A Simple Change of Scenery [OPEN]

[Yōsuru Shin]

Yōsuru had not been in the Land of Fire for very long, but it was obvious the residents of Tonika Village knew he wasn't a local. His style of dress and mannerisms alone betrayed his national identity. Had he wanted to he could've disguised himself as a native Shinobi, probably been respected and well treated by the villagers here, but he had no reason to disguise his appearance. He wasn't here to collect information or engage in subterfuge. He was simply enjoying a pleasant holiday.

He had left some of his trusted Lieutenants in charge of the daily operations of the Shin clan whilst he was away. He told them he was going on a diplomatic mission but that wasn't exactly true. He simply wanted an excuse to relax and get away from all the bickering and arguing that had been plaguing his days since he became Clan Head. And so far he was debating not coming back at all. Especially not if all the Land of Fire had tea this delicious.

He gently sipped from the steaming cup. Ignoring the mixture of curious and annoyed stares that were being shot his way. He didn't return the attention with any of his own. He had killed many in the Land of Fire as he was sure there Shinobi had killed many in the Land of Wind. One thinly brokered peace wasn't going to change the pain that still dwelled within the hearts of many. It would be decades before those wounds fully healed, maybe longer, and that was if the peace held up.

He wondered how far he'd get through the country before he was asked to leave. How many sights he'd get to take in before the tensions became too much and he was escorted out. As he took another sip of tea he knew he was interested to find out.

WC: 313
TWC: 313

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 320 Chakra: 16

    Yosuru wasn't the only one sticking out like a sore thumb that day, but by this point the locals had at least seen Masshiro before and recognized his unique attire. The white hair, red eyes, and overly formal attire didn't make him stand out any less to be fair, and much like the first visit he was getting the same mixture of stares and completely averted gazes. He didn't look like a local, nor did he even look like a shinobi, but given how little he chose to get into proper combat, he felt no need to dress the part that was expected.

    Where the two finally diverged was the fact that he was here to gather information, but simply for himself this time. It was far more relaxing this visit as he took his time to look around and see all there was, not having to even bother with the locals. To his surprise, there was a tea shop of all places here in this small village, not taking a mining town for a place to have one, and clearly well taken care of given how nice it looked compared to some of the surrounding buildings. Entering and standing in the entrance looking over the entire inside, he breathed deeply, letting an impressed grin cover his face.

    He couldn't make a proper cup of tea to save his life, and the last time his uncle tried he swore he had brewed it in that forge with the rest of his metals, so when he wanted tea he had to go looking for it. Walking up to the countered he simply said "Matcha.", before founding a table with the only other person in the room that was as clearly not from around here as he was, and without asking simply sat across from them as his tea was brought over and sat in front of him, watching as the server gave a slight glare between himself and his new tea drinking companion.

    Lifting the cup he took a long inhale to smell, enjoying the warmth of the cup, before he drank it more like a shot than a calm sip, despite how clearly hot it was. Motioning for another he sat the cup down gently and tilted his head, staring across the table at Yosuru without a word.

OWL

[Yōsuru Shin]

Yōsuru never looked at the new arrival. Yet he knew of their presence all the same. Just as he was sure they knew of his. Even the most basic Shinobi knew to hone their senses this way. To know whether their ally was coming to deliver a message, or an enemy was coming to knife them in the spine.

To his delight however, neither of these two things occurred, as it seemed this person was quite simply here to enjoy a cup of tea themselves. Which was perfectly fine and normal behaviour. Yōsuru supported such advocacy of tea drinking, even though he still didn't bother to cast a glance at the stranger.

What was unusual behaviour however was the fact that the stranger sat down opposite him, uninvited and unprovoked, despite the presence of many empty tables spread about the shop. The villagers weren't even subtle any more about their staring. Two odd presences, even if one was known to them, was quite an event. And many stopped to gawk as if they were witnessing a human zoo.

