Starring:
Date: July 28, 2015
Summary:
None given.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Lure of the Oasis"
Hidden Tropical Oasis [Land of Water]
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Marvelous, strange and exciting. A literal forest domed right inside the large cliff face. Its walls spand high into the sky surrounding the entire area, high above there are large openings where light seeps in providing just the right amount of light to light up this area. The dome shaped area from within the caves is filled with life, trees and bushes. Some trees spanding 100 meters into the sky with thick green leaves. The area is heated in the days and cooled in the evenings, a constant cool wind brushes throughout.
There are vegetables, fruits and a natural source of water in this area allowing the flora to grow. There are rocks, small caverns and openings with flower patches. Further north there are ruins of what seemed to have once been a stone city, now a relic of its former self. Overall this area is a miracle to exist, undisturbed by the human race it is a natural living habitat of great marvel and mystery.
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The world is shrouded in a light fog, tendrils creeping up from the ground as if to wrap around the warming air itself. With every step, the giant parts the fog, continuing a march that started hours ago. Kiyoshi knew the area to belong to the more territorial, and yet this did not stop him from pressing deeper into one of the few known collective "nest's" of the Okumo Clan: The Hidden Oasis. On this morning, the Moto absolutely /refused/ to be disuaded by specters, bug men, or pint-sized terrors disguised as children!
Enjoying her solitude, for the moment, Okami was perched comfortably up on a banana tree and half napping. Her awareness was focused on the area beneath her tree, almost vacant and certain placated for the moment. A few of her spiders have roamed outside of her confines and are strolling along the tree, or leaping to nearby flora to survey the area. Even the little ones need some exercise and excitement, after all!
Kiji had been at the stream off the Oasis when she sensed Kiyoshi's approach. She had been paying attention to the chakra of the Okumo and it's spiders, a new sensation, a new person. Well.. at least it wasn't a Shimizu…. She sighed and turned to meet Kiyoshi's chosen path, eyes deep blue. Her white hair fell dow her back in that thick braid as usual and her leggings and skirt were a thicker than usual silk. She stepped out of the shadow of the trees and right next to Kiyoshi. Se reaced out a finger and tried touching one of his, a quiet greeting.
Tsubaki frowns as she enters the oasis. He wasn't here… She couldn't help but wonder if he was eaten by an Okumo. She tried to warn him! There's a persistent chill surrounding the young Shirayuki as she makes her way through the area, pausing only when she sees a shadow of a giant. 'Kiyoshi-san?' is thought to herself, and she makes her way over to him.
Okami
Here is a tall, pale skinned woman with long, black hair that reaches down to her mid back. Her eyes are sharp and dark with pronounced lashes and brows to contrast her tone, with strikingly flush, almost red lips. Her form seems lithe and average beneath the modified komon she's wearing.
On the komon-style kimono the woman is wearing, it is primarily black with pearlescant designs laced along its entirety almost in the shape of an orbweaver's web. Though unlike the norm, the dress is rolled up internally to stop just above the woman's knees and shows that her legs are bare and thin, steamline and ending in equally lithe feet donning a pair of geta. Each geta is with a pair of one-inch teeth. Hanging around her neck like a scarf is the hitai-ate of Kirigakure.
The man's nose was sharp, but such acuity was useless when blinded by a single-minded goal. Thus, he paid no heed to jumping spiders, or arctic chill. However, physical contact jumps start his sense of self-preserveration. Kiyoshi whips about with a hand at the hilt of the zanbato at his back, readying himself to strike or evade at a moments notice. It takes a few unexpectedly long moments for the guarded look in his eyes to be replaced by recognition and confusion.
"Kiji-chan… What are… Why are you here? Did they…?" He trails off from there knowing full well she knew what he meant to say.
Okami is still almost comatose in her lounging, ahering to the bark of the tree with her back and upside-down in orientation. Literally laid back and staring groundward- nothing has truly been disturbing enough to garner her attention, though her brood seems a bit antsy. Maybe she'll.. have a snack. There's a simple command, having a few of her little ones look for a suitable banana and bring it to her.
