[Graded] [Closed] Library Late Fees are Asinine

[ShinobiTruth]

Legends. Myths. Folk tales. Many would discard these fanciful stories as just that: stories. To be fair, many of them were. There were often significant linguistical and etymological discrepancies that arose with the passage of written and oral traditions that passed these legends on from age to age. There were also significant changes to the definitions of various vocabulary as languages developed, evolved, degraded, and faded into obscurity. A variety of factors from these to even simple human error over multiple generations would be enough to render these records either misleading or completely false. Okita was skilled in discerning these flaws. However, even within such tales and legends, so long as there was one strand of consistency, of truth, then there was hope that some aspect of that legend was real. And even more importantly, there was hope that somewhere in that world, it still existed.

Okita was on such a hunt in his favorite place in the world, the Grand Library. He'd finally crafted a revolutionary summoning jutsu, one that allowed him to summon a technique from a spirit companion instead of summoning them in their entirety. It was more expensive than a traditional summoning and by no small margin, but it opened up a wide array of strategic possibilities. Now that he had crafted that jutsu, however, Okita had to find a companion to summon. And he would not be content with just any spirit companion. This one that he sought would be the first in a veritable army of companions that would serve as the backbone of his work. They would not only assist him in combat. No, combat was simply a necessity in this world. What he wanted was to explore the deep, uncovered secrets of the world's past. The knowledge of civilizations long departed from this world. Despite the general assumption that these sovereignties were more primitive than modern-day societies, they were often more wholly united by a common goal. They were not so burdened by the inanities of diplomacy and statecraft. And the power of such unity often bore surprising results. Even the walls of the village itself were a testament to this fact. Hundreds of years had passed since their construction, but those walls still stood. To cast a jutsu of that magnitude today would take every Doton specialist in the village, and even then, it would be a considerable challenge. Yet one shinobi and the power of the past had done this very thing. Okita wanted that knowledge. And one day, his mortality permitting, he would have it.

The library was a quiet place... normally. It was so calm and peaceful that one could hear a pin drop amidst the unfurling of scrolls and flipping of pages in codexes. Many of the village's scholars enjoyed the quiet. And practically everyone in the library found their patience frayed whenever Okita was there. A sizable mountain of research materials sat upon two desks, pushed together (against library policy) to provide more space for the whirlwind of pages of notes that was strewn across the remaining space it offered. His foots pitter-pattered as he paced back and forth, reading to himself in an undertone and muttering his observations and theories aloud, which while not loud in and of itself, was louder than any other person in the building. These were often followed by furious scribbling on one of the many pages of parchment on the table. There were analyses of scripts, several drawn iterations of characters from the texts he was reading, and a variety of pictographs and symbols along with clouds of notes around them, among other things. It wasn't that he wanted to bother people. Frankly, he'd prefer if he could simply take all of the materials he needed home with him. But given that he lacked the instruments necessary to haul them back to his home (and the absurd return policies they had here), Okita saw little other choice than to make this his study room. Also, his room at home was quite small, despite his insistence to his parents that he needed more space for his projects.

"...'That Which Swims Through Sand'... Could this be related to...? No, that can't be it. There are at least five other creatures in this text that this phrase could be referring to... Ah, perhaps this is a sixth then? Let me check the original transcripts..." Okita nodded his head, waggling his pen in an animated confirmation of his suspicion. "Yes, that could be it. What if 'The Deception of the Five' was that there wasn't only five of them? I must test that theory against the other texts." The pen would scribble onto the parchment with an enthusiasm that managed to even punctuate the space around him. He began to quickly rifle through the scrolls on the table. "Now where was it...? No, not this one. Not this one, either. No. No. No. Yes, yes, there you are! Come, let's review the curse again. I think there may be a connection here."

Okita was oblivious to the meeting he was about to have here. Even if he had been told, it likely would have made little difference to him. Unless that person could grant him the permission to leave the village walls to corroborate his research with archeological exploration, what they had to say wouldn't matter much.