Yōsuru raised an eyebrow as the younger man gulped down his drink like it was a shot of bitter medicine that needed to be consumed as fast as possible. Deep down in his core such behaviour bothered him. They weren't downing sake in a tavern. Tea was a drink to be savoured and enjoyed. But he imagined such bizarre behaviour was some kind of ploy or goading technique. Something to coax him into an outburst so the other man could gain a measure of his character.

But hell, Yōsuru was on holiday. Why not bite?

"Does everyone round these parts down Tea like it's going out of fashion? Or are you a unique specimen?" The older Shinobi asks curiously. His tone was not threatening or judgemental. Seemingly proposed more like an icebreaker, a willingness to shatter the silence between them. To see if this other man was truly here to enjoy some tea, or for something else entirely.

WC: 340
TWC: 653

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 320 Chakra: 16

    By this point cup number two had come his way, and though he wasn't a regular here, he had been just enough that his behavior was remembered, given how odd it was. There was a glance between the two before the first cup was removed, a slight bow was given, and they left. By this point Masshiro had been intently staring for a while now, not immediately responding as his action was addressed.

    Reaching down he grabbed cup number two and held it up to his face, taking a deep breath and breathing in the aroma of the tea before placing the cup down and sliding it to a seemingly specific place on the table.

"I'm unique for this area as I'm not originally from these parts or any parts within this countries borders, so can't answer truthfully. Seems you aren't from around here either."

    His voice seems a bit more judgemental in the way he spoke of Yosuru not being from around here, but in a more sarcastic and joking way than anything else. From the way he talked and dressed, to the way he carried himself, it was clear he wasn't a local.

"I'm here for the tea, for now."

    Unlike the immediate way he downed the first cup of tea, the second stayed untouched, steam rising from it.

OWL

[Yōsuru Shin]

Yōsuru raised a brow at the stranger's act of inhaling the second cup of tea before placing it down so precisely. Well at least with them being a foreigner he didn't have to worry about the entire Land of Fire being a bunch of freaks who didn't drink tea correctly. He was exaggerating, of course, everyone had their little quirks and preferences.

"Me? Not a local. Perish the thought. I've as much Will of Fire as anyone here." The older shinoi smirked as he took another sip of his brew. "I'm not even going to try and guess where you're from. Never been any good at it. Clearly not the Land of great conversationalists."


Yōsuru's eye fell to the untouched cup of tea in front of the stranger. Normally such a thing wouldn't be out of place, as most would expect their tea to cool before consumption. Yet given that this person had already gulped down their first drink, their hesitance on the second was notable. He set his cup down on the table, his eyes briefly scanning the features of the other person.

"For now, you say? And what comes after the tea?" He asks curiously. "Are you perhaps sightseeing as well? Or do you simply know something I don't?" 

WC: 213
TWC: 866

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 420 Chakra: 16

    It might have been hard to believe, but this was the first time he had heard such a phrase uttered, especially given how it was stated as if it was common place. Despite the many years he had lived here he didn't pretend to be from here, even if the vast majority of his life was now rooted in this land. The land of Earth was the birth place and residing home of his clan, and despite the distance both literal and metaphorical with his parents, that would forever be his home.

"I'm not familiar with this will of fire, though it wouldn't take much to guess what the phrase means."

    He couldn't blame someone for not wanting to give a guess where he was from, because frankly he didn't look like he was from much of anywhere. His hair color, his eye color, the way he dressed, none of these were any indication of much of anything truthfully, as even his parents didn't share the white hair he was born with, nor the color of his eyes. His grandmother apparently shared both, but he had never met her and his parents didn't seem keen on speaking of her.

"It's for the best. If I was standing in my country of origin, next to my parents, you'd likely have a hard time even still. I'm a bit of a genetic anomaly so I'm told, White hair, red eyes, manifested my clan traits later than most, and so on. Certainly not from the land of good company, but that is a story too long to shorten."

