Starring:
Hiroto, Fulgur (emitter)
Date: February 17, 2016
Summary:
Kotone has been wishing to help with relief efforts and in turn has donated her talents towards them. Extending out to fellow designers, she managed to gather up material to be taken and delivered for the purposes of various crafts. Unable to do the work alone, she enlists additional help in the form of Hiroto and her daughter Katashi to see the delivery through. In the middle of their run, they find unexpected help in the form of Ume and Taro who insist on helping the Kazekage's family.
"Tatsumihito Chronicles - Mother Always Knows"
Unknown location
"Katashi~! I need an update, what was I supposed to do today?" Kotone inquired of her daughter who then whipped out a book and searched over its contents with a sigh. "Mother, I'm beginning to question your razor sharp mind you say you have…" She snapped the book shut. "I'm not seeing it." Kotone huffed. "I'm perfectly fine, but I keep a busy schedule as you well know since you /are/ my scheduler. How can I be expected to make perfection when I have to focus on everything else? Like…appointments and orders." Kotone waved a hand dismissively at the idea. "Because those orders and appointments make up your business? Does that sound reasonable?" Katashi wondered to which Kotone gave pause to think. "Not exactly."
Katashi groaned and thumped the book over her head. "I don't know how you and Sorano function in life. How? Please, reveal to me your secrets? But I'll wait to receive that knowledge later. For now, I have to keep you on track because you're not on any kind of trail." She cleared her throat. "You have to make some deliveries. Really simple stuff. Just reams of material and cloth to go towards making all sorts of items for people. Clothing, bedding, that sort of thing." Kotone hummed. "Alright, that's doable. At least I wrote it down," she remarked. "Correction! /I/ wrote it down. For you. So your razor sharp mind wouldn't cut into pieces it wouldn't recognize." Katashi cut in, though Kotone smiled knowingly. "Yes, of course. How could I ever have forgotten? It's almost like my mind gave me the sense to hire you for that express purpose." Katashi opened her mouth speak, but sneered in response and grumbled. She's just been played. Again.
The two of them walked through the village to survey it and see what else could be managed under the circumstances. So far, there were a number of teams already out cleaning up and areas were being cleared quickly, even more so with the help of Ume and her group. There are some small sections that needed work, but something that could be managed by the groups already at work. Kotone would provide service in her own unique way and with the connections she's established, she's had materials delivered here to be used for people that lost their own. She offered to hire on workers both skilled and those that needed to be trained to make all sorts of items to assist those who went without them. Have to keep these people busy! But for now, deliveries.
Hiroto walked onwards through the village with a sigh. He had a cloak over his back and as well as that he had a hood over his head. A mask joined that covering his face. His normal one that he always wore and kept it on now. He sat on the side of the nearby building and watched as people moved through the area. He himself was trying to keep an eye out for thinks as he kept looking for info on what actually happened. Him trying to save Kishi from her prison. Of course not too long later he noticed that Katashi and Kotone were moving through the area and he dropped down to move over to them. "Hello. What could you both be doing? Anything of interest? Anything important I could help with?"
Kotone caught Hiroto dropping down from above, having inquiries that required answers and she was so ready to deliver them. "Anything you could help me with? Yes, absolutely. First, we need to do something about this…" She spoke as she took hold of his cloak and held it in her hand as if it was filthy. Katashi stepped in and moved Kotone aside gently with a sigh. "What she means to say is yes, she does need help. She has deliveries to make and could use an extra pair of hands."
Kotone pouted as she was pushed away. "I suppose I could use a bit of help and I can compensate you for it. I just need to move some materials from a holding warehouse to another. There, it will be safer and will be made available for use when it needs to be put together into diffrent items for workers I have on hand. By the way, if you know anyone who needs work, let them know about me."
Hiroto nods slowly. "I see…" He looked down at her hand on the cloak, and he frowned a bit. Of course then Katashi spoke up and he looked to her instead. "I see. That isn't what I meant at all, but I can do that I suppose." He looked between the two of them again. "Well it sounds easy enough and it is something easy for me to do. Or should be. Either way I guess I can help. And I will make sure to do so." He frowned a bit. "Lead me on?"
"Lead you on?" Kotone questioned as she placed herself nearby Hiroto and gathered her arms around him to lead him in the opposite direction of where they were going. "I know just where we need to go. We're going to head to a place that is more important right now." Katashi looked on at Kotone's antics before she approached and redirected them back to their normal path. "Deliveries first. You can worry about his appearance later." Kotone sighed. "Oh fine, I guess I'll do that first. Perfection will have to wait…"
After a time, they arrive at the warehouse where Kotone…does not produce the keys. "…This must end. Honestly," Katashi complained as she produced the keys herself to open the door. Inside were the materials that needed to be transported to the other warehouse including the vehicles to manage it. "Alright, now all we need to do is get these from one point to the next! Grab what you can and load them up gently into the wagons, here," Kotone instructed.