Kiji watched Tsubaki approach then tured her attention to Kiyoshi. The girl didn't flinch or look upset or even startled wen Kiyoshi reacted like he did. She had a way of sneaking up on him sometimes and she trusted him not to hurt her. His half question made her shake her head. "No. I was at the stream and sensed you… and…." Her head turned toward the tree with Okami in it. "That one." Then back to Tsubaki, she lifted a hand to greet her before glancing back up oddly at the Okumo, her eyes turning purple.
Tsubaki bows quietly to the two Chuunin, then … sort of makes her way over so that she's closer to Kiji. The girl glances around when Kiji looks to Okapi, then follows the Shimizu's gaze until it gets to …. there. Okumo were so tricky… So odd.. She looks back to Kiyo, listening to him sort of stutter and looking amazingly confused. She was not in on this .. whatever.
Just as Kiyoshi began to breathe a little easier, what follows the relieving news has him back on edge and leering in the direction Kiji first pointed. She need not have said Okami was an Okami. Suspicion alone is enough to earn his ire, short-lived though it turned out to be. "How did I even—" He sighs, head bowed and shaking lightly. "Nevermind." Kiyoshi adds quietly.
Soon after, Kiyoshi gaze shifts to Tsubaki. Within moments, his ire returns in the form of a annoyed look, though the reason may not be readily obvious. The giant opens his mouth once as if to say something, hesitates for a moment, then merely turned his attention back to Okami without so much as offering a greeting. "… Oi! Okumo-san!" He calls up to 'it'.
Just as Okami's spiders are descending a banana down to her on a pair of silken threads, someone has to jar her from her relaxation. She leans forward and accepts the banana, with her little troopers dropping down and reeling in, falling into place on her face and retreating under her komon. Her left hand comes around to hold the fruit still as she bites into it, peel and all while giving a curious and twitchy stare at the trio gathered below her. No speaking with her mouth full, she waits until her fruity victim is not blocking her talking space before she calls a reply. "Is something wrong?" her spiders all start leaping and skittering their way back to their nest and vanishing under her kimono.
Kiji waved a hand at Tsubaki's look of cnfusion at Kiyoshi's question as if it were nothing to worry about then patted the girl on the shoulder lightly reassuring her that she nor Kiyoshi were actually upset with her. Then Kii turned her purple eyes on Okami. "I've never sensed you before. Not even underground. Who are you?" Her tone was painfully neutral.
Tsubaki glances to Kiji and nods again before her gaze turns to Okami. "…" The girl doesn't ask anything, as Kiji had already questioned this person. It was pretty clear that she was an Okumo, though… Tsubaki has experience with them. Her sensei and team leader-to-be were both Okumo, after all, and Kiji… Well, Kiji was remarkably close to two others. Green eyes flicker over Okami, the young SHirayuki studying this individual with intense scrutiny.
Whatever traces of lingering irritation remained in the Moto's visage vanish only a moment before Okami finally speaks. Up until then Kiyoshi's view had either been obstructed by positioning, and hindered by preconceptions about the individual lounging up in the trees. Now things were… complicated.
For the first few moments, all Okami gets out of her fellow giant is silence. Fortunately, Kiji incidently covers for him long enough for some semblance of composure to return to the dry mouthed and mildly disturbed shinobi. "… Gomen." He says after a brief sideways glance at Kiji, almost sounding as if he were apologizing for both of them. "I thought…" He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter… Moto Kiyoshi, Chuunin of Kirigakure and.. /perhaps/ in need of some assistance?" He asks awkwardly.
Okami flashes a smirk to the others. Once her little ones are all secure with her, the woman's chakra mold to the tree slackens, leading to her sliding down the trunk headfirst. She kicks off at some point before hitting the ground, making a tight somersault and twist in the air to land standing before the trio, with another bite of banana being taken.
