Starring:
Date: April 4, 2012
Summary:
Goh arrives in Kirigakure, keen to catch up on all events that he's missed.
Poster's note: Profanity filtered in obvious places.
"The Arrival at Kirigakure"
Village Entrance, Kirigakure
It's been a long road for the blonde traveller! Having ventured to Konoha then Suna, the Pickler has now finally arrived in the Village Hidden in Mists. With his backpack strapped on, he sort of comes to a slow stop as he takes a good look around. As if taking the scene in. It had certainly changed a little. It was a different season to begin with, but… that wasn't it. No, the air. It feels far more tense. Far more on edge. Even the Chuunin Guards that check his paperwork appear to be more gruff than usual.
Taking a step into the area, he lifts a hand to his forehead. As if it would help him see. "Where do I even begin?" He mutters.
The sun is beginning to set, making the winds cooler. The night is beginning to dawn at Kirigakure.<repose>
Takeshi has taken time out of his day to sit at the gates. Nothing really to do anyways and he got to watch the people coming in and out. Yes, this is what old men, old retired shinobi men, do when they're bored, they people watch, because what else is there to do when you're this old? Oh, knit, but we won't talk about that and he doesn't have a woman, so that's a no go. Yep, people watching, the past time of champions. That and chatting up the shinobi at the gates to get the latest news.
Of course, after this morning, there is plenty of words to be had about gossip. Whoever that idiot was.
Tsiro walks past the gate and spots Takeshi. He raises an eyebrow up. The old man was getting strange. "Old man, you know last time I saw you, you had a pretty girl stroking your ego. Why you sitting here? Shouldnt you be getting her flowers or a new uniform that is slightly too tight? Come on. Just cause your retired does not mean your dead."
The boy looks around and spots the blond-haired guy being harrassed by the guards looking through his papers. "Poor guy. Bet you a few ryo they give him the extra tax…"
Goh's paperwork appears to make the cut, causing him to grin widely. "Thanks, guards of Kirigakure." Giving them a pat on the shoulder, which in turn is given a sort of evil look in response, the blonde walks a bit further in. The first person he spots is Takeshi. The old man, just sitting there appearing so comfortable. Near him was Tsiro. The pickler didn't really recognise either of them, to be honest. But he had not been to Kirigakure since the time of Mitsuo, so plenty has changed.
"Good evening, everyone! I must say, it's a nice change not to be grilled by Mitsuo by just trying to get entry." He looks around, almost expecting the ex-Mizukage to come out of the shadows. "I don't suppose any of you can help me out? It's been… well, a few years since I've been here."
Takeshi raises an eyebrow at Tsiro, "Do what? i'm not the kind of old man you think I am." There's a sigh and he turns back to look at Goh, "Oh, greetings. Mitsuo is gone, Hikan is our mizukage now. What do you mean? The village hasn't changed. We're not ones for change really. But welcome back none the less, I'm Kaguya Odori Takeshi, Kaguya Clan Elder."
"Sure.." Tsiro says sarcastically. He was surprised the blonde man had asked fo help. Especially in Kirigakure. Most of the shinobi there filed their teeth and had very bad attitudes. The boy chooses the introduce himself after the old man does. "Kaguya Tsiro. Kaguya Clan Beast." The last part was made up, but he didnt care.
"Really? Hasn't changed?" Goh replies to Takeshi, as if he's a little off. "You must not have noticed it. Sort of like if you sit in a bath and it slowly heats up. You don't notice, y'know? But if you jump out for a bit then come back in, you notice the change. The air is really heavy around here. Tense, more than usual. What's going on? I heard Kirigakure got repelled in those Wars, but I didn't think the backlash would be this bad."
Looking down at Tsiro, he cannot help but give a chuckle. "Beast, huh? Keep gunning for it, kid. I'm sure you'll get there one day." He clears his throat.
"I was looking for the markets. Are they open every day? Do you guys know any good vendors?"
Takeshi quriks a brow, "I suppose an outsider would know. If there's any tension it's because of something that happened this morning. Nothing to worry about, just the buzz of everyone spreading the word about it." Then he yawns, "The markets are open every day, here and at the docks. They stay open until dawn, some of them stay open later than that, depends on what they do."
