Have A Little Faith

[Amy]

There was a certain amount of expectation that came when you carried the title of “Jinchuuriki.” People expected you to be mature, to be responsible, to be trustworthy. They expected you to break barriers and shatter records and do amazing things. They wanted to be able to point at you and say “Look at that. We made that. That represents us. Our strength, our pride, our power.” Nevermind that they were talking about a person as though they were an object. After they sealed a spirit beast inside of you that’s all you really were. Luckily for them, Aimi had every intention of breaking barriers, shattering records, and doing amazing things.

Unfortunately for them, she did not think along the same lines of any of them.

That was why she was outside the village, traipsing around Rock Country with really not a care in the world. Hoten was off on clan business and would be gone for God only knew how long. Taiko was already away on a mission and didn’t know that she had been left alone. Was gonna suck for him when he got back. And of course, her parents were dead. So there was really no one around to stop her when she decided she wanted to explore. For literal years they had left her within the village limits, under watchful eyes and heavy hands. Sure, she was probably being watched to some degree now but thanks to the creature they shoved inside of her, she would know if they got too close.

Where she was going to explore she really didn’t know. Sure, she had studied plenty of maps in school but that was so abstract. This was real. This was ground beneath her feet and breeze over her cheeks and sun scorching her skin. This was real and this was living and this was dangerous. It was isolation in its purest and most beautiful form of being surrounded by everything and nothing all at once. Hell, maybe she would just never go back to Iwa. What were they gonna do? Drag her back? She’d like to see them try. She and Nolosha were on pretty good terms these days. It would be fun, if nothing else.

She’d go back though, sooner rather than later. Causing trouble was fun but too much meant meetings and council and talking and interacting with people she didn’t care to interact with. She had a couple of days though. Someone would be keeping an eye on her, reporting that she was okay. She would bet on it. And if they weren’t? Well, she was okay with that too. She had taken care of herself her entire life. Now was no different.

You need to rest.

Her mother may be dead but she had the second best thing living in her own head.

You’ll reach a village in about an hour if you keep on this direction.

Rolling her eyes but not changing course, Aimi trudged on.

Aye aye captain.

[Sia]

How it all began? If truth be told.... I had a master plan. Now I rule the world! Took them by surprise, I worked my way up hill!

---

A small, bustling village in the middle of Rock Country. That's right, Rock Country. Maido didn't care. She needed a break. Her arrival in the modern era was honestly stressful. In fact, she was beginning to think she would much prefer the solitary confinement. Perhaps if she'd been stuck their for another century, things would have changed even more and she'd return all the better off for it. Unfortunately, she also didn't think she could bare to be alone ever again. How is it that she had wound up here anyway? She remembered terrifying some poor painter whilst she ran out and about water country, then just wandering aimlessly. "Mmm. I probably should go back and clean up that mess. Hideki will not be pleased with me." She heard something nearby. She looked around. There was noone in sight. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. Off in the distance, a small dotted figure was coming in her general direction.

Maido's positioning was awkward. At first, she had decided to avoid the village. She didn't want to cause any trouble. On the other hand, she loved causing trouble. Such is life. An ordered chaos. An imperfect perfection. There was no rhyme or reason. She sought companionship, but didn't want to make a scene. She always had to make a scene. Why couldn't she keep it together? Had three hundred years alone caused her to snap? "SOMEONE PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" Suddenly, her tendrils lashed out all around her, destroying the very earth beneath her feet as she screamed murderously. Calm. Calm. She had to remain calm. She couldn't risk being hunted. She was still out of practice. A hunt would surely end badly for her. Again, Maido surveyed the surrounding area. Nothingness. The sun beat down harsh, but it mattered nothing to her. The head had little effect when it came to her being. Indeed, she felt that it was there, but she did not sweat, nor could she say it bothered her. A good thing too, for her armor covered the entirety of her being.

