful Nukenin like himself. Hopefully he would someday get to fight this man, or go on a mission with him. This would be immensely enjoyable. To fight someone of the same rank as him but most likely to be a considerable lot stronger than he is. Perhaps he would be able to fight him today. But first all he wanted to do was eat and go swimming. As soon as he had done this they would fight. Perhaps he could invite this man out to the hot springs.
He realised that he did not know too much about this person. Whereas he had told him some information already. This may change but he could understand the man’s situation. Maybe had a troubled background. Or he just did not want to talk and give away information. This was completely understandable. Normally he would not have given away information to anyway. But since this Nukenin was like him he had felt obliged to. It was a shame that he could not find out more about the person in front of him. Still, there was time for things to be revealed. Soon he would most likely leave. The day was getting older and the Nukenin wished to swim badly. Such fun could be found in the hot waters of a spring. Having only ever been to one he was looking forward to trying one out in a country named after the pools. Once these topics of conversation had run their course he would leave. Speaking of course perhaps he would be able to eat a few more pieces of food. But he was unable to think of what. Plucking a menu from the side of the bar he looked. Finally he settled on some barbecue crisps and bacon. The breakfast of champions.
Soon he would be on his way to the Rice Field Country. It was almost impossible for him to hide his excitement. After all this time of hiding it the shadows he would in ally be set free. With the perfect opportunity to show the world how dangerous he was and could become. From there he was already considering moving on to somewhere else. Not going home but continuing on a journey. The coming few months would be a perfect time to have an adventure. With every place visited he would be able to cross one off his list. It had been one of Tenshi’s life goals to visit every country in the known world. Easier said than done, but he should be able to do it. With plenty of time and no village that he was tied to it would be easier for him to do it than many others. However the quicker it took him to do the more time he would have to pursue other ambitions. Almost all of his current ideas were almost impossible, or extremely difficult to accomplish. For what he planned to do the Nukenin would need to focus on many things. It was in this time that he had another idea of what he planned. To kill one person in each and every country. No one in the Hot Springs at this time, but in the future.
“I prefer being called “Masquerade. Seems more fitting, wouldn’t you say?” He said while tapping the blue glass that covered his face. Tenshi nodded. ”Yeah, I guess so. Sorry Masquerade, must admit that is a cool alias.” Hopefully by the time he reached a certain rank he would be known as something like that. The shinobi already had a nickname ‘The Dragon Slayer’. It was cool and all but not catchy enough. Eventually he would get to the stage where he did not need to make up one. The people would have their say and decide a fitting name for him. But it in order for this to happen he would have to get on with some work. With increased infamy he would gain a nickname. Something terrifying that would go in the global bingo book, like the one Masquerade had. Finally, when this happened he would consider himself to be famous with infamy. ” So, you want me to talk about myself? Hmm, where to start…” Then his voice trailed off. It was at this time that the Tenei next to him appeared to be lost in his own little fantasy, talking to himself or a voice inside of him. Sooner or later he hoped that his new order would arrive. If this man was going to be like this for much longer he would need something to pass the time.
It was not too long until he came out of his inner conversation. When he opened his mouth the black haired tenshi turned to his new friend. Well, obviously I am in the same profession as you, Akira Tenshi, and of the same… standing, as well. You were correct in deducing that I do not live here. I, too, am just a visitor, though I do not have any actual place I call home. I am more of a wanderer; a nomad, you could say. Then again, people like us are not really the type to settle down, are we? We prefer being free more than being chained to something.”
”Well I suppose that is true. However over the past couple of years I have in fact been living somewhere. Only this has mainly been due to the fact that I have been waiting. Waiting for the day I can finally branch out. This day is coming soon.” He said with a malicious grin. Another fine example of his excitement showing through. ”It is a fine place, no one a part from me knows about it. Also if I ever felt like move I could do it easily.” From what he could tell it seemed like he was the more violent of the two Nukenin. That or the other was with holding important information.
Turning his attention back to the man’s nickname Tenshi could not help but wonder where it had come from. No doubt an interesting alias like that would have its roots. Maybe he would be able to find out at a letter point today. Although it had better be soon as he planned on leaving to of to the hot springs once his hunger was satisfied. As soon as this was done he would be leaving. It was nice meeting someone like himself though. When this was over he would see if this man perhaps wanted to meet again. Having such a powerful ally would be useful. Especially if he ever got into any trouble. Doing the type of missions he was planning to do it was likely he would make many enemies. People such as daimyo and high ranking lords. With them came their armies of shinobi. Sometimes it was good to have a friend. As long as they were loyal they would be good. Perfect even, but he barely knew this Nukenin, o whether he could trust him. But with time came bonds.