"Me? I'm Okumo Okami. Chuunin of Kirigakure." she trills in response to the question of who she was. "We just have a tendency towards being solitary. While pleasant at times, human company is- difficult to keep on with." looking towards the tall one with a curious and appraising stare that never quite seems to linger at any one place for long. She seems twitchy, skittish almost, ears shifting ever so slightly on a constant basis. "What is it you may be needing help in, Moto-san?" another bite of banana, having split the fruit in half in the center and holding either end between a pair of fingers on her left hand. A single one of her spiders crawls from her collar to perch itself on the bridge of her nose and also stare at the others.
Kiji would not insult Tsubaki by stepping in front of her. Not yet. But she did step a half step forward. Tsubaki was not on her own here. And Kiji knew Kiyoshi would have her back if it came to it… She was always on ede when meeting a new Okumo… She couldn't help it. Kiyoshi's apologizing made her flick her purple eyes toward the Moto but they were soon focused on Okami again. Last time someone knew had met her they had refused to offer a name. She would know this Okumo's nae or she would find it another way…..
Kiji watched the somersault and tilted her head a little. She could sense the spiders but none of them were coming too close. Still there would be a sense of a light pheromone warning for the spiders to keep their distance.. issued by other spiders? But comming from Kiji most definitely. She spoke though, introducing herself. "Shimizu Kiji." A shimizu.. so how could she have given off those pheromones? They weren't visible, yet.
Tsubaki can't help that the cold might suddenly increase. A faint glow of blue appears in her eyes, turning the cyan as she watches Okami introduce herself. Well, at least she got a name. And she wasn't … Never mind. You can never tell with Kiri. The girl simply bows her head and says, "Shirayuki… Tsubaki…" Part of her tone suggested that she wasn't happy giving away her name. But she did it!
Try as he might, Kiyoshi cannot help but watch the display of acrobatics with undisguised admiration in the performance. His admiration soon turned into even greater surprise at the young woman's size. While no stranger to the 'uniqueness' of the Okumo Clan's members, the giant yet found himself thrown for another loop. Only the strange scent — a warning of sorts, if he recalled — helped jar him from his own reverie sooner rather than later.
He needed not look to know the where. The knowledge elicits a small, short-lived grin and a brief glance at Kiji. "I-…" He stops short, eying the spider on her nose. That… mild distraction aside, a quick shake of the head dispels his concern. For the moment. "Frankly, regarding your knowledge of this place, its herbs and.. a few animals that are said to be local. I'd… have gone to another about this, but-…" He looks away, rubbing the back of his head.
How do you tell someone that you let your ego get to you without wounding said ego?
Okami bows towards Kiji and Tsubaki. "Might I say, Shimizu-san, you smell especially delicious. More than I'd expect from an.. outsider." she muses, shivering. "But, I don't endulge on allies." after that she has another nibbling of banana.
Her attention then shifts back to Moto. "Why do you require such information?" she asks, eyes shifting rapidly over the other nin. Then she sighs. The little one on her nose has decided upon itself to spin around a few times and raise and lower its forelegs and pedipalps in alternating patterns. "Back inside." and the little spider descends down her nose and under her collar again.
Kiji turned to glance in Tsubaki's direction when she gave her name grudgingly. Then she noticed Kiyoshi looking at her with a smile on his face and Kiji lost all sense of what was going on. She herself was unaware of the light pheromones, had no idea the 'keep your distance' warning was being given. So when Kiyoshi asked this Okami about herbs and such of the oasis, Kiji tilted her head lightly at the giant. Her attention turned back toward Okami when the Okumo spoke to her of smelling delicious.
She raised an eyebrow and her eyes shifted visibly into a more yellow tone. Keeping those eyes mostly trained on Okami, she spoke to Kiyoshi. "The traitor would know. But don't see her alone, Aijin-kun…." Her cheeks flushed a little as she tried a new nickname for Kiyoshi… She was Chi-hime but she wasn't sure what to call him.. maybe this would stick….