Hiroto looked at Kotone as her arm was placed around him and he said nothing before simply following along. Then Katashi walked over and stopped that and he just looked between all of them. "Your family is weird you know? But that isn't a bad thing really." He chuckled a bit. "And why do I have to have my clothes changed? Did you plan to force me to change out of these? What if these are what is comfortable?" He asked of Kotone, and kept walking now with Katashi. When they got there he just chuckled a bit at the both of them. "Amusing." All he said before stepping inside. "Alright Kotone. No problem." He started grabbing materials and placing them into the wagons. It was simple work really and it took his mind off of things.
"Now, to answer your question. What I do is improvement. I don't need to take away from what you already have in order to make it look good," Kotone chuckled. "No, I can take what you have and make it better. I can still maintain familiar comfort and transform it into something completely new. My skill in this is rarely, if at all, matched." She watched him load up the wagon along with Katashi.
"I know my family is weird. To be honest, I sometimes wonder if I was just a mistake. That I was somehow misplaced into this family. The answer is always no. I'm not upset with that answer. I love my family very much, but yes, even I recognize that they have the tendency to be very strange. Eccentrism, curiously, is a trait that is strongly associated with my mother and Sorano. It also was something my mother's father hadaccording to what she's told about himgiven that she carries his genes very strongly. The hair and eyes are guaranteed to pass down each successive generation. I haven't figured out why that is and my mother has not revealed much about it either." Katashi placed the materials she gathered into the wagon.
Hiroto nods to Kotone and smiles. "Well I will be sure to let you give me the improvement then. I don't think it could hurt any." He smiled a bit again before looking at Katashi. "Weird isn't a bad thing you know? Weird makes your family special, and it is something I have enjoyed about them. Of course I have not gotten the chance to meet Kishi in a non hostile enviroment sadly. I hope one day that can happen." He frowned a moment. "Yes… I know Sorano well I would say. And Kotone is where she gets that from huh?" He looked over. "Interesting… She isn't as bad as Sorano is she?" He looked back at Katashi. "Well at least your hair and eyes are interesting as well." He chuckled, and gathered more.
"Good. Just trust me with this, I know what I'm doing. This is my life's work, after all," Kotone winked. While they were loading, she was counting and checking to ensure everything was running smoothly. Katashi continued with her end of the deal and helped Hiroto continue to load the wagon. "I'm not disappointed in their weirdness, but I can appreciate your support," she smirked. "And the compliment. I don't feel any contention with looking the way I do. I take after my father. To look like either Kotone or Sorano is a rarity that only exists in our family." She looked over to Kotone momentarily and caught a shadow moving around the warehouse door. She pointed it out silently to her so that she'd know before returning back to her work.
"Kishi also takes after our father. I'm certain that you've noticed that Itami varies the greatest in terms of appearance. White hair, red eyes. That isn't native to the family…" She worked up the last of her load and waited for Hiroto to finish his. "You needn't worry about Kishi, though," she branched off that subject back to her eldest sister. "She'll be alright. As far as Sorano and mother are concerned, they both alternate between extremes. They're as bad as one another, if that makes any sense?" She laughed to herself. "It could be said that Sorano learned the eccentrism from her and in many ways she did, but the capacity to learn it was already there. Combined together, they're a force to be reckoned with."
The shadows continued until Kotone had enough and approached the door to lift it and see who it was. It was revealed to be Taro. She lofted a brow at him. "Is there something I can help you with?" He observed Kotone closely before looking up to see into the warehouse. Before long, Ume was coming along after him. "Taro, my goodness you move much too quickly for me sometimes! But it appears as if you've stumbled across something. Let's see…" Upon arriving at the warehouse, Ume set her eyes on Kotone and she gasped to herself. "Oh dear, this is what you found? The way you moved, I thought you finally found the hooligan we were seeking out." Kotone looked between Ume and Taro curiously prior to speaking up again. "Is there something the matter?" Ume shook her head. "Oh no, nothing at all. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Taro must have thought the person we were after came through here. Doesn't appear to be the case, but while we're here, it would be an honor to help with the Kazekage's family."
