It's About Who You Know

Rain and Nafan (Closed)

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Rain21199
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It's About Who You Know

Post by Rain21199 » Mon Jul 05, 2021 1:48 am

Zakuro’s first day in Sunagakure was filled with all the formalities one would expect of such a visit. Meet him, talk to her, eat our finest foods, visit our prettiest sights. The village was all too eager to show him what they had to offer. While Zakuro didn’t dislike the special treatment, he came to Suna for a reason, and it wasn’t to enjoy luxuries. He was here to talk politics, and build relationships for the benefit of Konoha and also himself. After the war, the villages have been tense. It didn’t slip notice that Konoha spent the war walled up only to get invaded by Kiri. Once on top of the world, the village of leaves is now looking weak. Zakuro’s number one goal here was to make sure that the other villages weren’t planning to break away from Konoha, leaving them to fend for themselves.

The tall, almost 30 year old man awoke in a rather large and comfy bed. A small amount of digging the previous day led to Zakuro being in possession of a list of names that would be beneficial to meet during his stay. He was going to be in Suna for a while, so it would be smart to get acquainted with each one. The top of the list would bring him to the Hizashi compound. Apparently, the woman he was seeking would most likely be researching, training, or teaching. As training was Zakuro’s personal favorite pastime, he decided to start with various training grounds around the compound. If he came across a Hizashi while looking, he’d ask for Kougyoku by name. Hopefully if he couldn’t find her, word would travel quickly, and she’d find him.

Mamoru Gerudo
Konohagakure - D-Rank

Resu
Owl Country - D-Rank

" A 7 for Zangy for example, is different from a 7 from Envy who is not quite a nuanced writer as Zangy is (sorry Envy), which is different from a 7 for Rain, who has English as his second language." - Onu 2016

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Nafan~
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Location: Sydney, Australia

It's About Who You Know

Post by Nafan~ » Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:47 am

She watched him from the window of her study, idly swirling her ice water to hear the chime of the chunks against the crystal glass. He was tall, pale, blonde, and from the looks of it getting rather frustrated. Yuzu, her attendant, had come through the servant's entrance some time ago and let her know that a man from Konohagakure had come calling on her. Since then the lady had watched the man stumble his way through the collonades of the Hizashi quarter from her vantage many storied above, with his strange skin unsuited to the sun and fair hair. He'd been to two of the three training areas, a community dining hall, and even walked into the middle of a classroom before being politely yet embarrassingly asked to leave. She supposed, after thirty minutes, she should put him out of his misery. Yuzu, I'll see the guest now. Take him an iced water, he appears somewhat overheated." she remarked with a cheeky smile. Yuzu giggled in mischievous delight as she closed the servant's door.

Kougyoku watched from on high as her attendant crossed the courtyard with a silver tray carrying a crystalline pitcher of water filled with ice cubes and circles of fresh lemon and orange. Beside it sat a pristine glass, the light fracturing into prismatic sprays of colour in the carved patterns, and a cold, damp refresher towell. Somehow, Yuzu's blue kimono remained completely unmarked by the ambient sand and dust which seemed to float about the air in the city of Sunagakure as she approached Zakuro. "Greetings, sir. Lady Kougyoku has been awaiting your arrival. Please, have some refreshment before I take you up to her rooms. I apologise for the inconvenience, but my Lady's apartments are on the seventh floor of this tower." she said, indicating the spire from which Kougyoku watched.

As she saw the two dip below the shaded walkways to approach the tower, Kougyoku stepped away from the window and sat at her desk. She placed her glass on the table before slowly rotating her hands in the air to stir the wind. With expert control and care, she guided the wind to collect the papers, documents, books, and miscellany on her desk and distribute it all to their proper places in her office. Undoubtedly she would have to retrieve it all again when her guest left, but it was appropriate that the room be in a fit state to receive him. Another servant stepped in through the hidden entrance and began laying out fresh fruits for a light snack on the low coffee table in the middle of the room. She was gone by the time that Yuzu opened the wooden door adorned with golden filligree that admitted Zakuro into Kougyoku's office.