She would certainly stand out like a sore thumb in this outfit. She needed to change. Unfortunately, she had nothing to store her belongings in, nor a change of clothes. She supposed she could discard her belongings and utilize her cloak to serve as more minimalistic clothing. Bah, she'd have to let it ride for now. The figure beyond grew continuously closer as Maido stood there, awkwardly. Indeed, she stood between the oncoming and the village. How did the village get behind her again? Oh yeah, she'd avoided it. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Her tendrils lashed again, this time striking at her own face. Hmm, a new experience. She couldn't say she hated it. Perhaps she would whip herself again when she was alone. She really should change into something more slimming, she thought to herself. She had to maintain good appearances. She had to. Had to! Suddenly, she found herself nude. Another interesting development, but not unpleasant. She willed her cloak to contort and cover her naughty bits, while also wrapping around and covering her discarded clothing, essentially carrying them on her back. Hmm. She had no sandals. She supposed she could just float. Again, she willed her cloak to move and so it did. A thin amount stretched down to the ground and pushed against it, lifting her a few inches up.

Much better. By this point, the figure in the distance had drawn considerably closer. Maido had taken no precautions to cover her shame whilst she changed. Why would she? She was a stranger in a foreign time and a foreign land. Why did she care what people thought of her? Her desire to uphold the Muramasa family name was all but forgotten at this point. Indeed, they who had given up on her so long ago now mean nothing. She spat, furious. A sudden change in demeanor. She thought about baby puppies. Her body relaxed, and a smile spread across her face. It was quite idiotic to behold, truly.

[Amy]

She would pick the one place in Rock Country to explore that held a crazy person. Aimi wasn’t one to throw around such words. Crazy, insane, stupid, genius, everything was relative. But this woman, well, she was difficult not to watch. She stood out against the harsh terrain like blood spilled on a white shirt. And once you noticed her, there was no way to look away. What that meant was that Aimi saw everything. It was hazy at first and she almost thought that maybe it was a mirage. But there was no way she could create this.

Can you reach her?

Concentrating, Aimi found that she was still too far away to catch a hold of the lifeforce of the woman, to learn more about her.

You’ll be able to soon. We need to be prepared. Anyone who starts stripping in the middle of the wastelands, when we’re in clear view, is not right in the head. What’s your plan of attack?

Aimi rolled her eyes to herself, watching as the woman continued to contort herself, seeming to be constantly dissatisfied with what she offered herself. Something was definitely not quite right with her. Keeping her face passive though, she continued the conversation in her head.

My plan of attack? My plan of attack is to give her a nod when I walk by her into the town that you wanted me to go to. She doesn’t concern me. Her or her mental health problems.

Still, Aimi continued to reach out to the woman, flashes coming to her as the woman came within range. Sighing heavily, Aimi knew she was about to be read the riot act.

Do you see that? Still think you don’t need a plan of attack? What do you see? What do you feel.

Yeah, I get it. It’s not right. Way different. Off the charts different. Like from the temples...similar to that...which means there’s an even less likely chance of me needing to fight her. If something happens I think you’ll need to take that one on. Don’tcha think, partner?

Aimi had gotten very good at not looking like she was talking to herself. In the beginning she hadn’t been able to stop herself from replying out loud to Nolosha. But now, her inner conversation could be seen only through slight tilts of her head, the sparkle in her eyes as she became amused at her own words. Not enough for more people to catch.

True to her word, Aimi gave the woman a slight nod as she walked by her. It was a curious creature, there was no denying that. There was a piece of Aimi that wanted to...sit her down and study her for a while. Asking questions, that was overrated. Everything Aimi wanted to know could be learned by probing the large and thriving life force of the woman, creature, whatever she was. But that was troublesome. That required interaction. Neither thing, Aimi wanted. She just wanted to stay in peace and quiet. She so rarely got a taste of it.

[Sia]

Maido paid little mind towards the newcomer for the moment. Instead, her mind wandered off to thoughts of what she'd report back to Hideki to justify her absence. In reality, she hadn't been sent on any mission. No, she had left just for the pure sake of doing so. She needed to get out and explore the world, reacquaint herself with the planet. Hmm, that actually wasn't too illogical of a thing to do, she decided. Hideki would just have to get over himself, she mused. What was she doing again? Oh yeah. She had discarded her clothing. She didn't want to look out of place! Effectively, she was a stranger in a foreign land! Actually, that sentiment held true in more ways than one. Focusing for a moment, the Muramasa took notice of the young female heading towards her.

