Starring:
Date: November 22, 2014
Summary:
Renai and Hanpa meet for the first time.
"Manipulating the Tide"
Miati Forest – Clearing, Land of Fire
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Here the forest canopy opens, showing a large-ish clearing with a number of dead felled trees here. The edge of the clearing has a large amount of shrubs and undergrowth and here the signs of new trees can be seen growing as well. Directly to the south the path opens up again and leads into a small outcropping of trees and directly into the face of a small mountain. There is a very large cave opening that seemingly leads on forever. The path here is worn smooth with use, and littered here and there are the signs of campfire.
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Contents:
Exits:
South - (S) [Miati Forest - Cave Entrance]
North East - (NE) [Miati Forest - Dense Forest]
The day is clear and breezy with that certain kind of serenity that only the Land of Fire has. The forest is marked with the sounds of singing birds and animal noises in all states of being-eating, breathing, dying. The noises of water and the scents of green things makes Renai no Kirigakure never want to leave. It is different and more pleasant than the salty, mist-laden air of home. That stuff can catch in and fill up the lungs. This air is fresh and clean. It makes her lungs hurt.
She breaks the noise with her practice. Renai had waiting for Eremi, her companion and guardian, to ensure the area was secure before beginning her kata. Once given the okay, she began to move with sharp, aggressive movements with abrupt calls. The style is one that could mark her identity, but it is hers. It is Kirigakure. For Taijutsu, she will train with nothing else. The chakra moves through her limbs and is expelled outward when she 'lands' punches or kicks in the air, enough to at least disturb the thick grass of the clearing if not outright tear it up.
Eremi had watched her for a time, commenting on her form and technique. Then, eventually, he disappeared into the tree line to do whatever it is he does when she gets into the boring grind of her training.
Yes, the Land of Fire and its form of "Serenity". A land often untouched by the consequences of war and strife, at least not too close to home. Not to close to Konohagakure. For as long as it was out of sight, it was out of mind. This land that they protect, was more like a preserve and the animals being protected were the shinobi in their zoo called Konoha. Of course, all protected animals lost their instincts over time, forgot their strengths, and clung to their weaknesses. But as long as the air was fresh, and the birds are singing…. why not be lulled in to a day dream?
The man would be walking through the area, his clothing drifting about him lightly in the breeze as his mirror finished mask would occasionally glare out violently with bursts of sunlight before slipping back in to the shadows of his hood. He was drawn to this area due to the events taking place with in it. Whereas the girl who was training would be using the chakra in her form to enhance her abilities, for Hanpa, he would see the rippling forces of spiritually awakened life dancing about the area and energizing its surroundings. The trees, the plants, those singing birds, they would all feel that which is not seen being shared from her to them. His steps did not falter regardless of his lack of sight as he headed in to the area that she was training in.
"A foreign set of movements." He would speak out as he approached, judging her distance to be adequately close for conversation. "Though well formed. It reminds one of… the ebb and flow of the sea more than the bursts of wind and sun." He would stop several feet away, making sure to maintain a respectable distance from her as his hooded mask faced her form. "I do hope that I have not interrupted you."
Renai is startled when the stranger approaches. She stops abruptly, nearly tripping over her own feet. She backs away a few steps from him, glancing around herself in a somewhat paranoid fashion. Should she scream, Eremi would come, but that might be a bad thing for this man.
His words make her eyes widen too. Though they are metaphoric and vague, she can see the distinction. That's the whole point. To be constant and unrelenting as the ocean. For now though, she keeps her voice at a normal tone. He has made no threat yet and is keeping a distance. Renai doesn't relax, but she regains her pose, planting her feet firmly on the ground.
"Well, you have." Her voice is abrupt and sharp and blatant. It's borderline rude. She folds her arms over her chest haughtily and eyes the man, taking in what she can of his appearance. Her gaze rests briefly on his mask and Renai wonders if he can see through it. She has taken pains to disguise herself, bleaching her hair white, opting for neutral colored and plain clothes, and removing the marks of Kirigakure from her being for now. But some people can see past physical appearance. Can he?
"Then it seems that you have a lapse in your training. Or perhaps… I have a presence that can halt the sea itself." The man would reply to her rude tone with a calm one in return. "Simply consider me… a passing vessel. Any disruption that I could possibly cause you should simply be rippled back in to your flow and adjusted by your constant current, even if it is weaker, over time. At least… I would imagine something like that should be the case. Tell me… am I right?" Hanpa asked of her as he remained where he was. "If I am not… then you may have to adjust your way of fighting, for within a mere moment of meeting you, I have discovered its weakness." He would very lightly poke at her pride and see what comes of it.
Renai gets defensive inwardly as he criticizes her technique. Well, /you/ try to keep training when someone arrives in spooky clothes that might very well threaten your life. The girl frowns, half-pouting. She is still young despite whatever demeanor her tall height and experience might convey. "And what are you? Some roaming philosopher?"
Her eyes narrow as she watches him. She wrinkles her nose though. He is right. Were they actually fighting, that would be the general gist of what she's expected to do, keep the ebb and flow and use it against her opponent. She doesn't know why his words hurt her pride though. Should she not be expected to turn and defend herself against a new threat? It would be foolish of her to ignore that he is there.