[Willoria]

Hajime Yasu was bored out of her skull. She had expected joining a team of Genma Guardians, under the direct supervision of the man who was considered to be the authority on Genma, a member of the Village Council no less, to be far more interesting than it was. Yet here she was, wandering the library with an immensely boring scroll in hand and doing homework. She was the newest member of the team and Souta seemed intent on forcing her to focus on her studies. For the first hour she had been good, sitting at a table and pouring over scrolls on the myths and legends of the Genma. But given her rank she knew she wasn't permitted access to the real files yet, to the vault she had heard so many rumors about. Eventually she had started wandering the library in search of something more interesting to read, which quickly turned into aimless wandering. She normally loved to study, but somehow when it was forced on her it simply lost its luster.

It wasn't long before she found a pair of tables stacked with books and someone pouring over them. "Wow, you're a studious one aren't you?" she remarked idly, her mask muffling her words every so slightly as she shook her head. "How... boring." she couldn't even help herself as she crossed her arms and saw him scramble for something in particular, not that she had any idea what that something was. She wore her usual clothing in addition to her mask, including her hood which was up at the moment with her hair cascading out of it as she stepped around the table to get a better look at the boy. "What could possibly be that... interesting?"

[ShinobiTruth]

Okita's eye flitted up only for a moment to look at the intruder into his research space. Goodness, what was she wearing? Black upon black upon black. Did she realize they lived in a desert? He wasn't sure what amazed him more: the fact that she wasn't constantly on the verge of heatstroke or the fact that she somehow managed to wear all that black and still show as much skin as she did. It certainly wasn't the worst offender Okita had seen, but it took willpower to not visibly roll his eyes every time he saw such pointless, ostentatious outfits. Oh, sorry, "uniforms." Bah. He was certain the attire served some purpose. Inspire fear, maybe. But fear had no place in his research. Those who feared the unknown would never uncover the hidden knowledge of this world. And in his eyes, power didn't need to be flaunted. The more unassuming you were, the more likely you would be underestimated. No, power was simply meant to be used when necessary. Swiftly, efficiently, to reach an end goal as quickly as possible.

"If you thought it was truly boring, I don't think you'd be asking that question," he responded curtly, his aloof disregard of her statement dripping from his tongue as his pen took to another parchment, adding another nascent page to the ever-mounting thesis of research he'd already conducted. "It's a legend about ancient trickster gods, if you must know, a myth passed down from the nomad tribes from ages past. Within the occlusions of lies, exaggerations, and mistranslations may lie a seed of truth that can be discovered and harnessed. Now, if you've any interesting observations to contribute, I'll hear them out, but if you've intruded on my research merely to chat or prattle on, I'd kindly direct that you do so elsewhere."

That was usually enough to make anyone else scatter, either out of pure shock at his rudeness or out of polite courtesy for the others in the library so as to avoid conflict in this place of peace and learning. It was so effective, in fact, that Okita almost immediately forgot she was even there as he continued to mutter to himself. "I must find concrete proof of this creature. Then those idiots in the Council might actually give me the permission to go find it outside the walls. Those bumbling fools. Do they somehow think we can uncover knowledge by keeping us in this pit of a village? Ha. Inhaling the methane from their own arses as a pleasure drug, that notion. Find the creature, chuunin exams, and then freedom. Just remember the plan, Okita, remember the plan."

[Willoria]

Yasu raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as he spoke to her so brazenly. It wasn't his tone that surprised her though, more the subject and the fact that he was digging through the books for his answers. "If you're looking for answers in regards to myths from the nomad tribes, why are you in the library? That's just stupid." she remarked. Unlike him, she made no attempt to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She set down the scroll she'd been looking at, the markings on it making it clear that it was a scroll on myths surrounding the genma spirits. She picked up one of the books he'd been looking it and started idly flipping through it, sighing in a bored fashion as she shook her head. "Rika is head of the Scribes of the Sand now... but she studied under Kiyori herself who made contact with some of the more recent Nomad tribes... if you want to know about the myths and legends, go to the sources. Kiyori-Sama would be your best bet, Rika can probably get you there." the young woman continued.

She finally set the book down on one of his stacks, raising an eyebrow as she accidentally started a small chain reaction of falling books and scrolls from the table. "Hell, my Sensei, Souta-Sama, could probably get you the audience as well if you needed." she added, looking at the boy a moment and shaking her head again. "I'm Hajime Yasu, and apparently you're Okita, Sir Talks-To-Himself or do you have another name you go by?"