Oh, what lovely hair. Not too dark yet not too light. It was a bit of an in betweener, if you will. It pleased Maido. She found it comforting, soothing. How strange. She observed the girl before her as she drew closer, not entirely certain whether or not she was worth her time. On the other hand, Maido had yet to really interact with anyone since arriving in Rock Country. Funny how things work out. Continuing to gaze at the girl, a tendril jotted out from her hand in the girls direction, though only extended outwards from Maido about a foot or so before receding back into her skin. "Excuse me child." Maido's voice was deep, perhaps a bit of Faisa was bubbling towards the surface. Her voice was displaced and off-putting, as though there were two individuals speaking through her at once. "Where am I?" Was all that Maido could let out in that moment. How long had she been standing there? What day was it? Where exactly was she?

Staring at the girl again, she took in more greater details. Her eyes were the deepest of greens. Truly remarkable. Deep, forest-green eyes was a rather uncommon occurrence in Kirigakure during her time. Even these days, she had seen few that had them. Then again, her own eyes were quite the spectacle as well. Vibrant red iris? Whoever heard of such a thing? Shoving the thought to the side, she continued to look upon her visitor. There was something off-putting about them. Were those gloves? Were they fingerless? They didn't appear to be ripped, which only lead Maido to believe that it was intentional. Who would do such a thing? What was the point of wearing gloves that didn't cover the fingertips? The fingertips were the parts most likely to become cold. What kind of idiot would wear such a thing? It was at that moment Maido remembered that her own body needn't even wear clothes to begin with. What difference did it make? It's not like she was likely to be attacked. Even then, she was nice and safe anchored to her cores.

As such, she became nude. Well, mostly. Her cloak parted off of her situational areas, flowing freely behind her. "Tell me, why do you wear such awful gloves?"

[Amy]

Aimi stopped.

No.

She turned back towards the woman, her face still passive. Uninterested.

Don’t.

Chuckling internally, Aimi stepped a bit closer to the woman, close enough to speak comfortably. Tilting her head just slightly, keeping eye contact and ignoring the fact that the woman was basically nude again. And finally, a flash of personality came over Aimi’s face.

" Why do you wear a horrid color?" Blinking slowly, a small smile pulling up the corners of her mouth, Aimi crossed her arms. Her life force was...beautiful. There was really no other way to explain it. She wanted to touch it. There was so much to learn...definitely as intricate as the one she had seen at the temple though not as confusing. There were no animals wrapped up in it. Oh, she could take into account the way her skin offered no lively flush, sallow really. The bright red eyes. The fact that she clearly wasn’t the kind of human that she herself was.

But those things didn’t matter to Aimi. After all...who was she to judge?

"To each their own. It makes it easier to do my job. I don’t chill easily. It seems that you don’t either."

Casual but terse all the same. She cared to earn a response but would not be heartbroken if she got none. The village officials would lose their heads if they knew what was happening right now and in all honesty that was partly why Aimi stayed. Any chance to piss off village officials was a chance to take. Plus, she might learn something interesting.

You stupid child. This is not a game. Have I taught you nothing!?

Shrugging though not to Maido, Aimi ignored the voice in her head. Nolosha would come out if Aimi needed it. Otherwise, it could just shut up.

"To answer your first question, you’re in Rock Country. Outskirts at that. You’re about a forty minute walk from that town, that happens to be my current destination. I’ve been walking a while."

With that, without inviting her along or saying goodbye, Aimi turned back towards her destination. The genma had made her nervous. She was far from backup...far from the safety of the village. The village that did this to her to begin with….it was all so very confusing.