    As quickly as he had begun to talk as if he could go on all day, he stopped and went back to his intent staring. It took a bit to notice however the interest in his cup and likely where he had sat it, causing him to smirk. Perhaps some sort of pattern could be gleaned from the act he had performed, but truthfully it was little more than a form of OCD, though it was more amusing watching the wheels turn.

"Everything comes after the tea, even more tea, or not."

    How exactly was he going to answer that last bit of questioning, because it could go on for days, or be a simple shrug.

"Not many sights to see around here right now, aside from the tea. It's very likely I know something you don't, however, but I wouldn't say that's related to the tea or what comes directly after it. Are you only here for tea? What's after that for you?"

OWL

[Yōsuru Shin]

"I mean no offense when I say this..." Yōsuru began, finishing off the last of his tea and setting the cup down on the table gently. "But I've met types like yours before. The kind who feign philosphical standpoints by talking in circles or repeating themselves." He shakes his head gently. "Or perhaps there is a deeper philosophy to you that I'm too dumb to pick up on." With a sigh he stands up and places some Ryo on the table, enough to cover his drink and both of Masshiro's, plus a small tip. "The fact is I'm far too old to entertain it." He turns his head to look at the still scowling shopkeeper. "'preciate the warm welcome Chief!" He smiles and gives a gentle wave, only to receive an unimpressed grunt in return. 

"I suppose I'll try to find somewhere with more sights to see beyond a big hole in the ground, but I guess we'l-" He was cut off by a thunderous boom in nearby, a jet of flame shooting up out of one of the mineshafts. He flinches back, watching as rock's fly and workers scatter and scream. "Something's wrong there..." Perhaps stating the obvious, but he liked to think out loud.

With one final look at Masshiro, Yōsuru heads towards the site of the explosion.

WC: 222
TWC: 1'088

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 420 Chakra: 16

    It took the vast majority of his willpower and all of the strength of his facial muscles to keep from cracking a grin and laughing at the idea of being anything resembling philosophical. At best he felt he was trying to mirror what he had seen from others, and at worst he didn't want to come off as an asshole and say the first thing that popped into his head within the first few minutes of meeting someone.

"First time I've been accused of being anything resembling philosophical."

    He was never accused of being the best company either, and it seemed the trend continued as his chatting companion looked done with the entire encounter. The tea was mostly what he was here for anyways, so having one less person sitting across from him wasn't that much of a bother, and it wasn't as if he took offense to anything that was said. Reaching out for the cup in front of him, he waited a moment before grabbing it and bringing it up to finish it off.

    What was intended as blowing at the cup to finish cooling down the tea ended in a frustrated sigh as he sat the cup back down and tilted his head at the sound, slowly turning his head towards the sound. There was little more than a glance back at Yosuru as he shared his thoughts.

"Screams and explosions do tend to announce that."

    With a sudden wave of his arm his knocked the tea cup off the table and stood up fast enough to knock the chair over as well. Adjusting his coat he rolled his neck, but didn't move quite as quickly towards where things were catching fire, taking his time moving in that direction. Crawling his way onto the closest nearby roof, he squatted down trying to get a good look at just what the hell was going on. Likely someone lit something they weren't supposed to, or swung somewhere they weren't supposed to and caused just the wrong amount of sparks.

OWL

[Yōsuru Shin]

"Is the unecessary sarcasm a natural talent or an acquired skill?" Yōsuru asked his recently acquired tea-drinking partner. He wasn't sure if the stranger's dry tone and pedantic demeanour charmed many back wherever they came from, but he doubted it. The older Shinobi was all for a relaxed and casual attitude to the world, but it was a different matter when lives were potentially at risk. Yet as much as he maybe hadn't gotten the best first impression of the white-haired stranger. He was probably going to need his help.

He perched up nearby, but not too close. Taking in the scene. Black smoke still billowed out of one of the tunnels and many of the miners were limping, hobbling or carrying their peers out. Coughing all the way. "How sure are we that this was an accident?" He muses out loud, taking a few steps forward before.