[ShinobiTruth]

Okita shook his head as he began to pick up the scrolls without missing a beat. It seemed that this had happened enough for him to not be phased by it. ”Expert testimony is always the first source I pursue. And I have, this time just like all the others, before I consulted the texts,” he retorted, picking each scroll up and piling them in one arm before setting each one back in a separate pile, making them more stable. ”And trust me: if this blasted policy of genin not being allowed to leave the village walls wasn’t in place, I’d be out there, exploring where these legends once stood. This library, confining as it is, provides the widest window I have to the outside world. Also, yes, I am Okita Sazama, and-”

He paused, actually processing the last portion of what she just told him, his eyes now focused on the woman, practically boring into her. ”Wait. Souta, you said. That Souta? And you’re saying you have an in-road. I’ve been consistently vexed by those living mummies in the council time and time again, yet you’re telling me they might finally grant my requests?”

He was not one who trifled with deceptions. His skepticism made him an excellent judge of character. If she was yanking his chain, he would be most put out for the loss of time. Time was the one thing he couldn’t get back if it was lost.

[Willoria]

As Okita moved about quickly, picking up scrolls and fixing his table that, to Yasu, looked like a huge mess the woman herself simply moved closer. She leaned against the table so that she was practically next to him with her backside resting on the edge and her arms crossed as she looked at him. Her vibrant amber eyes almost seeming to glow as she looked at him and listened to him ramble on. He gave what could almost pass for an introduction, though maybe not in civilized company. When he paused and focused on her, she couldn't help a smirk as she felt like she was physically watching his mind catch up to his mouth and the woman chuckled.

"Yes, that Souta is my Sensei, though I'd hardly call him a living mummy." she remarked. "The man does look half his actual age after all." she added, shrugging as she eyed Okita for a moment before bouncing off subject briefly. "Do you always look like you have a rod firmly placed up your-."

"What the-FUCK, Yasu!" The voice was loud enough to echo and disturb others in the library, voice low like scraping gravel with a metallic ring to it due to his facemask as he rounded the corner. His nearly black eyes fixed on the woman and seeming to hardly notice the boy she was standing with. "How is it someone who supposedly actually likes to study can find it so hard to remain on task and easy to find? Do you just enjoy being a pain in the ass?" Rokuro demanded of her. The man too wore his usual garb, though as he wasn't outside nor on a mission he kept a loose cloak over his body to hide his scars and protruding crystalline malformations as well as he could. The effect was simple, making the cloak look almost baggy over his form. His arms he kept down at his sides, having to resist the urge to cross his arms and give himself a lumpy look as he glared at the woman.

Yasu of course rolled her eyes again. "Oh great, this asshole." she muttered.

[ShinobiTruth]

His eyes were still focused on this Yasu person when she was so rudely interrupted by the walking bondage monk that turned the corner.

And people here thought he was loud. Once again: hah.

The new visitor sported a similar look to his female counterpart, once again baffling Okita. For as adversarial as their relationship immediately seemed, they appeared to take inspiration from each other. Still, this one was slightly more sensible than Yasu. The cloak would serve as a better protection against the desert sun than this leather top that Yasu had decided would be her go-to.

Arching an eyebrow, the observation came to naturally for him to stop. It wasn’t like he would have tried to, anyways. ”Ah, the pot meets the kettle. I’d say introduce yourselves, but you already seem acquainted,” he sighed, barely acknowledging the newcomer’s existence. He chose not to respond to Yasu’s quip, either. His ego wasn’t so fragile that he needed to bother defending himself against ignorant blustering. ”Anyways, you were saying something about getting a meeting with Souta. Please, continue.”

This might not have been the channel he would have preferred, but Okita was an opportunist. If there was a legitimate chance to get outside the village, he would not pass it up.

[Willoria]

Rokuro raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the ill-mannered boy with far too many books, snorting a laugh through his mask. "She promised you a meeting with Souta?" he remarked, glancing at Yasu who simply shrugged back at him and smirked. Rokuro shook his head. "...you realize all you have to do is knock on the man's door right? He's probably the most approachable member of the Council. The man despises paperwork, but he doesn't mind dealing with people directly most days... if he isn't in his office he's probably at his home or at the restaurant he's trying to start up." Rokuro eyed the books in front of Okita and snorted again. "Hope you weren't waiting long or sent a bunch of paper requests... guarantee you the man never read them..." he remarked before turning away. "Yasu, you should get back to your own studies on the Genma."

