Of Ice & Science!

[Suitonic]

Once again Hibana just had to grit her teeth at the shimmering rays of solar energy that enveloped her, particularly the searing heat that came with it. Just another early afternoon in Land of Wind, she had been training for the two months following her fight with Chiaki in the Land of Lightning. The name itself was rather fitting for the environment that it was. For in a place where the suns shone endlessly during the day, where it rarely rained and one had to endure the smoldering heat waves, the constant breezes of light wind were the only respite.

That was, unless you were a local. Hibana herself had become quite accustomed to the climate and weather of the deserts of Kaze no Kuni believing most of the hardships to be just another daily routine and as such she was no longer heavily affected by it. Being that Airon spent so much time traveling around the Land of Wind, it really became a second home to the Frost Country raised nin. Besides, there hasn't been any problem that couldn't have been solved without preparation.

Minuscule sand particles found their way into Hibana's black shoes with every step she took, deep imprints of footsteps she left in her wake. The Aisu’s destination was the Land of Waterfall and her reason was simple. There was a woman, supposedly some sort of scientist or witch doctor who possibly knew more about her heritage as an Aisu and maybe could even help her become stronger. After her fight with Chiaki, one thing became clear, if Airon was hurt she wasn’t strong enough to save him. And to her, that meant pushing herself. There were always a wide range of jobs she could do rather than meeting a stranger, but Hibana simply recognized that the best opportunities lay outside her comfort zone.

So the shinobi would press on, keeping her eyes on the hard-to-spot desert trail that she followed cautiously, knowing that she still had quite a bit of time before she reached her destination. Over time, as she drew closer to her destination she would pass small villages, towns and even the occasional passerby on the road. One of the folks that was traveling asked for water and Hibana was happy to oblige. Before heading to her destination, she drafted a letter to Airon, letting him know she was alright and where she would be if he needed her. She dropped it off at the local post, and continued on to the Land of Waterfall.

An eerie feeling befell the Aisu as he grew closer to the small town. Where the roads were busy and full of life a few miles back, the liveliness of the land had seemingly come to an abrupt stop-- the bird chatter stopped, there were no voices to be heard, no cattle, no livestock-- a ghost town. She approached from the south, her keen eyesight taking note of the woods that hugged the town from the west to the east. She strolled into the town with a casual stride. A quick scan of the area yielded almost no results, save a lone sign post out by the entrance to the town. As she walked past it, Hibana would take a quick second to read whatever it was the sign said before proceeding. All she had to do was find this witch lady, and hopefully she could help her get stronger.

[Sia]

Sitting at her desk within the heart of Waterfall Country, Maido lazily examined her paperwork, then gazed over at the masks and weapons which lined the wall on her right hand side. What a boring week it had been so far, what with Hisayo and Kayoko gone on vacation. They had her blessing, of course, but she did find herself missing their company. Maido wasn't meant to be alone. It killed her inside. It drove her mad. Being alone was about the worst possible thing anyone could ever inflict upon Maido. Her blood boiled, and over time, her condition grew even worse. She grew antsy, and over the course of the week she had begun talking to herself and her inner half more and more, pacing about her office and the lounge area outside sporadically and firing off snotty comments at anyone that dared disturb her in the interim.

Eventually, a close friend and family member did swing by and they had a pleasant chat, drinking tea and sharing stories of the last few years and catching up a bit. Maido spilled some small details for her big plans here in Waterfall Country, and it was suggested that perhaps she should go out and about into the village and begin making waves with the locals. The idea had some merit, she supposed, so Maido said that she would at least consider it, though she wasn't sure it was quite the right time yet. A few days later, Maido left her house, finally, and set out into the town. She extended her sensory jutsu, permeating its presence into the environment and checking on the local human livestock. For a while, she merely took odd jobs, helping out here and there and building a bit of rapport for herself as a friendly outsider that was just down on their luck. She smiled, she was courteous, she was polite, she played the part she needed to play expertly and flawlessly. She did this for some time, and over the next few weeks she had grown quite the rapport with the locals of the small village close to her little hidden house in the woods.

One day, whilst Maido was just coming in from doing a little fishing for fun, her sensory jutsu picked up an individual with a rather sizeable chakra pool, and it immediately caught her attention. Her head whipped out reflexively, so she might gaze upon it with her own two eyes, rather than her mind's eye, but found she couldn't see them just yet, they had been blocked by the architecture and buildings. Still, a lovely little area, the brick walkways and little wooden bridges were lined with trees and lanterns, and the rushing sound of water always filled the air here.

She circled around the town, getting closer to the chakra signature and taking in the appearance of the individual from a distance. By now, Hisayo and Kayoko had returned to the fold, and Maido sent them out to size the person up, snoop about, see what they were up to. From far away, Maido watched as Hisayo and Kayoko walked down the street with their hands in their pockets, making their way towards the individual. Stopping just short of them, Hisayo and Kayoko gazed them up and down. "Haven't seen you around here before. You just passing through? Looking for work? It's a rather cozy little town I've gotta say." Hisayo said with a smile.

"Sorry, where are my manners? I am Muramasa, Hisayo and this is my cousin, Muramasa, Kayoko." She extended a hand in greeting and Kayoko nodded her head and smiled politely. "We've only been here for a few weeks but...the work isn't too bad."