BOOOM!

A second explosion from a tunnel slightly closer than the first soon lit up into a pillar of bright yellow and orange flame, causing rocks to fall all around the mine. "One might be an accident, two could be a coincidence. Personally I'm not planning to wait for three!" With that, he headed towards the more recent of the two explosions.

WC: 211
TWC: 1'299

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 420 Chakra: 16

    Yosuru didn't get much more than a glance after his comment, partially because he assumed it was rhetorical anyways, and partially because his entire demeanor had changed and he was focused on whatever was going on. The second explosion had fully grabbed his attention as this seemed much less like an accident, but he knew just enough about mining from the occasional comments his uncle made that he mostly ignored about blasting this and that to make caverns. This didn't seem like  that kind of explosion, mostly because they tended to be controlled, and if the first one someone making a mistake it wasn't likely there would be a near identical mistake in the same way not far from the first like that.

    He wasn't near as agile as some other shinobi scaling rooftops, but he had gotten just good enough to keep hidden and not fall off roofs or out of trees, so trying to stay up high wasn't too much trouble for now. Making his way to another roof and a closer vantage point was easy enough for now, and not having to hide made his movements quicker, and now keeping his eye on Yosuru and attempting to on the exits of where these workers were coming out of.

"Hey, if something happened in there, intentionally that is, I wouldn't go running in. Ignoring the fact you don't know who or what it is, but I'm not chasing in after you if there is a cave in with two explosions that size. Don't be reckless."

    Yelling out to his prior tea drinking companion he made it clear he wasn't going to run into any enclosed spaces. He was no hero, and he sure wasn't going to play at one or become one in the next few minutes.

Jumping back down onto the ground he moved closer, but not so close that if there was another explosion he'd be coughing and dodging rocks as well. If something was happening and if someone came out that he didn't like the look of, they wouldn't be going much further and they'd have much bigger problems than whatever caused them to act like this.

OWL

[Yōsuru Shin]

"You speak with the Wisdom of a man beyond your years!" Yōsuru shouts back to Masshiro, turning and giving a wide grin. "Unfortunately!..." Without another word he dove into the tunnel. Deftly hopping over some fallen rubble whilst hearing the cries and coughs of the people held within. Many of them pushed past him, some carrying wounded comrades. He kept his eyes peeled for anyone left behind. But mostly things seemed clear.

He pushed further in, covering his mouth and nostrils as the smoke from the blast rose up to meet him. The heat from a recently detonated explosive radiating against his skin. "Doesn't seem like much of an accident."

He crept further down, carefully navigating over the fallen rocks and rubble, making sure not to shift anything too much. But he couldn't shake the strange tingle down the back of his neck telling him that something was a little bit off. "Hello? Anyone down here?" He calls, hoping that if anyone was trapped they still had the strength to call out or make some kind of noise. He listened very carefully...but there was nothing.

He looked around, trying to make sense of anything in the darkness, when it occurred to him. He hadn't seen a single corpse on his entire way down here. Grim as it was, it was hard to believe that nobody had been killed by a direct blast, fallen debris or even being trampled by terrified miners.

He gently ran his hand along the stone wall. Something wasn't right here...

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 420 Chakra: 16

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I assure you it's nothing more than self-preservation and paranoia. I've been caught off guard by enough benign situations to know not to chase head first into the loud exploding ones."

    Giving a look somewhere between disappointed and highly amused, he watched the man do exactly what he had suggested against. Perhaps this was simply a matter of paranoia, but he wasn't a hero all the same, and not a huge fan of spelunking truth be told. All manner of things could go wrong at the best of times in a dark hole, let alone one just filled with explosions from an unidentified source.