Yasu rolled her eyes as the man walked away, sticking her tongue out at his retreating form before looking at Okita again and shaking her head. "That's Kouseki Rokuro, my team leader unfortunately." she said simply, rolling her eyes again with a heavy sigh. She picked up the scroll she'd set on Okita's desk again and glanced at it, making a bit of a face. "Gods how is this information so damn boring?"

[ShinobiTruth]

Okita grit his teeth and clicked his tongue in irritation. Go visit him. Right. To be fair, every other member of the council had been so stingy and unapproachable that he hadn't dared reach out to arguably the most prominent member of that council, thinking he'd be the same as the others if not even more so. Despite Souta's popularity, Okita was simply that involved in his research. His missions were merely a way to pay the bills and finance his research at best. Had there been such a straightforward path, he would have simply opted for it at the very beginning. He most certainly wouldn't have sent over fifty requests to leave the village had he ever foreseen the possibility of just talking to one of the council members face-to-face. Still, his time researching had hardly been wasted. This text about the deception of five different trickster gods bore an interesting possibility and a direct reference to a geographical location not far from the village.

Quickly rifling through the scrolls that he'd taken out, he retained two of the most important ones before gathering his research notes. "If it's boring, it's because you lack imagination. You're too caught up on the words and not focused enough on the possibilities they represent," he said bluntly to her, not meant so much as a criticism as it was an observation. "Yasu, was it? If you're his student, you likely know where Souta would be right about now. I'll offer you a deal." He pointed at the scroll in her hand. "Take me to where he is, and I'll try and break down what's inside that scroll of yours as best I can. I get a chance to finally be free of this prison for once, and you get to learn what you need to without wanting to bore your eyes out with your kunai. Seems like a fair trade to me."

Okita had seen scrolls like that before. The classified scrolls not only looked different from the outside but they were written with a different kind of ink. Okita wasn't sure exactly what that second point meant, only that it helped the library keepers quickly recognize what went where. The one she had was not one such scroll. Besides, she might have been belligerent or even ignorant, but even she wouldn't carry around classified information in clear view. They both knew Okita didn't have the clearance for it.

[Willoria]

Yasu raised an eyebrow at him again as he spoke bluntly and even rudely, chuckling and shaking her head as he claimed she had no imagination. "I lose my temper I could burn this entirely library down without even trying, I wouldn't call that no imagination." she quipped, rolling her eyes. Okita suddenly came up with an idea for a trade and the young woman smirked a bit, glancing down at the scroll in her hands, turning it over in her hands before looking at him. "Well you certainly do try to be sly don't you?" she remarked, shaking her head. "You know I can't show you that." She took steps forward to interrupt his pacing, and suddenly get face to face with him.

"There are always other deals." she remarked, reaching up with a hand to pull her mask down, letting it rest around her neck with a smirk. In truth she just wanted to gauge his reaction as she stood nose to nose with him for a moment before stepping back with a laugh and motioning for him to follow her. "Come on, I know where Souta is."

[ShinobiTruth]

He shook his head at her suggestion. This was exactly what he was talking about! What would be the point of destroying a trove of knowledge? You should use it instead, grasp its secrets and make them your own. Goodness, why were most of his shinobi colleagues so obsessed with destruction? Destroying things is easy. It's making things that last that is difficult. "Right, because destroying knowledge is so much more 'imaginative' than actually utilizing it," he sighed. Her flat refusal to divulge the contents of the scroll was a bit absurd in his view as well. "Can't show me? You do realize that scroll you have isn't even classified, don't you? They keep those in the back in special bindings and-"

And suddenly, her face was there, and he blinked visibly, his brow arching visibly in confusion. Ooookay, what was she on about now?

Okita hadn't really paid much mind to her face before this point, but now that he was forced to, he couldn't help but notice the unusual eyes she possessed. They burned and glowed with the embers of flame. Even her hair seemed to have a telltale orange-red highlight. He supposed that some would consider her pretty. To him, she was a blasted obstacle, a distraction. Right, that's it. A distraction.

...Actually, that gave him another idea. One that would almost assuredly irritate her to no end. It would be oodles of fun for him, though. He wouldn't say it just yet. Those were words reserved for Souta. "Finally, progress," he sighed, eager to continue forward. He would not lose step with his messenger as she led him out of the library into the hot sun. Like any sensible desert dweller, he folded the hood of his robes over his head to protect his face from the sweltering sun. No need to subject himself to heatstroke, like Yasu seemed so perfectly content with risking.

