Starring:
Date: October 18, 2012
Summary:
Goh and Itami see Igneel, before reporting back to Jump HQ.
"Intro to Jump"
Salamander Caves, Jump HQ
Both Goh and Itami will venture out from Sunagakure, treking along the desert sands for a good half an hour. Unlike most paths, the road that they have taken appears to… well, not lead anywhere, save for further into the Land of Wind. Just before it starts to get too hot however, Goh stops. Almost in the middle of no-where, the duo surrounded by sandy dunes.
"Alright, Tam. Here we are. Now, there's only one thing you really need to do. Stay with me, and don't make any sudden movements." His eyes will look over to Itami a bit. "I'm the only human that they have let into the circle for decades. Maybe even over a century. The idea of Jump is partly to get them to be more understanding with us. They're making progress, but they're still sketchy. If you make any weird or sudden movements, right in the core of their home, they may flip out." He clears his throat.
"Anyway. Let's get this started." Biting his thumb tightly in order to draw some blood, Goh thrusts his hands down onto the ground. Not long after that, a 'door' sort of opens into the ground. Some stairs made of solid rock stretch down into the depths of the earth. "Follow me." And just like this, he will begin to descend.
Itami expected them to be going elsewhere, but it appears that they just walked deeper into her homeland. She tilted her head as Goh stopped and addressed her. They were…going here? "Ah, alright. Guess I'll follow your word." This must be serious. Certainly, she's had contact with summons, but going into their home is something entirely different. She nodded in understanding after the situation was explained in full. Guess this was her chance to shine, hm? "I understand. I won't move…" She paused in her speech then, feeling that lips might as well be something that need to be closed since they move. At Goh's thrust, she prepped herself and didn't move except only when told.
Both Goh and Itami will walk down and down into the depths. Not long after both of them are a few meters in, the entryway will close behind — sealed. At that exact moment, the lanterns along the wall spring to life. Just making sure that the pathway is not blanketed by darkness. After a few minutes of walking down, the stairs begin to level out into a slope. The narrow passage widens into a large tunnel, lit dimly, though bright enough to still see clearly. The pair will continue walking steadily downward, the environment becoming ever so warmer with every dozen or so meters.
"It's nothing against you personally," He confirms with a smirk. "Just… yeah. With Amuro sort of breaking in and causing some disruptions, they're a little on edge." Already there are some salamander wandering around. Of all different shapes and sizes, though none bigger than six feet at this stage.
"I see…" Itami remarked. "I hadn't known he caused such problems for them. I hope that I can aid in their recovery to trust humans. I can see how this is going to be tough to handle so I am not offended. Their customs are close to that of my own clan, if not that more restrictive, I suppose. Watanabe aren't fond of 'disruptions', so to speak. Having people from the surface dwell among them is unheard of. It's never happened, but there have been close calls. They are active on the surface, however."
"With his crazy teleport-jutsu, he certainly is causing some problems." Goh intones with a small grunt. The blonde listens intently, keen to hear what she has to say on the matter. "Oh, speaking of Watanabe, I'm pretty sure I saw one in Konoha." His nose wrinkles a little. "I would never forget the same sort of eyes. Didn't have you strength. Probably about Chuunin level. Dunno the name." He sighs a bit. "But I figured you might be keen to learn that. Clan unity and everything."
They continue to descend, the heat slowly increasing. The size of the tunnel and the salamander also steadily increase, the ground even trembling occasionally when a pair are walking about.
The tunnel eventually opens up into a very large cavern. And there, laying down facing the pair, is a giant head. A dragon head. Igneel. It just blinks, looking at the pair. Before it then exhales through its large nostrils, steaming air sweeping across the pair of shinobi.
"Hey, Igneel." Goh greets, lifting a hand. "This is Itami. Remember? She's going to help look after you guys at Jump."
The sheer scale of Igneel is… well, large. And if that wasn't enough, the salamander surrounding him all look fierce. He's clearly the top dog. The alpha male. The strongest around. His skin, made of hard scale, reflects slightly against the burning torches.
Itami gave Goh's words some thought, both on Amuro and the Watanabe, but for now the one that captured her interest most was one she could relate to. "One in Konoha. It's nice to hear more about them being around. I don't hear that often, so it's refreshing. Despite us being on the surface, we have the tendency to be reclusive even still," she shrugged. "I appreciate you relaying that information. Perhaps I might meet this individual one day." She grins while they continue to descend.
The heat that builds is growing apparent to Itami. Heat is always a good sign for her most times. She can't stand the cold all that much. When they proceed far enough, they stop. "We're here?" She wondered, not yet noticing Igneel until the air sweeps across the area.
Drawing attention to the direction it came from, she looked up to gaze upon the massive dragon that Goh just greeted. "…" She didn't have much to say at the moment. Seems like she was playing it safe and with good reason.
There's slightly an awkward pause as Igneel just looks over Itami, sniffing her quite audibly. The rumblings of his breath cause a pretty wicked reverb to bounce around. Igneel opens his mouth, and then speaking. His voice is incredibly deep as expected, and when he speaks, bones could almost be felt vibrating.