Starting up again the blond Tenei said. “I’ll be honest, Akira Tenshi: I have not met many Nukenin, both overall and lately. In fact, I think the last Nukenin I encountered was one who had been assigned to work with me on a mission. She had laudable skill, but was too… sentimental for her own good; so much so, that she almost jeopardised the whole mission. However, I have to admit that I do wonder how and why someone of her temperament would become a Nukenin. I’m sure it would have been quite the interesting tale.” Tenshi could not say he fully understood what this man was talking about. After all he had never been on a mission with a fellow Nukenin. Only people from his old village, all of whom had been annoying to work with. Looking back on it he realised how much he hated them. Each and every one of them had gotten under his skin. ”Well I too am like you. In fact as far as I can remember I have never met a fellow Nukenin. And yes I completely understand, while I have never been on a mission with anyone like us everyone at my old village was like that. Well, at least everyone I had ever done anything with. Yes, I suppose there are not many people who are cut out for what we do.” With this he raised his glass. ”To men and women like us, to Nukenin.” With that he drained it.
“That brings me to a question I’ve been meaning to ask you, Akira Tenshi.” Masquerade started again. ”If you would not mind telling me, what was your reason for abandoning your village? What made you come to the decision - to the realisation - that the life of a rogue ninja was more fitting for you? I read in your profile that you have penchant for killing. Tell me: what is the allure in taking people’s lives?” Tenshi stopped to ponder these two questions. Scratching his chin he thought about what he could reply with. His reasons for leaving were strange ones. Not something that many people would understand so he would have to say it in the most basic ways. As for the latter question, it was hard to explain. He just found it fun. Now all he had to do was put this into words. ”Wow, those are two very big questions. Well, I suppose I had many reasons for leaving Kumogakure. It felt too small, I love the open world. I hated everyone there and taking orders were horrible. As well as this they would probably have stopped me from doing missions.” Tenshi paused for a second and straightened his T-shirt then started to grin. ’Because they had diagnosed me with Psycopathy they thought I was dangerous. Probably was to be fair. As for why I like taking people’s lives. I’m not sure exactly. But I suppose I like the feeling, the thrill you get while killing. I get excited at the site of blood I often crave it. On top of all of this I enjoy causing pain. It is quite hard to explain.”
There was a pause in the conversation while Tenshi’s new order of food arrived. It did not take him long to devour the bacon. Popping open the bag of crisps he offered a few to Masquerade. ”So now I have a question or two for you Masquerade. Why were you so interested? Also have you ever experience what it is like to kill anyone in cold blood? Not because you had to but because you wanted to.” he was sure that this question would result in an interesting answer. ”Also I saw something on your page. You possess the Shichibi, so I tell me this. What is it like to have such a powerful beast inside you and what are the perks? And how did you come into the possession of this creature? If you do not mind me asking.” Finishing off his crisps the Nukenin finally felt full. This meant that he would be leaving sometime soon. Moving back to look at his new friend. ”Listen I have enjoyed this. It has been fun meeting someone like me. You seem like a nice person, hopefully sometime we will meet again. But for now I have to leave. I don’t know how much longer I will be staying here for. I am sure in the future our paths will cross.” Looking outside he could see the light. It was no longer raining so it would be good to leave, just incase it started again. Pulling the stool out he payed the bar tender. He would not leave without paying as they may have charged Masquerade. Bidding his farewell Tenshi turned to leave. It would be a shame to leave behind a new friend. But he wanted to leave and go swimming. Any way there was no doubt that they would meet again sometime.
[Exit] |
| | | | Ulkira
Age : 31
Posts : 1836
| | Subject: Re: Chance Encounter [Private] Fri 01 Nov 2013, 11:50 pm | |
| A “cool” alias, huh? Masquerade had never considered this more favored title to be cool. He simply preferred being identified by it. Though, it might not be wrong to say that he considered his real name to be “Masquerade” rather than “Murasami Kai”. Certainly, his persistence that people address him with that moniker could imply as much. After all, even when he spoke to himself - mentally or verbally - the blonde Nukenin always called himself by his alias, and not his actual name. Odd indeed, but it was true. Did he do because he thought it sounded cooler? No. It was anyone’s guess exactly what his reasons were for others addressing him like that. Even Masquerade himself would not be able to give a legitimate answer. One could just say that he liked the sound of the title, and leave it at that. It was pretty ironic that he would take such a liking for the moniker, since its origins stemmed from a disparaging remark. Masquerade had not come up with his alias; someone else had for him. But that was a story for another time.