[Willoria]

She couldn't resist, the blank look on his face when she was nose to nose with him made the woman giggle. She simply licked his nose before spinning away from him to lead the way and pulling the mask up over the lower half of her face again. Naturally she'd lead him out of the library and towards part of the market. It was a rather open area with a restaurant building that seemed made up of walls styled like shoji screens. But Yasu didn't go inside. Seemingly unaffected by the heat she avoided the shade and made her way to the back, opening a gate that looked like it had been locked and revealing a large man-made pond. It was an incredible sight, clearly made by a combination of suiton and Naegi jutsu. At the edge was a bench where a red-haired man sat in silence. "There." Yasu said simply, motioning towards the man.

Souta wasn't wearing his usual black outfit nor the robes of his station that he'd wear in his office. Instead he wore simple loose tan pants and sandals, and a loose white haori. His tattoos and scars were almost visible through the light fabric, but he didn't have need for a hood due to a tree growing over the bench. As the pair approached the man simply turned his head to look at them and nodded. "Procrastinating again, Yasu-chan?" he teased with a bit of a smirk. He looked at Okita. "I'm Meiyo Souta, I'm guessing Yasu brought you here for a reason, just watch your step. The pond is still a growing work in progress. Try not to disturb the water and stick to the stones if you could, please."

Yasu sighed as Souta accused her of procrastinating, but didn't dare roll her eyes at him as she had Rokuro. As he gave her a look, she took the hint and walked over to another tree in the yard and sat underneath it with her scroll, finally opening it to start studying it, leaving Okita alone with Souta for the moment.

[ShinobiTruth]

A lick. A lick? He blinked again, his eyes sharpening as he leaned back slightly and wiped his nose clean of her saliva. Either this woman's mind was addled, deviant, or some very sinister combination of the two. Okita wasn't so sure about his original intention to irritate this woman further, given that particular gesture...

...Nah, he was still gonna do it. If there was a chance it would piss her off, he was gonna take it.

Okita followed dutifully, though he noticed almost immediately that, while others would cling to the shadows, she avoided them. Black fabric and leather, eyes with an unnatural glow, and now she evaded the shadows with the same consistency of a snail avoiding salt. Each piece clicked into place as he realized that perhaps there was indeed more to her than met the eye. Physically, at least. In terms of her personality, Souta must have dug deep into the insanity bin to find her, no two ways about that, and he wasn't budging on the opinion any time soon.

The shoji style screens were most intriguing. It was a brave move given that the desert wasn't particularly kind to those types of panelings, and-oh. Oh, wait. Yep. There it was, the obligatory oasis in the desert. Ugh, how terribly dull. Still, he was entering into the sanctum of a village leader. He'd have to be on his best behavior. Unlike most of the other council members, this one had actually earned his role. He actually deserved the respect, even if he seemed an ordinary man. Adhering closely to his instructions, Okita would bow to the bannin. "Good afternoon, Souta-sama. I am Sazama Okita, and I thank you for your time. I know you're likely quite busy, so I'll be brief."

Despite the frankness with which Okita had spoken to Yasu, the subordinate might be surprised (or perhaps not) to find even this brisk, most unpleasant young man had the capacity for manners. "After exhaustive research, I have reason to believe there is truth to a legend passed down from our nomadic ancestors, particularly one involving 'The Great Deception of the Five Tricksters,'" he elaborated, presenting the two scrolls from the library he'd brought in one hand and the thick stack of pages filled with notes, drawings, diagrams, etc. in the other. "The passage alludes to the existence of a sixth creature, one that may well still exist in the desert. I request permission to search for this creature outside the village walls so I might bind it with a summoning pact."

Souta would find a stubbornness perhaps not unlike Yasu's blazing in his eyes. He was passionately driven by knowledge of the unknown, the desire to sate his appetite for learning. Outside, he remained composed, but his eyes crackled with excitement.

[Willoria]

Souta sat quietly as Okita spoke, giving the Genin a chance to speak and explain himself in full in the moment. Though he didn't miss an odd look Yasu gave Okita from under her tree where she was supposed to be studying. Souta didn't take everything Okita offered, ignoring the notes but he did take the scrolls offered and glanced at them. But after a moment he simply handed them back as Okita seemed to finish speaking. "Yasu, you brought him to me, so you've looked over his research yourself then?" he asked loudly.