Tsubaki frowns lightly for a moment, then says, "I… can go…" She'll end up killing all the plants with her freezing nature… And while she could tone it down, she isn't really n the mood to do so. In the end, she simply turns to start walking away from the group of Chuunin.
Just like that, the almost easy-going air about Kiyoshi fades into the background. In its place is exuded one of protectiveness and wariness in response to the woman's admission. Comrade or not, if she made one false move the banana wouldn't be the only thing split today. Or… did she mean that in another way?
'…. Bait you, Surumu.' Kiyoshi curses inwardly, stopping in his wary upward reach for the hilt of his sword as his cheeks darkened and eyes closed. His blush only intensifies from Kiji's nickname, capturing his attention while knocking out whatever sense the man seemed to be struggling just to maintain. "Yeah, like.. her…" Kiyoshi manages to spit out after forcing his gaze back on Okami. "I-… Tsuba-chan?" He asks, even though in truth, an answer wasn't exactly expected.
Uncertainty over whether his early attitude to had been the cause or something else altogether, Kiyoshi simply stood there watching her walk off. Okami's question at that point is all but completly forgotten.
Kiyoshi's blush makes Okami grin. "You're cute." she murmurs to the other large one, before she goes to a quiet stare to wait for a reply that seems not to be coming. She cants her head slightly to the left, and turns it like that when Tsubaki begins to leave. Okami takes her time with the next bite of banana, before realizing she can just stuff the whole lower half into her mouth, so she just does that and quietly chews it to submission. She eyes the upper half discerningly, unsure what she wants to do with it for the moment, eyes racing along it curiously.
Kiji turned as Tsubaki began walking away. "Tsubaki-san… I need to talk to you later, okay?" She added then turned those once more yellow eyes on the Okumo before them. Se could see the blush on Kiyoshi's cheeks and the way he looked at her and she had flushed as well. Okami seemed to be unconcerned with Kiji or Tsubaki .. or, trap, even Kiyoshi as she continued with the odd out of season banana. Setting that aside, she looked up at Kiyoshi, her finger once more lightly wrapping around one of his. A tiny gesture and touch, but enough to show him she would follow his lead. She wasn't very good at being social.
Tsubaki pauses for a second to turn and regard both Kiyo and Kiji. She glances between them, giving Kiyo a questioning look at his call out. She wasn't going to ignore anyone. That would be rude. And she wasn't going to be rude. Kiji got a hesitant nod, and she might notice that Tsubaki looked very curious as to /what/ Kiji wanted to talk about.. Far more so than what Kiji might usually see on the girl's face.
If Tsubaki expected more eventually from the Moto, she would be sadly left disappointed. His inner struggle came to an abrupt and perhaps awkward end by Okami mentioning his "cuteness". Flustered again, Kiyoshi turns back to her, and leers half-heartedly for the unexpected compliment. "You-…" He starts to say, but upon feeling Kiji's hand grasp his own, the distraction proves enough to give him pause.
"… Thanks.. I.. guess. Its, uhm.. *cough*… A-anyways! My brother wanted to find out mainly if they actually are around here. Wh-what he *clears throat*… What he intends to do after that though is.. beyond me." Kiyoshi says and shrugs near the end.
Okami raises her brow when the male gets all flustered, and grins as her head straightens. "Adorable." then there's that explanation. "I didn't take much time studying the local fauna, I'm not here all that often. My regular haunt is.. more open than this place. I apologize I'm not to be of much use in your information hunt at present. My little ones are getting restless at this standing still. Was there anything further you required? Whatever it may be, it'll be better than left to my own devices."
Kiji went quiet. She wasn't sure what Kiyoshi was after herbs for but she would just have to figure a way to help him. Turning to glance at Okami again, her eyes fading closer to a kind of blue-grey, she looked up at Kiyoshi. "Aijin-kun?" She merely looked up at him, waiting for him to lead the way. Tsubaki had left and it sounded like Okami was getting restless as well. She might get him alone today yet.
Tsubaki wanders off, taking her cold winds with her.
