Starring:
Date: November 22, 2015
Summary:
Fujiko updates Sunagakure's Obelisk with reports of a cult forming group of bandits, and impersonates Itami to dig information from him regarding their 'relationship'.
"Midnight Social with the Jackal"
Deserts Outside of Sunagakure
There are many things that Rikuto has been teaching Fujiko. Some of which include attempting to breach her of her personal fashion styles. The Jackal spends her time in the desert, even now when the moon is starting to settle doe Fujiko sit against the dunes. Coated in several layers of different robes, and hood drawn over her head, she watches the stars in the sky move. Her facial expression kept neutral, and no real poetic words came to mind. There was no one to hear those words anyways, and did it matter? She does not know that there is one seeking her, and so she is easily spotted. The moon light actually shines over the white robes she wears, making oh-so easy to spot.
Kuoroke's dark robes, lightly illuminated from below by his skates and sliding over the sand like a humanoid shred of night, provides a remarkable counterpoint to Fujiko's own outfit. With a flutter of that cloak and a rustly of the sand under his feet, he slides up near Fujiko. "Good evening. Had a productive day?"
"Well. Long time no see, Kuoroke-Kyogajin." Fujiko would slip her hands out from behind her head as she stood up, tugging her hood over her head to hide her eyes. She would yawn rather loudly regardless as she dusted her sides off. "Approaching like a dangerous stranger in the night. How mysterious…"
"I've been busy today." Kuoroke answers. "This was the earliest I could schedule meeting you, unfortunately. Nothing mysterious about it. But, you haven't answered the question. -A valuable skill, incidentally.- Have you been productive today?"
"Absolutely not." She replies. "Productive would imply that I've done something to further myself or my village. That, unfortunately, has yet to happen." Now, that doesn't mean she has been slouching! Oh no… She has not. "They've been wise. I have not seen a stranger pass through our gates in a long time. Other than my mission to Stone, under the serene tutelage of the Muse of the Sands which was a dreadful ordeal, I have felt as if progress has been slow." She would bow, apologetically. "Stone was not seeking to create a hidden village after all. A waste of time!"
Kuoroke glances at her. "Why haven't you? You've had all day to be." He answers reprimanding. "As for the village- at least we now know that they don't, which in itself is a useful thing. Did you meet anyone of interest on your trip there?"
"Yes. I did." Fujiko notes as she raises her body up and places one of her hands atop the other in front of her stomach. "Interest is what you said, correct? Then I must inform you that I met a curiosity of an individual before we even arrived in the Land of Stone. He had a crazed glint in his eyes, and he wished curses upon our land. I did not silence him, but I do remember how he appeared to predict that Sunagakure would be no longer. He held no animosity towards the village, only fear. He talked to me about a religious organization, when I pressed him…"
Kuoroke drops down onto the sand next to Fujiko. "There's no-one out there, you know…" he mutters, looking into the distance. Then, he turns back to her. "A religious organisation, you say? Hm. I don't know if you've submitted the full report yet, but if so it hasn't passed my desk. Can you describe what happened?"
"Do my reports ever reach your desk? Tsk. The Beaurocracy we have must be crippling. I suppose next time the report will come directly to you. Very well." Fujiko would drop to the sands, sliding her hood off. Her eyes are closed a moment. "I will summarize this event the best I can. Rikuto and I came across a burning village, though we could not stay for long. The inhabitants were driven out, though none were killed. There was a man, whom was knelt at a nearby oasis, looking into the water as if reflecting. When we approached, he seemed receptive to basic forms of verbal interrogation. He told us there was a cult brewing that had sentiments against the Daimyo. Possible a disgruntled farmer turned religious, but he appeared to have enough zeal amongst the people he did gather to burn a village. There's that. They worship some sort of moon-god or whatnot. That is about all I know, added to what I have told you. As I said, we could not return to the village as we were already on the border. I compiled it in my report, but… it appears that has mysteriously disappeared."
"I'm not the only person in the department, nor, likely, the best-suited one for that particular event." Kuoroke answers, unbothered. "I'm not specialist in religious organisations. Although, now that I'm officially your team leader, I suppose all your reports should be going through me. Anyway, you report aside, what's stopped you from being productive today?"
Fujiko feels as if they will be scouting and/or infiltrating the organization anyways, just because they have been put on a few of those missions already. They, being she and Zankaru. Fujiko would smile and giggle at Kuoroke, her hand reaching up to cover her face to be proper. "I was not productive, because even ninja need downtime." She would move forward on all fours until she was in front of the sitting Kuoroke, before she dropped to her side with her elbow in the sand and her head supported by her hand. "That includes you. The whispers say they call you a work harder than a drunkard works his bottle. So much that you even have a reputation. Oh. By the way. Welcome to the team. Officially, Kuoroke-san."