Yasu paled for a moment, she opened her mouth to speak but her paling at the question was all the answer Souta needed.

The man chuckled quietly. "Well, Okita, you know at your rank you can't just go unescorted, especially for something that sounds so damn dangerous. But spirits are my specialty... Myself or one of my teams could easily escort you for this." He finally reached out and took the stack of pages the boy had offered and started flipping through them, carefully not to mess up their order. "Seems like you've done more than your fair share of homework on this... I'm surprised you got this far without access to the Scribes."

[ShinobiTruth]

Okita grinned fiercely as Souta clearly zeroed out Yasu with a most pointed question. My, my, the subordinate of a Bannin and she didn’t even have the follow-through to get his information before potentially wasting her mentor’s time? Tsk, tsk. Just what was this village coming to, anyways?

Okita did his best to keep a level head, but to hear even passing praise from one as accomplished as Souta stoked his ego a bit, and he wouldn’t deny the modicum of pride or conveyed. ”Thank you, Souta-sama. I also seek to specialize in the art of spirit contracts, and I have found that the legends often ignored still share a commonality worth exploring. With any luck, this excursion will bear a small but precious seed of truth.” He ran his hair through his hair as Souta mentioned the Scribes. ”Ah yes. The Scribes. I had to make do with expert testimony and my own skills with etymology to try and make up for what I lacked in more profound written sources. I understand protecting village secrets and all, but the strictness with which that knowledge is guarded is… inconvenient.”

His face momentarily fell as Souta mentioned the requirement of an escort. Goodness, this again. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already asked everyone else he could think to-

…Waaaaaiiiiiit a second. His grin returned with a refreshed vigor.

”Oh, Souta-sama, no need for you to inconvenience yourself on my behalf,” he replied coyly, making it evident he had something in mind as he crossed his arms. ”But if them’s the rules…”

He turned and pointed to Yasu with one of his crossed hands. ”I think she’ll be more than enough,” he chirped innocently. His eyes averted from Souta and locked onto Yasu, the snide joy he took from the potential inconvenience literally dripped from his gaze.

He awaited her reaction with bated breath.

[Willoria]

Souta was surprised to hear that Okita wanted to specialize in spirits. "Well my people specialize in spirits, they could teach you something about Tenkujutsu if you're so inclined... an art required to wrestle with spirits directly. You've done a lot of good research here without the help of the Scribes it seems but I'd strongly suggest you look into joining their ranks to get access to some better resources. You'll have to see Hizashi Rika... she's in charge of the organization." He finished looking through the notes and carefully handed the stack of papers back to Okita. "It'll further your goals as well to join the organization, do well within it and maybe I'll even scout you for joining my people more directly, though these days Rokuro does much of my scouting for me. I have certain priorities that force me to delegate a lot more of my tasks."

As the conversation took on its natural progression however, he couldn't help noticing a certain amount of mischievous intent working its way into Okita's expression, which seemed quickly explained as the boy practically requested Yasu as his escort. Souta looked past Okita and towards Yasu, noticing the young woman bristle and her eyes taking on an extra glow. Even her mask started to glow slightly, causing the Bannin to glare slightly. "Young woman, if you ignite another scroll I swear on the Light and all that is Sacred..."

Yasu quickly dropped the scroll and took a couple of deep breaths to calm her own temper down before leveling a glare at Okita. "Souta-Sama, I'm really not sure this is a good idea-"

"You're right, you're far too inexperienced." Souta interrupted with a smirk of his own before looking to Okita. "Yasu will be a good choice, she's new to the team and needs the experience however so I'm afraid she shouldn't be your only escort. I'll send Rokuro along as well. He's one of my team leaders. He's been with me a few years now and has trained under me directly, he'll be a good choice. Whatever day you choose to go, just let them know. Just be sure you have plenty of time and supplies set aside for your search and... be careful."

[ShinobiTruth]

Okita's grin was so wide that if he wasn't careful, Souta would hear the maniacal laughter echoing inside his head. Extra assurance that the mission would be a success and he got to put that smug goth princess through the ringer? PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Okita bowed deeply once more to Souta, making sure to still pay proper deference as he internally gloated over his pointless victory. "I will cede to your wisdom, Souta-sama," he acquiesced politely. "And worry not: I've no intention of dying. Death means the end of knowledge, and there's far too much I can learn to kick the bucket so quickly, as it were. Thank you very much; I greatly appreciate this."