Hiroto looked over at Kotone, and nods slowly. "Alright. I feel like I can trust you. I have not been let down yet by your family. So I am looking forward to it." He smiled a bit and stretched as he loaded another set there, and glanced back at Katashi. "I would hope not. They are your family." He nods a bit and smiles. "Well you all look fine you know? You are all your own people even though some genes are shared between you." He grabbed another box and walked to set it down again. "Yep." And that was the last of his load. "I know I don't need to. I still plan to help though." He stretched more so. "Oh? Like they compete or something? So when one hops further on the extreme the other one raises the bar and they alternate doing that? Interesting really….. I can only imagine. With….how Sorano was with I mean. Have you heard of her lessons?" He asked of her with uncertainty. Then suddenly Taro and Ume showed up. Good…. he wouldn't mind seeing more of them. "Oh? Good to see you Ume. Taro." He walked over. "How have you been? Sunagakure's troubled times have not been too rough on you have they?" He waited. "Anyways do you need any help looking for this person? I could help if you need it. Maybe me work with Taro here to find em?"
"Err, alright," Kotone shrugged. "This one can pull that," she pointed out the wagon and Taro, respectively. "He's certainly sizable enough for the job." Taro was signaled by Ume to go and grab hold of the wagon so he could wheel it to the location it was bound for. "I'm assuming he's mute," she added as a question to Ume. "Ah, yes, he doesn't speak much. He's not mute, just…very quiet at times. He can be talkative, but not openly in public in most cases." Kotone nodded to herself as she checked off her list. "Your perfume…it's lovely." Ume chuckled. "I am tickled to hear that you enjoy it. I tend to blend oils and scents to see what works. It would appear this one does the trick!"
Katashi observed Ume and Taro from afar while the former talked with her mother. "They complement one another in the strangest way. They don't compete more so than join together and feed off of one another's energy." She folded her arms. "I've…heard of Sorano's lessons. They're not so much lessons as they are tasks that manifest for whatever the moment calls for. I'm aware of what…lessons she's given you. I'll just let her stick to speaking on that subject." As Hiroto walked off to greet Ume and Taro, Katashi stayed beind to secure the wagon so that Taro could come and pick it up without any issues.
"Sunagakure's troubled times have not been rough on us, no. At least, not physically, but from an emotional standpoint, we certainly sympathize with the people. We've been going around trying to provide help wherever we could and the villagers appear to be taking well to us," Ume described to Hiroto happily. "This person isn't all that consequential, it was just some young man trying to scavenge the relief sites for opportunities. We chased him out here and then he disappeared. We'll find him later or at least, the shinobi will. For now, we'll offer our help here."
Hiroto nods a bit to Katashi before walking off. He stepped right up to the others as the talk of perfume came up. "Oh? I suppose it does smell nice. How do you make it? Or a better thing would be what do you use to blend this particular perfume? I might try to get it for someone." He smiled a bit and made it seem like he was lovestruck. The mask still covering most of his face, but his eyes were not covered. "I see. That is a sad thing I will say. The people who are going through troubles I mean. It is good you are helping them like you are. Sunagakure thanks you for that."
"What do I use to blend it?" Ume repeated the question. "Well, I go to shops that specialize in selling incense first. There are always base ingredients that go into many different types of incense and by extension oils," she began. "Frankincense, myrrh, musk, and aloeswood to name a few. Once you start with those, you can branch out into other areas. Spices and additional herbs. One such spice is cinnamon. Flowers such as sakura blossoms. The list can go on and on, but to narrow it down, each of these can be treated into oils or incense. You blend some of these together and can produce different kinds of perfumes. I'm certain Sunagakure has plenty of these kinds of places that you can look into and see what works best for this someone you speak of," she winks.
Kotone nodded in agreement. "What she says is true, however to blend them the way she does, you'd have to have some sort of mastery. The balance is perfect," she regarded to which Ume responded with a thankful bow. "I try my best. As for Sunagakure's thanks, I'm more than receptive to their thanks and hope I can do more to assist the village. I'm certain you all would like to be on your way now, so let's get started, hm? Taro is ready and waiting patiently."
Kotone opened the door to the warehouse to allow Taro passage before closing it once everyone had exited out onto the street. She'd then guide them off to their destination.
Hiroto nods to Ume and smiled a bit. "I see. Anything rare you use, or anything you would recommend? How about something you wouldn't think to normally use?" He frowned a moment. "I wonder if poisonous materials can be used as well in a non poisonous form?" He chuckled a bit. "There are a few interesting things we could check out in that case you know?" He looked onwards and left with the others into the street. "I understand that for sure. Wanting to help them more. For me they helped me so why not help them." He chuckled some. "Alright Kotone. Where to?" He looked and waited for direction and expected Katashi to speak up for her or something.