"A few hours, perhaps. An entire day is a waste." Kuoroke answers. "As for your 'whispers'… I take my duty to the village seriousy, as any of Sunagakure's shinobi should." He casts a slightly surprised glance at Fujiko at the welcome, but then smiles. "Thank you. I hope my joining it will help us all serve the village and its people better." Kuoroke looks back at the village, smiling slightly.
COMBAT: Fujiko attacks target 1 with SAND-SHAPE-DISGUISE with a roll of: 37
Fujiko wondered if Kuoroke's adoration was due to other things. Kuoroke's short glance back at the village gave Fujiko the chance to greate a seal. And when he looks back, he would see that Fujiko had taken Itami's form, and her voice. "Hopefully, your Kazekage primarily… After all, don't we share a special, special relationship?" Fujiko would as through Itami's monicker. Red slitted eyes narrowed at Kuoroke as the image of the current Kazekage in her more social outfits stood up, and looked towards the village as she took a stern look at the village. She placed her hands behind her back and clasped them there. That is, before she sort of drops the formal attitude quite quickly, chuckling. "No, I don't think I've ever thought you'd let me down." Fujiko relaxes the Kazekage's attitude, knowing that the Kazekage can't really keep herself serious in social situations for very long. "Right, Kuoroke?" No over-the top happy smirks, but just a soft smirk at the Kuroki. "It's not because you and I have a special history together. Just duty."
The Kuroki watches, adjusting his glasses briefly. "You may find it interesting," Kuoroke replies, once she's done, dispassionately, "or perhaps amusing, to know that I had the reputation you referred to before the Kazekage assumed her current post." A pause, and the he grins. "Let's see your Sousa impression."
''Itami'' would shake her head, slipping her arm under her bust and shake her head. "Sorry, Sensei. One Kazekage at a time. Besides, I'm starting to feel what it is like to be a married woman. I think I like it." She says as a matter-of-factly. "I feel like I have someone waiting for me when I return home." The face would crack, and pieces of sand would fall off of her visage as she looked at Kuoroke. Eventually, Itami gives way to Fujiko. Her voice returns to as it was. brushing her hair behind her head Fujiko would smile. "Ah, I'm rather glad you are not running me through for even attempting to impersonate the Kazekage. Even though I know very little of this relationship that she has hinted at to me before, I feel I did a decent attempt." Kuoroke should have seen what Rikuto did to her for impersonating Koemi. Let's just say it was an evening full of pain, near-death experience, and plenty of 'scars'. "Never take your eyes off the enemy, they will take that moment of distraction and destroy you with it. I saw an opportunity, and I couldn't let it slip through my hands. Apologies."
"Running your people through for such offenses is wasteful. It'd be hard to train another shinobi of your level, even ignoring other aspects of you individually." Kuoroke answers. "And, such practice is helpful. As long as you don't try to abuse these abilities to further your own agenda, I'd see them as a welcome exercise. Especially when you're trying to impersonate someone I know fairly well, considering my close personal relationship with her." The Kuroki's tone and expression don't change for a moment, but at the end of this sentence he does look at Fujiko quite attentively.
Fujiko would nearly bow. "The Shukaku and I do not see Eye to Eye. That much is certain, but I have learned a few things… A few things that I believe will benefit the village immensely. Today I have not done anything useful, but I have not been idle, I assure you."
Kuoroke raises an eyebrow. "I'm curious, though. What did you mean with your comment about knowing what it's like to be a married woman?" he asks.
Fujiko looks at Kuoroke with a raised eyebrow. Though, once she processes what Kuoroke asked her she once again crosses her arms underneath her chest and muses. "… For those of us who do not have another. For those of us whose parents no longer exist, figuratively or literally. For those of us who are afraid to fall asleep alone. For those of us who wish to fall into someone's arms." She looks away from Kuoroke. "… When we have someone there by our sides, someone who we can trust to keep our lies to themselves… Someone to cry to when we are sad, or laugh with when we are happy… Someone to share our anger with, with whe have bottled it up for so long… It must be nice to have another, I suppose."
Kuoroke listens, an eyebrow still raised. "If you say so, I guess." He answers. "And you've found someone like that, then, if I understand you correctly?"
"No, but putting myself in her shoes… A requirement of impersonating someone… made me think about it carefully, and empathize with what it must be like… I am an unlovable person." Fujiko says as she turns and moves away. "Someone who only becomes attached with those that I find useful. I have yet to find love or passion. Just pretend…." She would gather a scroll from the sand and turn to bow. "I'm only human, though. I just have a monster within me. I desire human things… Goodnight, Kuoroke."