The younger Kaguya laughs as his crimson eyes glare towards the man. "If you want to test my ability, I've got nothing scheduled for the next ten minutes." He glanced towards Takeshi, almost as if waiting for a lecture on reasons to be nice to those who wondered into town. Then again he was also wondering if the man would accept.
"I'm always one for gossip, Elder Takeshi!" Goh cries out in enthusiasm, laughing a bit. "Tell me the goss, man. What's this something that's happened? I can't go and sell my amazing wares if I'm down on this sort of information. I need to be able to relate to the people here, after all." Looking back down to Tsiro, he sort of tilts his head. "Sorry kid, maybe next time. Somehow, I don't think fighting a youngster will get me much respect around here. And besides, you'd probably slice'n'dice me with your skills. Kaguya, right?" He scratches his head, as if to confirm. Yeah, that sounded right. Amazing Taijutsu skills and stuff. "I'm a Pickler. Not really a Warrior. Sorry."
An evening stroll was the last thing on Daomi's mind as the energy and stamina alone required for the task was often times a bit much for the boy to handle. Though, when you receive a request from the clan elders to do this or that, you're left with little in regards to choices. Still, he couldn't understand why exactly he was chosen to go out for reconnaissance, as anyone else from the clan would have been better suited for the task. Being there in back before the sun could set.
The boys pace didn't quicken as the hours passed. It remained the same, one foot in front of the next. A steady walk to keep his body from going numb. As he reaches the gates, in hopes of leaving to head toward the caves. He spots a gathering of sorts, that catches his interest. Mostly because it's rare to catch a Kaguya out of their village if not in the arena. Also, the sight of a new individual is always good for….research.
Gripping the cane in one hand tightly, he presses it hard against the ground to lean against it for support as he makes his way over.
Takeshi shakes his head, "It's not important for a traveller. They'll buy your wares regardless of what happened. There was a flood so I'm sure you have something they need that can't be remade that easily. So that way, i'm sure you'll find plenty of people willing to buy in the markets, shinobi included."
And Tsiro remains unlectured by the old man. Either he was he growing on Takeshi or the old man had just had enough of his childish antics. The boy shrugs his shoulders at the blonde man before looking over to Daomi. He was glad to see the boy out and about. He still felt sympathetic towards the boy's leg. In fact it was probably one of the worst fates the boy could think of.
Goh grumps a little bit, not seeming happy. "Well, if you're sure. But who am I to doubt the words of an Elder?" He offers with a small grin. "If I can sell my wares here, I'm pretty confident that this Village will return to the bubbly place it used to be." Surely he must be taking the juice, or something. "It's never really the people's fault, after all. About the reputation this place has. I mean, look at you guys. All seem happy enough."
Turning about, the Pickler takes a small glance to Daomi, and the leg. "Good evening." He doesn't ask what happened, though he certainly is curious. "I'm Goh, by the way. Good to meet everyone. I'm one of the worlds best Picklers of everything vegetable related! Some call me the best in the world!"
Reaching the three, Daomi stops just short of a few yards as he simply peers at each one, building his own reasonings for exactly why they would be out at such a time and who this person might be. Seeing Takeshi out was definitely surprising for the boy. Naturally he assumes it has to do with the new individual, being enough to prompt the elder to greet the man. Then again, pure coincidences have been bound to happen.
The boy stabs the cane into the ground in front of him, then places both hands on the hook to rest them idly. His eyes catches Tsiro's as the Kaguya looks toward him and the silence was enough to let him know what the other was thinking. Normally a nod or even a gesture would be given, but absolute nothing was perhaps a first. "Pleased. I'm Okumo Daomi." Turning to the ever so enthused man. "That's quite interesting. The arts of pickling vegetables, that is. Tell me more. How does one pickle them and become the best? Are there others like you, seeking to be the best at pickling…vegetables." Curiously he tilts his head, waiting for a response.
Takeshi shrugs at Goh, "It's the truth. The flood means that some of the crops were washed out. I'm sure they'll buy your goods. It'll help them stock up until they can get another harvest out of their fields." He turns to Daomi and then looks at the leg, "Did something interesting happen there Daomi?"