Excusing himself, his back was turned to the bannin as he looked upon the now flustered (possibly infuriated) Yasu, his feral grin reeking of mischief. Walking to her, he made certain to stop and bow. "It will be a privilege to work with you, Ya-su-saaaaan," he quietly taunted, making sure only she could hear. "Please make sure you and Rokuro-san are ready to depart tomorrow at dusk. The legend says the Deception only shows itself at night."

If she was crazy enough to strike him (which given Souta's presence, didn't seem likely), it would be a war trophy he would wear with pride. Physical wounds always healed with time. But besmirched and wounded pride? Oh, those wounds could last a loooooooong time indeed.

[Willoria]

Yasu stood as Okita approached, keeping her expression abnormally even after Souta had simply nodded to dismiss the boy. Of course, her expression earned a look of concern from the man, but he didn't say anything. He merely watched with interest. Yasu pulled down her mask once more to show her face and smiled all too sweetly at Okita. "Of course we'll be ready." she cooed, reaching out and suddenly pulling him into a hug. The hug itself even was too sweet, one hand wrapping around his lower back and the other slipping behind his head to dig into his hair.

When she started to release him, her hands resting on his shoulders, she smiled at him. Her eyes began to glow more intensely, and so did the ends of her hair. An intense heat began to emanate from her person as her body embered with her inborn ability connected to her Katon affinity. The heat coming from her would quickly begin to cause burns if Okita didn't move quickly to get out of range.

"Yasu!"

Ability UsedShow

To be Embered When this ability is activated and the user is considered 'Embered', their eyes glow like the embers of a fire. Their hair glows starting at the ends like a living fire that fades going up until they too are more like weak embers. The entire body has a similar glow like the embers of a dying flame. Anyone within up to thirty meters of the user will begin to take katon damage, the strength of ignition/burn is equal to the user's Chakra Pool. In addition, the user gains a +10 to Endurance for the duration of the ability, while suffering a -5 to Strength and a -5 to Speed. Requires: Katon

[ShinobiTruth]

Okita's smile faded almost immediately, eyes narrowed at Yasu's response. She had just been irate a moment before. Was she now calm simply because she was in the presence of her mentor? No, that wasn't it. He'd seen her try to calm herself down. This was different. Disarming. Calculated.

He stiffened at the hug, clearly not expecting it nor intending to reciprocate it, his eyes widening. He knew that Yasu was different, but there was more to what she was doing, he was certain. As she pulled away and stared into his eyes, he realized what was about to happen. Well, not exactly. But something. Something bad and, given the hue of those gems of hers and her hair, something probably fire-related. He smelled the singing of his robes before he felt the heat, though he did feel it on the skin of his face. "Tch!" Despite his combat style, he still needed a sword in hand for that to work. Slamming the scroll in his hand into her hip as hard as possible, Okita would shrink his center as much as possible by drawing his arms and shoulders inwards. Then, using her opposing thigh as a vaulting point, Okita would violently launch himself up and away from her, landing rather roughly on the top of the fence that surrounded the garden, a substantial distance away from her.

The scent of burnt cotton and linen lightly wafted through the air, eyes staring hard at Yasu. This woman... He had choice names to call her, but surprisingly, Okita smirked, even though the exposure to heat had caused a bead of sweat to slide down his brow. He sensed the beginning of a most transformative... well, he could hardly call it a friendship. Rivalry? Meh, close enough for now. He'd figure out the best term later. Besides, he'd gotten under her skin, even if it had cost him a close encounter with what he now understood to be a literal human bonfire. Okita would not be greedy. Standing up straight, he nodded slowly at Yasu. If she thought that this would be enough to make him back down, she would be in for a rude awakening tomorrow evening. "See you at the village gates," he bid, his smirk disappearing from sight as he took a short hop off the fence onto the street behind him. He quickly examined his papers and notes. Some of them had come dangerously close to igniting, but they had merely been dried out. He noticed a few pages that were difficult to read now, but he was certain he could rewrite those pages if he had to.

All things considered, it had been an exciting turn of events for the reclusive scholar. There was much to plan for tomorrow. Best that he hop to it.