The Empress was seated in a high backed, dark wooden chair. If Zakuro had been here any length of time, it was likely to be one of the very few pieces of wooden furniture he had seen. Timber was difficult to come by in the desert, and possessing wooden furniture was a symbol of high status. The walls of the office were lined with similarly large, tall, and darkly stained timber bookshelves stacked full to the brim of books, scrolls, and miscellaneous knick knacks and treasures of interest that Kougyoku had collected over time. The woman stood in her white dress, it's low cut and open sides exposing much of her skin. She smiled apologetically as she met Zakuro's eyes, walking around the desk to meet him at the coffee table around which was set a number of plush cushions to lounge on. "I am sorry to keep you waiting, I was terribly busy and struggled to get away from my work." she lied effortlessly, her calm and easy demeanour letting the honeyed words flow like soothing water, "Please, sit, and enjoy the food and drink. Yuzu will bring anything else you request. Consider it my apology." After a pause to hear his response, Kougyoku would ask "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Tululila, Talila Tulula."
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S-rankSunagakure no SatoHIzashi, Kougyoku

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Rain21199
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It's About Who You Know

Post by Rain21199 » Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:25 pm

Standing in the hot sun, questions of doubt filled the man’s head. How long would he have to boil before he found the woman he was searching for?

As if the gods read his mind and were feeling generous that day, what he only could surmise was a servant lady dressed in fine blue silk approached Zakuro. She offered him a drink, which he pridefully refused, and led him to his objective. He was surprised by how lavish the building’s interior had been. He had heard that Kougyoku was fond of a certain standard of living, but what he witnessed was beyond what even he imagined. Exquisite rugs and finely crafted ornaments adorned the various floors, shelves and walls of the entrance room. The servant gestured towards the staircase before beginning the climb herself.

Seven stories would normally not cause Zakuro to break a sweat, but these stairs had a bit of a head start. His forehead glistened slightly. Standing outside his host’s office, he took a deep breath and composed himself. He brushed any lingering sand off of his white and brown loose fitting clothes. He had dressed in response to the climate and culture of Sunagakure. A sash hung around his waist, and almost every inch of his body was covered by thin white cloth to protect from the harsh sun. His head was fully exposed though, revealing his long beard, and strong facial structure.

The servant pushed open the doors, allowing Zakuro to enter the room. With a long stride and confidence, he walked to the front of the desk before giving a deep bow. “Gerudo, Zakuro, from Konohagakure. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He would look back up at the woman, taking her in for the first time. Her every inch seemed to put perfection to shame. From head to toe, this woman was everything a man could dream of and more, but Zakuro shoved those thoughts as far from his mind as he possibly could. He was here for much more than a social visit.

“No need to apologize Hizashi-san, I’m the one who intruded with little to no warning.” The man took a seat next to Kougyoku. “As to why I came. I’m here to discuss matters regarding both of our villages. This war has caused a lot of things to come into question. The world as we know it is changing, in some ways for the better, in others for the worse. If the alliance between our villages were to falter, I’m sure it would spell out disaster for all of us. I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Zakuro reached out and took a sip from one of the glasses from the table. “You don’t happen to have any Sake, do you?"

Mamoru Gerudo
Konohagakure - D-Rank

Resu
Owl Country - D-Rank

" A 7 for Zangy for example, is different from a 7 from Envy who is not quite a nuanced writer as Zangy is (sorry Envy), which is different from a 7 for Rain, who has English as his second language." - Onu 2016

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Nafan~
Posts: 3937
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:00 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

It's About Who You Know

Post by Nafan~ » Wed Sep 01, 2021 9:02 am

Kougyoku smiled warmly at Zakuro's request, nodding politely, "Of course, Yuzu will bring it right away." Kougyoku gave her attendant a look by way of dismissal, and the younger woman left the room by way of the servant's entrance hidden behind a tapestry on the wall. The Empress regarded the man before her curiously for a moment, as she pondered how to respond to him. Not too long, of course, she wouldn't want to draw things into uncomfortable silence, but enough to make up her mind.

"My, you are rather direct, aren't you?" she remarked with a hint of a smirk on her lips. She'd made it plain with her tone that her teasing was in kind jest, and she was more than happy to discuss the topic. "I had expected the Hokage to send an emissary after our meeting. It's refreshing to see that it's someone who's willing to speak plainly." she confessed as she leant forward to pluck a grape from the plate of fruit on the table.

"I will admit that things have been strained, given the Kazekage's reluctance to take decisive action. There are a number of us here who regret that business with Soul Country, and believe it was a grave mistake on Kiyori's part." The woman spoke between samples of fruit, trying to reassure Zakuro that ties would remain strong. "Even if the Kazekage appears less dedicated to our relationship than her predecessors, please be reassured that there are plenty among the council, and indeed among the nobility, that recognise the dire importance of the special relationship that Sunagakure and Konohagakure share."

"Tululila, Talila Tulula."
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Character
S-rankSunagakure no SatoHIzashi, Kougyoku

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