It was satisfying to know that Tenshi was willing to indulge Masquerade his strange preference. As Masquerade remarked earlier out loud, it was always nice when people saw reason. Only in this case there was no reason to be seen, but regardless! Tenshi had been kind enough to follow through Masquerade’s request, and had even offered him a compliment. How nice of him. Still, it did not mean he was overall a nice fellow. Rare was the existence of a truly “pure-hearted” shinobi. As flawed as humans were, shinobi were perhaps even more flawed. Everyone lied and deceived every now and then, but for shinobi, it was part of the job. Nukenin or not, every ninja had to dirty their hands with the more grievous acts of their profession. One could argue that all shinobi were criminals, irrespective of allegiances. But that argument would never hold strength. A wall had been constructed, one that divided the rogues from the officials; the barbaric from the civilized; the sick from the healthy. A social quarantine, in which one group’s actions caused the other to ostracize them. One side believed the other was too extreme; the latter thought the former too soft. A clash of opinions, a quarrel of ideals. In short, what made humans exactly what they were.
Once Masquerade had said his piece pertaining to his own residential standing, Tenshi opted to share some more information about his own life. He seemed to agree, albeit a little unsurely, that Nukenin did in fact favor a more wandering lifestyle than one anchored with responsibilities. Though, Tenshi did admit that for a number of years, he had been lying low in a secluded area, bidding his time until he could (as he put it) “branch out”. Hearing this, Masquerade had begun to wonder whether Tenshi had ever even done anything considered “criminal”, or even if he had the mindset to do so. “Begun” being the operative word here; as soon as Masquerade saw the toothy grin of malevolence, he knew that this boy had the perfect temperament for a rogue shinobi. As if it had not been obvious enough, what with his attitude to the waiter and the information on his Bingo Book profile, Tenshi was a person who thrived on violence and death. He would probably revel in mayhem and destruction; see peace as dull and chaos to be stimulating. These kinds of people were a danger that had to be watched out for, and Masquerade had an inkling that it would not take Tenshi long to transform into such a person - if he had not already done so. Honestly, if he has yet to become such a man, then I look forward to seeing how he is after the change. That should be quite interesting.
And speaking of interesting: Masquerade had at last gotten the answers he had needed. Why had Tenshi abandoned his village? He had found the village too confining, too controlling. He had sought freedom in the vast world beyond his hometown. The notion of taking orders had been displeasing to him, and his opinion of his fellow citizens had been poor. For the first part, Masquerade could sympathize, in that he also did not enjoy being bossed around by others. Loathing the people of his village, well, he could identify with that feeling in a way. He did not have a populace from a Shinobi Village to despise, as he had never been a part of one; however, he did hold a strong dislike of the small town he had grown up in, and the people who had inhabited it. Masquerade supposed he was similar to Tenshi in that regard. This did not make him empathize with the dark-haired youth anymore than before, though. Probably because of what Tenshi said next. The ex-Kumogakure ninja had suspected that, had he remained in his village, his superiors would have eventually debarred him from partaking in missions. The reason? Tenshi had been diagnosed with psychopathy. Upon hearing this, Masquerade placed a hand against his cheek, resting his face on the palm of the propped arm. Was he surprised to hear about this personality disorder? No. Truth be told, he had expected as much. After all, Tenshi had displayed all the signs of the disorder, or at least the ones that Masquerade was familiar with. He was no expert, but the masked Teinei would definitely have classified the other Teinei in the same way. After all, Masquerade had not disagreed when the Shichibi had called Tenshi a sociopath.
There was another query that Masquerade had posed, and that was why Tenshi found the aspect of killing to be so inviting. The answer was a little… disappointing, Masquerade would have to admit. Tenshi was not completely certain why he enjoyed this “activity” so much. He hypothesized that it had to do with a simple urge to inflict pain. He found the sight of blood spill to be pleasing, sounding almost addicted to it. Yes, addicted. Based on what he was saying, it sounded as if Tenshi saw killing as an addictive drug. He enjoyed it, and did it only for pleasure. A slight narrowing of green eyes behind opaque visors was Masquerade’s reaction to Tenshi’s overall response. Kill for the thrill? The Jinchuuriki could not understand that. Rogue shinobi though he may be, Masquerade was not someone who enjoyed taking other people’s lives. He was willing to do so when it was necessary, but only when it was necessary. There was no point in senselessly killing people - not to him, anyway. People were more useful alive than dead. Besides, when someone felt their life was in danger, they did crazy things; extreme things; things which could easily throw a wrench into any plans Masquerade might have formulated. A man who thought he was going to die would go to great lengths to prevent that fate. People feared death, and fear could make them act unpredictably. Masquerade could attest to that. He had had experience fearing for his life, and acting uncharacteristically. He knew full-well that, when the time came, people would be willing to do anything it took to survive.
As you said, Chuckles. Self-preservation is key...