[Sia]

A horrid color? A HORRID COLOR?! Maido did the best to maintain her composure. Her eye twitched momentarily as she bit back ill-mannered speaking. It didn't quite go as well as she had wanted, a plethora of tendrils oozing out from her in various places. The knee, the neck, her wrist. Tendrils came out for but just a moment before receding back into the body as Maido forced herself to calm down and relax. There has been enough blood shed for today. Really? Truly? She could never have enough. Ever. She sought after the feeling of exhilaration that came with murder. She lusted for it. Yearned for the release of euphoria that was granted to her. The satisfaction of a kill.

Her face became calm and her voice was soothed. "Oh now surely you don't mean that." As she continued to speak, her words slew together hurriedly, she became excited from merely mentioning such things. "It is the color of life essence, the color of beauty" Her conversing partner did not chill easily. That wasn't unheard of, nor uncommon at all especially in Kirigakure. Then again, she was a long ways from home. "I am unable to feel the cold at all. Or the heat. I simply determined I would stick out sorely if I wore my full attire." Suddenly, an idea crossed through her mind. As it did however, the girl turned to leave.

Maido willed her cloak to carry her along the ground, acting much akin to a magic carpet. She reached out and grasped at the girls forearm. Maido's own flesh would be nearly ice-cold to the touch, being devoid of all life save for the tendrils of chiton which allowed it merely to move. "Wait, please. I need your help." Maido willed her cloak to pull herself around and in front of the girl with the green eyes. The beautiful green eyes. Maido's face became a mere inches away from hers. Red to green, reflections became apparent in the pupils, accented by an array of vibrant iris. "I need your help." Maido said it again, not necessarily on purpose. She was afraid to be alone. On the one hand, the mere though did terrify her. On the other hand, she needed to be able to fit in and look appropriate to the country.

"I need to look as though I belong. In this time, in this country. Can you help me?" Maido's face was devoid of any flush. At this range, one could see that her lips were ever so slightly tinted blue. One would easily tell that there was something off about the body she inhabited. Those whom had seen the dead often enough would easily make the connection. The expression on her face? Pleading. Sorrow. An odd mixture, but certainly a look of defeat.

[Amy]

When Maido’s hand curled around her arm, Aimi was quick to react. Her own hand flashed out and clasped itself around Maido’s wrist. The chilled skin, it barely registered to the girl who was deciding whether or not she needed to attack. Being so far from the village, technically without permission, it made her wary. She needed to be prepared for anything and if that meant leaving a body in her wake then so be it. But still, it was messy. And it took so much effort. Sighing heavily, unable to believe what she was about to agree to, Aimi tightened her hand, pulling Maido’s off of her.

"Lesson one," she said, her voice cold and stern. "Don’t grab onto people you don’t know very well. They don’t typically like it. "

Rolling her eyes, Aimi motioned for her new and temporary companion to walk with her towards the town. What did she know about fitting in? She spent her entire life an outcast, something that was only exasperated when the Genma was sealed inside of her. But this chick, this...thing, whoever and whatever she was, she was even worse at fitting in than Aimi was. Not that she owed this girl anything but, t was possible that she could help.

"Unless you can figure out a way to look more...alive, I also suggest not getting so close to people. It doesn’t much bother me, but most people won’t react very well to it. Also the randomly taking off all of your clothes." Glancing over the searing red color of the garments once again, Aimi had to resist muttering to herself again about what an awful color. She stood out like a sore thumb. Most people in Iwa and Rock Country alike wore more earthy tones. Browns, greens, deep colors. Not red. She would draw attention in the color but Maido didn’t seem to hate the attention so it seemed a moot point to bring it up.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose it was becoming increasingly clear the more she thought about it, that she did not know how to fit in. "Taking your clothes off and standing around naked, or even mostly naked. The anger usually isn’t going to go over very well either. Listen, fitting is in easy and the best part is that you don’t actually have to fit in at all." Running her hand over the back of her neck, Aimi realized she knew more about fitting in than she had originally thought. She had been pretending to for most of her life. "Watch the people around you, not me. But the other people around you. Watch what they do, how they act, how they talk. Use them as a basis for your own behaviors. Just…" None of this seemed like it was going to help Maido.

"Maybe this would be easier if you asked me questions instead."