"Itami," It gets out. "Goh tells me that you will be able to help us with medicine and combat. Help us, the family, heal from our wounds." He doesn't seem particulary rude. Just… direct. As if every second of his time is valuable. "Is he correct? If so, explain. If not," His gaze shifts to Goh, though his head does not move. "I will eat him."
Goh sweatdrops a little, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously. "Ha ha ha!"
Having her bones rattle for her from his voice managed to take all the energy of her doing it herself from being nervous. "Explain?" She inquired and then looked to Goh. He was going to eat him for her lack of explanation? Well, let's see what she can do here. "I was given a…summary of sorts on what happened to the Salamanders and I understand why you all are experiencing the wounds you are at the moment. Not just in that sense, but I can also help medical wise and combat wise. The Watanabe, I am uncertain if you are familiar with them, but I am one of them. The clan are very close to reptiles and similar creatures. I've been around them my whole life and feel that I can assist in healing in that way. I know the reptile body. I also can help in combat, but that may be a little more tricky," she clears her throat as she clasps her hands behind her back.
"I am unsure of what areas the Salamanders specialize in, but if I knew that much, I could see about highlighting them and pulling out as much potential as I can for them to utilize to their advantage."
"Hm." Igneel gets out, thinking. "That is… an acceptable answer. I will not eat Goh." He booms, before closing his eyes. "Your aid would be welcome amoungst the family, Watanabe." And just like this, he almost seems to fall asleep! That, or he's resting now.
Goh practically melts in his place, the blonde looking to have held his breath for the entire time that the boss salamander was speaking. "Phheewwww!" He gets out with a dramatic sigh. "Thought I may've been a goner there. Thanks for saving me, Tam. I appreciate it." He beams widely, before beckoning Itami to follow him. "C'mon. Let's get back to the surface."
The salamander around appear to be wagging their tails a bit more now. The Caves don't feel as threatening as they just did moments ago. As if everything had relaxed.
"I'm going to head back to Jump. If you wana come with, awesome. If not, I can point you in the direction of some key places around."
Itami was waiting with bated breath for Igneel's reply. Once he found it to be acceptable, she released and smiled at Goh. Looks like she managed to keep him from being eaten! "You're welcome. The whole time, I wasn't entirely sure if my answer would be fitting, but I /did/ try my best," she nodded. "I figured the best policy was honesty, so it looks like it helped." She grinned.
A quick glance around revealed that the population seemed to be a bit more happy about what has happened. She hopes this will mean that her job will be easier along with it. "I think I'll head back to Jump with you. I figure I should probably try and calm down; relax a little."
"Sweet!" Goh gets out with a cheeky grin. "Follow me. I've got this special tunnel that connects straight to Jump, but can be destroyed at any moment if the guild for some reason falls down." Leading the way back from the large cavern, the pair will take a seperate route. It becomes narrow much more quicker than the entry tunnel did. The walls also look far less worked, indicating that it's probably a new addition to the sala network.
The tunnel will continue on for a good few hours. In the mean time, Goh and Itami will likely discuss many things. Life, food, fun. Jump's direction, potential members… everything. Eventually, just as Goh has finished talking about some of his newest take on pickled ginger, they reach some stairs. Climbing them, they will come out into a well constructued room. Right out through the floor, after opening a secret door.
"Welcome to Jump!" Goh cries, dusting himself off a little. "This is right in the basement. Not much goes on in here."
"Excellent," Itami chimed as she followed Goh through said tunnel. It was a bit of a walk, admittedly and somewhat cramped, but it's something she was used to. The discussion they had about various subjects managed to pass the time well enough and it was filled with laughter and at some points, some seriousness. In short, the feeling was definitely friendship. The air wasn't tense which was perfect for Itami for a change in pace from the environment she worked in and now. She was still concerned about the pickled ginger, but she supposes that she'd have to try it in order to get an idea of what it's truly like. "So, Jump Headquarters," she chuckled while stepping out onto the basement level. She too dusted herself off. "So, the basement will be used for storage and other such things, right? I think we should invest in some technology…"
"Yeah, this place will be filled with boxes soon." Goh replies, rubbing his chin. "Still scattered around the building right now, but they will be put here." His eyebrows raise a little in surprise at the offer.
"You've only been inside for five seconds!" He laughs out loud. "What do you mean by technology? I've got Raili, the Kumogakure engineer coming along to help out. She might be able to build some traps and working things. Or did you have something a little more advanced in mind?"
With Itami out and the door sealed, Goh will once again lead the way up and into the common area. The big long tables are a feature, where many people are either sitting and eating, or walking about. It certainly is busy, with many people of all different shapes and sizes strutting around.
"This is where we eat. That way," He points to the dorms, "…is where we crash. And outside we get supplies. Easy."
Itami nodded. "Yep. Five seconds. That's a nice assessment time and…oh, you're already on the job. I should have known better," she chuckled. "To be honest, I don't know much about tecnology, but I know it works in some ways. I don't claim to understand a lot of it. I just want this place to be as secure as possible, especially if it will serve as a haven of sorts," she nods while following him into the common area.
"Eat, sleep, drink. The basic formula," she chuckles. "The basics are always the best, yes? On that note, I think I'm hungry."
Fade.