"The sea stops to ask the vessel if it is a roaming philosopher, growing still despite the disturbance. The vessel cuts through the calm waters, the wind in its sails unhindered by the trepidation of the water beneath it. Fortunate, for this philosophical vessel is left to contemplate without hindrance as the sea which once dictated its limitations is now…" He would step forward towards her, one full step, boots now together once again. "…manipulated by its passing." Raising a hand, slowly and rotating his gauntlet covered palm to face upwards, he would continue. "It does not matter who or what I am. All things are but flotsam before the sea. I suppose I got ahead of myself… perhaps you are merely mimicking a… public pool." One might imagine a brow was raised on whatever face he hid, but verifying that would be quite challenging. "Ignorance of course is inexcusable, but if you wish to harness the sea… understand the depth of your task."
He's a talker. Whatever else he might be, one thing is certain. He is like Meruin. He will talk you into oblivion until you can't remember what your point or purpose was. It is a manipulation. A slimy, sleazy manipulation. Well, in her young eyes at least.
And whether or not it was his intent to manipulate her into a rage, he has. The genin of Kirigakure emits a low growl that's barely audible. She focuses, clenching her hands into fists as the chakra floods through her body. "You talk too much." And, Renai doesn't. Well, right now anyways. "I am -NOT- a public pool.." She makes a soft pffting noise and eyes his motions to watch for any sort of attack. She probably /should/ call for Eremi, but this is -her- fight. Whether it's to prove something or to shut him up.. Asking someone else to step in would just be sort of awkward now.
COMBAT: Renai focuses 2558 stamina to turn it into 3500 usable chakra!
"And thus the waters stir, churn, roil up along the sides of the vessel. ‘How dare you trespass within /MY/ territory!’ the sea would foam and roar. What is the vessel to do when the sea takes offense?" Hanpa would lower his hand just as slowly as he had raised it. "Ride it out." He would not move, aside from a step back to the exact place he was before. "The sea pushes and pulls, and the vessel rides upon the angry waves, trying to find its way through and between them, atop them… and hopefully not find itself under them. The raging waters however… constantly changing position… do nothing but try to find a way to come out on top and consume the vessel. Bringing it under its complete control where there is no longer hope of escape." With a light nod, he would talk just a bit more. "Now I witness the sea once more, uncaring of the vessel that attempts to pass through. The question becomes… will the focus remain on the vessel, or will the sea simply be the sea regardless of the vessel? Will your movements come from your judgments as a young woman, or come from the reaction to your true circumstances?" As far as his own reaction, he remains just as calm and still as ever aside from his small movement representing the change from ebb to flow again by Renai.
She hears him and somewhat ignores him as she typically does with people who talk too much. Renai is a ninja of action. Always has been. Always will be. The girl watches him take a step back, her lips curling into a grin. She repeats herself quietly. "You talk too much."
With that she forms a hand seal and places her hands against the ground. The earth beneath him would sudden soften in an attempt to trap the older man. Should he become ensnared, it will immediately harden about his form to keep him in place. Whether or not he is trapped, Renai begins to slowly walk toward him, her steps calm and even despite her clenched fists. The boiling rage he inspired inside her has smoothed into a tide of calm calculation. She is studying him and observing, looking for his weaknesses so that she can exploit them.
COMBAT: Renai attacks Hanpa with EARTH-WHIRLPOOL with a roll of: 25
COMBAT: Hanpa defends against EARTH-WHIRLPOOL(25) attack from Renai with a CALCULATED-EVASION…29
COMBAT: Hanpa wins the roll.
As the earth begins to flow beneath him which he is able to perceive more clearly than one might expect, he would do the last thing most would… take a step forward. This step however is no ordinary step. It is the exact same step he took towards her in the beginning of her wavering. It was a minimal movement, one that could even be considered accidental if they weren't watching closely enough. "Now that is interesting indeed. Your entire aura has changed… and the sea now becomes the land. Not what I expected at all." He would comment, though he did nothing else aside from raise that same hand again. This time however, with a seal. But with only one hand, what could he hope to achieve? Renai would begin to have the urge to take a knee before the man, something she very likely will try to resist, but the urge will be there even if mildly so. "Words are the weapons of philosophers, are they not?" would be asked then.
COMBAT: Hanpa attacks Renai with KUPPUKU with a roll of: 20
COMBAT: Renai defends against KUPPUKU(20) attack from Hanpa with a GENJUTSU-KAI…36
COMBAT: Renai wins the roll.
She feels the weight in his attack. The urge to kneel. And she grins like a loon. Renai has felt this before. Her hands move upward in a quick seal and she should the single word, "Kai!" If it had been any other genjutsu, she may have not recognized it, but that one in particular is something she was trained with.
The girl attacks in him kind with her own version of the attack. The illusion of an increased gravity would attempt to penetrate his senses. She finds him interesting like a puzzle she needs to figure out. The genin watches Hanpa, waiting to see his reaction to her technique. "Words are only words. They can have meaning and they can also be ignored. What good are words when no one is listening?"