"There are very few plants that are poisonous that can be utilized with non-lethal or damaging results when treated. So, I wouldn't recommend using anything that could be deemed poisonous," Ume hummed. "Just as a precaution," she added. "But I don't use anything particularly rare or out of reach. Every so often I might experiment with rarities, but it all depends on if they have a scent you favor. I would recommend…" She considered for a few moments, "Plum blossom. Very simple, but elegant, tried and true scent. You can't go wrong with it. If you have any questions about poisonous items, I would speak with those that work at the Mystic Flower Gardens or at the incense shops around the village. They're sure to lead you in the right direction!"
Kotone continued to lead the way until they made it to the warehouse where they would drop off the materials for delivery. "Alright, we're here~. I think you all know the drill. By you all, I mean Hiroto and Katashi." Katashi got to work immediately and went into the wagon to unload its cargo. Taro decided to help by reaching in and gathering…a lot. This guy was awfully strong. Katashi admired his help, though it was balanced out with some mild fear about how he was able to carry all that material with ease. At least that cut the workload in half. "The wagon is almost empty thanks to Taro, here," Katashi complimented to him and Ume. "Fabulous! He's glad to help, by the way. He may not express it much, but I know he wanted me to let you know."
Hiroto looked at Ume and nodded slowly. "Plum blossom. Sounds nice really. And I will be sure to check on those places for those possible items." He chuckled a bit, and his eyes rested on Ume for a moment as they walked. He wandered if those spores could be utilized in such a fashion. Without the effect full on brain washing. Maybe it even keeps the persuasive quality of it. Allowing someone like Ume to persuade people to do things of some nature for them. It was a stretch, and he sadly couldn't ask her straight out.
They arrived at the new place now and he simply watched a moment as Taro grabbed like half the things there. "Wow. Taro is built." He chuckled a bit, and looked to Katashi for a moment before looking back at Taro. "Talk about someone you would want on your side huh? I am glad you are on ours." He chuckled again. Hiroto couldn't carry the same as Taro, and wouldn't even try then. "I am sure we are all glad for his help."
Katashi acquired the last of the load, though Taro offered to take it off her hands and put it away in the warehouse for her. "Oh, a gentleman. How nice." She had no qualms about letting him take that load. Absolutely none. "And that's everything. The checklist is accounted for and the delivery has been made," Kotone signed off on the list and left it in the warehouse for the workers to check into the next day. Any copies of the forms she filled out and kept for herself. "Thank you all for your assistance. I didn't expect any help to come along, but it helped me take care of this much faster than the both of us alone," she gestured to herself and Katashi. "But that takes care of this. I have other duties to tend to…" She gingerly grabbed at Hiroto's cloak again and Katashi responded by smacking her hands lightly. She rubbed at them with a pouty frown.
"I'll let you all tend to your business. We ought to part ways ourselves. Have to make sure the group is doing well and can deliver nothing but good reports for their help around here," Ume cited as reasoning to leave. "Oh and my regards to your daughter. I know it must be difficult seeing her held away in this time. It's just unfortunate what took place." Kotone's brows knitted quickly, but the expression subsided quickly. "Thank you. It is hard to be separated from her, but it is my hope that she will be freed soon. She's innocent."
Ume hummed. "Forgive me, but I just wish to ask…How do you know she's innocent?" Ume wondered. Kotone inhaled deeply. "Because I'm her mother and I know my daughter very well. She's not anything that has been described." Ume nodded. "I couldn't agree more. A good mother does know her children well…"
Hiroto looked at Taro and smiled slightly. He then moved a bit and would of happily let Kotone take him for a make over of sorts, but it didn't seem Katashi agreed with that. Either way he didn't really mind as he was just happy to help with it all. His eyes shifted now to Ume who started speaking, and it brought his brow higher. "Oh?" He frowned and watched the talk take place before stepping over himself. "Ume. I think in most peoples eyes she is the guilty party, but the thing about most people is they look at what is on the outside. What everyone wants you to see. The thing that is shown to mislead you. Me and people like me don't look at the outside. We look on the inside and decipher every little detail before we state someone is guilty or innocent. Including Kishi. I think she is innocent until it is proven that she did what she did purposively." He rubbed a hand across the side of his face. "I can only imagine how calculated someone would have to be though to devise this plan. A lot would go into it, and it was done well to make Kishi look like the bad guy. Hard not to just jump right onto that train, but we have to be sure first don't we? In the end Sunagakure will figure it out though and they will come out on top. We always do." His eyes shifted to hers, and then he turned away to walk back to Katashi. "Do you know when Itami is gonna be back in Sunagakure?" And then he would start a conversation with her that would go on for who knows how long.