Tsiro looked back towards Takeshi as he asked about Daomi's leg. The boy had already found out the cause. He then glances towards the blonde man as he is about to answer about pickling. The boy was not even sure what pickled food tasted like. Yuuka did all the cooking for him. Heck, if he was trapped out in the woods, he would probably kill an animal and eat it raw…. even if he had fire as his disposal. He just was not skilled in the art of the cooking. On the upside though, he might remove the fur before eating.
Slinging his backpack off his shoulders, Goh makes a motion to use it as a seat and sits on it. Something soft and comfortable to park on, really. "That's a fantastic question, Daomi! And one I am very pleased to hear you ask. You see," He leans forward, as if whispering. Trying not to let the secret out. "…the key to pickling vegetables is to put your soul into the pickling process. Rare herbs, spices and juices. Found from all around the world!" He winks, before leaning back and speaking back at normal volume. "Which is also why I'm here. There are some rare herbs that can only be found in Kirigakure. They can really boost the flavour. Though, given the recent floods, I'm not sure whether they will be as accessible as I thought." A brief frown, before a shrug. "There are many who would wish for nothing more than to get to the throne of the pickling world, my young friend. I am just one of hundreds. Thousands, even. The difference is, MY stuff charges the life-force. Invigorates the soul.
Twisting on his bag a little bit, he lets out a bit of a sigh. "Well, I guess the hunt starts regarding vendors." When Takeshi asks about the leg, Goh falls silent a bit. He's curious too.
Daomi stared at the man in silence, simply listening as the other spoke. The passion in the words was almost enough to charge the life-force, making it some what surprising this..Goh, was not a motivational speaker of sorts. A team leader or even something else. To fall into the world of pickling vegetables, it was indeed an interesting path. Though so long as the man enjoys it and shows to love it, that's all that matters.
"Yes, the floods." Glancing about the area, seeing where his eyes would allow in the moonlight before returing to look at Goh. "They seemed to have reached every where but the caverns near the cliff. The waters tried to reach it, but simply cascaded off the edge like a waterfall…There's a bit of a…tropical oasis nestled within. Perhaps you can find something of value there." Slowly he lifts a hand from his cane, twisting it palm up and fingers outstretched, "In return for this information, I will take a pickled vegetable."
He'd wait just long enough before either receiving one or not, before looking over toward Takeshi. "Nothing of interest really. A mere birth defect from when the spiders were introduced into the womb whilst I 'incubated'. Apparently my body didn't respond well to the poisons of the spider and left me with a bit of muscle deterioration." Fingers idly tapping against the cane, "Its progress is slow, but it may leave me chair bond in a matter of years or less."
Tsiro decides to follow the old man. If it was about killing stuff, maiming, or even breaking things he might have held interest. Instead it was about soaking vegetables in juice. Exciting… Tsiro offers a bow and then runs off towards Takeshi. "So old man…" can be heard as he runs off.
"That's terrible." Goh replies in a grave manner, before reaching into his backpack. "Here. For such a sad story and the information, I'll give you a whole jar of the stuff." Proceeding to pull out a ceramic jar, perhaps 10 centimeters high and five wide. It's sealed tightly with a cork, ensuring that the flavour remains inside. Written across it is the symbol for 'PICKLE'. "This is some of my special stuff. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if this reversed your muscle degeneration. That's how amazing my items are." He hands the thing over to Daomi.
If he chooses to open it, a positively disgusting odor will erupt from the jar. Well, that is to say, disgusting to most people. Pickled vegetables are a VERY acquired taste, leaving 9 out of 10 people to turn their nose up in disgust. But to a connoisseur in the pickling business, it's actually pretty good. If you can handle the stench.
"I appreciate the information about the oasis caverns. I'm sorry about your leg. The healers here really cannot do anything about it?" As Takeshi and Tsiro makes his leave, Goh moves to stand back up and put his backpack back on. "I guess if it's not about gutting something up, the Kaguya aren't excited." There's an honest shrug, before an evil looking smile. "I'll win them over."
The two Kaguya come and gone, Daomi can only wonder if it had something to do with him interrupting what ever was going on before he arrived. Though it still seemed like little more then discussions about pickled vegetables, he finds it hard to believe it was because of him. "Thank you" He says as he grasps the jar in one hand and looks it over. For a whole jar, it was smaller then he expected, but it was still more then one. Which he originally requested.