    Waiting for a while for another explosion, more screaming, or at least a sigh of Yosuru to come walking back out, he narrowed his eyes and sighed. The little bit of entertainment and conversation he had found were gone, and he wasn't quite ready to leave just yet. Jumping down shaking his head, he moved closer, mentally yelling at himself to stop and let the fool get himself blown up, but his legs kept moving. Eventually he found himself not diving in but using a simple climbing technique to keep himself planted, ending up upside down to avoid most of the rubble on the ground.

    Finally catching up, he watched Yosuru carefully while trying to keep his wits about him elsewhere.

"Found anything interesting?"

    Near immediately his eyes narrowed, as he stayed on the ceiling and moved closer, putting his hands on the same wall and the other on Yosuru.

"Release."

    The direct portion of the wall vanished, as did a good bit of rubble inside the cave.

"Genjutsu. I suggest we get out of this cave and back in the open."

    Turning around far too casually, he began to walk back to the surface, waiting to see if Yosuru followed or went against his instructions a second time.

OWL

[Yōsuru Shin]

"I knew something wasn't right..." He watched as the illusionary walls and rubble disipated around him, shimmering away like mist as if there was nothing there to begin with. He turned around and observed the cave, everything seemed normal, no blast marks or powder lining the walls, but something was still off. The explosions had been faked...so he should currently be surrounded by a bunch of confused or possibly annoyed miners.

But there was nobody here...the tunnel was completely empty...

He tapped on the rock wall again, it was solid...and real, at least as far as he could tell. He wasn't exactly sure how somebody had managed to lay a Genjutsu on him, but that was a matter worth worrying about later.

He did start heading towards the surface, silently, keeping an eye out for anything else that was amiss. And then he spotted something, a tiny detail really, but definitely odd. Carved into one of the support beams was a triangle, with three prongs from either side that moved towards the centre, in which there was a single small dot. A symbol of some kind, but for what he did not know.

He made a mental note of it and continued out of the cave. "How very bizarre, must've been some kind of prank?" He shrugs, pulling out his straw hat and looking up at the sky to gauge the time of day. "Well, I must get going. Places to be and things to see. Farewell!" He gives a gentle wave as he turns and walks away. He didn't really trust his drinking companion with information beyond what he needed to know. So this seemed like a good time to depart.

[EXIT]

[Masshiro Kurama]

Masshiro Kurama Rank D Shinobi Ninjutsu: 1 Taijutsu: 1 Genjutsu: 9 Technique: 1 Toughness:1 Speed: 1 Stamina: 1 HP: 420 Chakra: 16 Shinobi Armor Elite Shinobi armor Forehead Protector Chakra Meteorite Demonic Flute

    It seemed as if the situation was ready to turn chaotic, but in an instant there was quiet, to an unnerving degree as far as he was concerned. Everything was still, and the only sounds were that of Yosuru's voice echo'ing, and their footsteps heading back to the surface. It was all a bit too convenient, and yet very strange that such a Genjutsu was cast that he hadn't noticed. Was this only cast on the two of them, or was this something so widespread that many in the town had noticed.

    Now he was wondering how ridiculous the two of them looked jumping up from their tea and rushing out to go jumping on top of buildings and diving into a cave if no one else realizing what was happening. What exactly was the whole point of this, and if they were targeted, why?

    His head was filled with questions, and his first instinct was to find out the who and then they why, but it looked as if Yosuru had more than his fill of Genjutsu for the day, and was ready to move on from it all. Quick to jump into a hole full of explosions, but equally quick to leave when the threat looked to be over. In Masshiro's mind the threat was likely still watching them even now, and as he returned the wave given as Yosuru turned to leave, he looked a bit confused. Instead of staying and having more tea, or leaving his own way, he simply fell back a bit and chose to follow Yosuru, making sure he wasn't ambushed further out of the town, and would simply split off and go elsewhere if nothing occurred.

  

OWL

exit

[TimeCraked]

Grading thread!
Masshiro +10 XP (0 > 10)
Yōsuru +10XP (0 > 10)