COMBAT: Renai attacks Hanpa with HEAVY with a roll of: 15
COMBAT: Hanpa defends against HEAVY(15) attack from Renai with a GENJUTSU-PERCEPTION…24
COMBAT: Hanpa wins the roll.
Recognizing this genjutsu that was similar to his own by his perceptions of her chakra as well as the sensation that would occur, it appears as if Hanpa merely stood there and watched her while being entirely oblivious to the genjutsu. Of course that was impossible… it would either work or not work, right? There wasn't some way his outfit or that strange helmet of his allowed him to just ignore genjutsu. Regardless, he did not react to it as he held his single handed seal, giving her that much so far and no more of his capabilities. "Those who do not listen, very well may miss something quite important. As I said before, Ignorance is inexcusable."
COMBAT: Hanpa attacks Renai with KUPPUKU with a roll of: 24
COMBAT: Renai defends against KUPPUKU(24) attack from Hanpa with a GENJUTSU-KAI…22
COMBAT: Renai loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: Renai attempts to GENJUTSU-KAI from Hanpa's stun and fails!
Her head tips to the side as she watches him. He is infuriating. There's no other way to describe it. This time, his attack succeeds. Try as she might to break her mind out of the trance, she kneels. Her hands clutch the grass to keep herself from groveling in some indignant manner. Her eyes narrow and she waits for the attack to wear off, rage building inside her as she's forced into this humiliating pose. She can't remember if it affected her this way before, but she learned the strongest defense she could against the attack at the time and no one has ever tried it again since. Until now. Irrational ideas of murder flood through her mind as she waits, imagining herself cutting into him with a blade or breaking his neck. It's that kind of blood-thirsty murderous intent that marks her as a shinobi of Kirigakure. She can deny it no more than her gender or age. It is an innate part of her being.
"Now that I have your attention… divided as it may be." Hanpa stated as he began to walk towards her, in control of the situation as it currently stood. "A passing vessel cannot harm the sea, nor should it try. Simply riding it out until the seas calm is the only recourse of an experienced captain." He drew closer and closer, soon standing before her, his shadow casting over her. Tilting his hooded, masked head down towards her, he would continue, "I mean what I say, girl of the Land of Water. Now… rise." he would say to her, offering a hand in encouragement. "This is not enough to halt you, but I do hope that it is enough to calm that raging spirit your island is renowned for. I did not come here to confront you, but I have learned much from it regardless." He would not free her of the genjutsu as, as far as he is concerned, she would rightfully find it offensive to be snared and then set free as if she were helpless.
COMBAT: Renai attempts to GENJUTSU-KAI from Hanpa's stun and fails!
Renai's temper flares when his shadow moves over her. She hears him say 'rise' and she can't so she thinks of the metaphorical meaning-her rage. Typically, Renai, being ex-Touketsu can master her emotions. But that ability is escaping her right now. She has met with too much disappointment lately. Disappointment with herself. With the results of her search. With the villages in general. And she can't control it. "I. Will. Kill. You." Small snaps can be heard as she starts to rip up the grass beneath her hands by the roots and her words escape her through clenched teeth. She means it with every fiber of her being.
Hanpa would pause then. Perhaps considering the danger before him or perhaps considering snuffing it out entirely. But then he would say, "I have not heard such a statement with such vigor in… so very long. I met a man once perhaps… not long after you were born. We met very much this same way. His genjutsu versus my genjutsu. This very same one actually. He lost, and he felt the same way. His goal became to defeat me and reclaim his honor." Rain would touch Renai's shoulder and shake her free as he said to her, "He became my most loyal sword. Someone I entrusted my life to on many occasions. So I suppose in a way… I take those words… as a compliment of sorts." Hanpa would then turn his back to her and begin to walk away. "Do as you will. It will not change my intentions. If you learn anything from this encounter, it should be that."
COMBAT: Hanpa attacks Renai with YANK with a roll of: 17
COMBAT: Renai defends against YANK(17) attack from Hanpa with a TENSE…10
As soon as he touches her shoulder, Renai rises, her body twisting and jerking away from him in a rather violent manner. The girl isn't listening to him. Her rage has boiled over into something far more destructive, but not to him. This is an entirely different battle and one that she can only fight with herself. His actions, however simple they might be, have broken walls in her that she tends to keep up, defenses she keeps to hide herself from the world. There is no response and no words. Should he turn to see where she has gone, he might see her running into the line of trees in the opposite direction, her white hair flying. And, if can't see her as she suspected that he might not, the point of chakra that /is/ her would move away from and vanish from the range of his senses.
Sensing her movements, her chakra, the interactions with the environment, he'd never truly taken his senses off of her at all. Appearances can be deceiving however, and that is also a weapon of the shinobi. Through this however, he would find that she was quite troubled by something at the moment. Surely it could not be just this small defeat. It must be compounded by her current circumstances. Still, she was interesting enough to keep tabs on. Perhaps another time, he just might be able to see another aspect of her without eliciting the same reactions as this time. For now however, he had others to make contact with. Perhaps even those who remember his name.