The jar is then placed inside the opening of his kimono and tucked away for later, having no appetite as of yet and eating might take more energy then he has to spare. "Ahh." watching as the man stands up, apparently everyone was about to leave. Which wouldn't be a bad idea for himself either, "If they could, my clan wouldn't allow it without their direct supervision. They don't want our secrets to get out, about becoming hosts for arachnids."
"That sounds really complicated." Goh says, shuffling on his feet from side to side. "Well, what would you say if I knew someone…" The blonde gets out, peering at the boy carefully. "She's a super medical ninja. Total babe, too. Probably the best healing ninja at the moment. In the whole world. I'm not just carrying on, either. She could fix you up lickety split, I'd wager! She could probably even do it without finding stuff out about your clan. I know that can be a touchy subject." He lifts a hand to rub his chin.
"Mind you. If she doesn't stop the initial cause, will the degeneration come back? Hmmm. I dunno, I'm no healer. It just seems to me that your clan wouldn't be entirely happy if you'd be stuck to a chair for life at the lovely age of twelve. Know what I mean?" He shrugs. "Give it some thought. She's probably already on her way. I'm meeting her here for something different, actually. She's a Wanderer though, like me. So she's not a super spy or anything."
"I appreciate the offer of her services, honestly. Though as it stands now, besides being a slight annoyance, it doesn't effect me as a shinobi. I was never good at fighting anyways, at least when it came to hand to hand and I was always slower then the rest when sent out on missions. So long as the poison stays away from my brain, I can still manage." Daomi grasped at the cane and moved it to his side, leaning against it once again, "I'm more of the inquisitive type. Something that I believe has put Tsiro off when we are teamed together. He doesn't like that I access the scene past the point needed before making any decisions. Even with confronted with the enemy and watching my team mates being attacked around me. I still wait and even try and have a dialogue with those that will allow it." A free hand slips inside the opening of his kimono, resting there for now. "When I am hit, it does hurt. Bruising and taking a bit longer then most others to heal. So I try to refrain from being hit."
It was quite a tangent the boy went off on, slightly relevant to the conversation, but not exactly what Goh wanted to hear. "With all that said…I will still give it some thought. Some days down the road I might find myself needing to be cured of this affliction."
Goh listens intently, before looking up into the night sky. "Honestly, this place keeps surprising me." He mutters in a smile, digging hands into the pockets of his baggy pants. "To think that I would meet someone like you in Kirigakure. You sure do go against the norm, kid." Taking a hand out, he moves to ruffle Daomi's hair in a playful manner. "At the very least, she might be able to prolong the affects of your infliction. So instead of being reduced to a chair in a couple of years, it might be five." He honestly shrugs. "But I don't want to say any more. For all I know, it could be impossible. But I certainly hope not."
Thinking it through, he beckons Daomi to follow him. "You know, you're probably the perfect match-up for Tsiro. He seems very gung ho about things. That's not a bad thing, really. It's just the typical way of a Kirigakure nin. Well, ninja in general. I'm like that when I'm focussed too. But it helps so much to have someone level headed around the team too. To carefully analyse the situation. Shinobi like you are invaluable, if you ask me. You're the first ones to get promoted. Anyone can swing a fist."
"Now. Where are the markets?"
Daomi nodded at the statement that was made. It wasn't the first time that he had heard it and it would be the last. There were many things with this village that he didn't agree with. The leadership, the clans and the many baseless and pointless wars. Were they to continue down the path they were currently headed in, the village is doomed to end up much the same way he is. Clenching his cane a bit. Still, it was his home. For now. And for the most part, people tried to look out for each other regardless of the kage's role in everyone's life. He's travelled around a bit, all of it on his own. From the lands that he's seen, it's practically the same.
The boy just stood there as Goh ruffled his hair, but when the mans hand was removed, a thin single spider web would be attached to it and several pairs of beady eyes would peer out at the man from atop of their hosts head. "I've thought the same thing actually." Picking his cane up and using it to guide him as he followed after Goh. "He is very gung ho, as you put it. I think he wants to prove to be the best, among the best. I think he had a rough childhood. Perhaps a horrible father and never wants to be treated that way again." He then thought about the concept of being promoted within the ranks of Kiri…what exactly would that entail?