Masquerade would take a sip of his milk as Tenshi’s latest meal arrived. Fried strips of pork and a bag of chips. Truly, this boy’s appetite was of proportions hitherto unseen to Masquerade. The blonde Nukenin could definitely not eat as much as the boy had done so far. Not even if he had been starving for days. It probably said something about Masquerade’s own appetite when he was taking so long to finish a glass of milk. He had only drunk about a third of it, and seemed unlikely to be finishing it anytime soon. Given his obvious desire for nourishment, it was no surprise that Masquerade declined Tenshi’s offer for some crisps, though he noted that it was rather polite of the boy to do so. One would think that someone like him would be less considering of others’ needs, correct?
It was now time for Masquerade to answer some questions. Good thing, too, for Masquerade felt he had asked everything he wanted to from Tenshi already. He had initially approached him to inquire about his reasons for defecting, along with why he enjoyed homicide. The answers, though not as satisfying as expected, had been given and accepted nonetheless. Now, Masquerade could not think of another piece of information that he could ask for from Tenshi. So, in order to keep the conversation going for a little while longer, it was fortunate that Tenshi had something to ask Masquerade. And the questions themselves were rather interesting ones. Firstly, Tenshi had asked why Masquerade had been so interested in him, and immediately followed that up by asking if Masquerade had ever killed someone. Not, as he proceeded to clarify, due to necessity, but because he had actually wanted to; in other words, Tenshi wished to know if Masquerade had ever killed anyone, simply for the reason that he wanted that person dead. And lastly, Tenshi asked the Jinchuuriki about his Bijuu. He wanted to know what it was like to be the host of such a powerful creature, along with any advantages it may present. To top it off, the concluding part was: how did Masquerade become a Jinchuuriki?
These were all good questions, and ones that deserved to be answered. “Why was I interested? Is it so strange for a Nukenin to want to know more about another?” The masked face sported a sly grin as these words were said, and a humorous tone was being adopted. “I merely wished to know what reasons you might have for being a Nukenin. That’s all. I mentioned a Nukenin earlier, remember? Her behavior had gotten me thinking: what could be the reasons and motives for a criminal’s actions? What made a Nukenin decide to be a Nukenin?” He smiled faintly to show that he was being sincere here, and not just spouting nonsense.
“As for whether I’ve ever killed someone in cold blood, well… I am afraid we differ in that regard, Akira Tenshi. You may see the act of killing as not requiring a reason, but I do not. I only take a life when I need to. That being said, though, I will admit that I have killed someone because I wished death upon them.” Who was he talking about? He was talking about his father, the man named Senju Yashin, who had been the one responsible for making his son a Jinchuuriki. In a fit of uncharacteristic rage (one augmented by the Shichibi’s power), Masquerade had gruesomely torn out his father’s heart from his chest. That had been the only time that Masquerade had killed someone because he had wanted to. Throughout his life as a Nukenin, he had met many people who he had ended up killing for some reason or the other. But none of those instances had been because he had wished for them to die. He had taken their lives because he had to, because success for the mission or such called for it. Did that make him a murderer? Yes. Did he regret it? Sometimes, it was hard to answer that.
Another question that was hard to answer? Anything and everything that was related to his Bijuu. It was not that he did not have the words to reply. Rather, it was that he did not want to reply. Talking about his Bijuu was something that Masquerade would rarely do, especially with someone he had just met, like Tenshi. He only spoke about the Shichibi with people he knew he could trust with that information, and the truth was, Masquerade was not sure if he could trust Akira Tenshi yet. He had only just met the boy, after all, and the opinion he had formed of his was of someone who it would be wise to keep your guard up around. The boy was a killer. One should not be so quick to trust a killer. “Do not take this personally, but I do not wish to discuss my “power” with you,” Masquerade muttered softly, his voice steady yet acerbic. “I hope you can understand when I say that some information is better withheld.”
Thankfully, Tenshi did not press for any more details. That was a good thing, for Masquerade was considering making an abrupt departure if the black-haired Nukenin continued to ask more questions about the Shichibi. The few questions he had already posed made the masked individual more wary and distrusting of him. Even now, Masquerade deliberated bringing this conversation to an end and leaving. He did not have to take the initiative here, though, because Tenshi had pretty much declared that it was time for him to go. No doubt having eaten his fill, the other Teinei probably wanted to get about with the other plans he had set for the day, such as the aforementioned “dip in the hot springs”. With the same friendly tone that he had been using with Masquerade, Tenshi bid the blonde a farewell, expressing a hope that the two might meet again in the future. Masquerade gave a small smile and nodded slightly in response, a gesture that said he hoped for the same as well. In truth, he did not particularly care if he ever met this Nukenin again, but it might not be so bad if he did. Time would tell. Bill paid and goodbyes given, Tenshi exited the diner out into the clearing weather. Masquerade watched the boy disappear through the door, before turning back to face the counter, and his drink. He lifted it to his mouth, and took one of the many sips that awaited him.
“Well, that was fun.”
You and I must have different definitions for the word.
----------------------------------------
[Topic Exit]
~ Topic Concluded ~ |
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