The More The Merrier

[Kaida]

She had received word that there was another within the village who seemed to still have some fight within them. Someone who had skills that could be useful to the rebellion in the coming months as they prepared to counter Iwa's hold in Suna and regain their independence. It was a risky gambit, all of the people Datura had met and successfully brought into the fold. But because of her family's influence and penchant for helping throughout Wind Country, she was able to space out each meeting and make it look less inconspicuous and more like a wellness check on her neighbors and fellow citizens.

She found her way to a work shop that had been rumoured to house the man she was looking for, a puppet master who was rather reclusive and introverted. Tapping lightly on the door as she approached, it gently swung open. Revealing a dimly lit and oppressively dark atmosphere, the dust particles dancing through the rays of sun and landing upon her tanned skin and matte golden sun dress. Letting her eyes adjust to her new environment, she almost shrieked as she was staring as what appeared to be dozens of mannequined faces, their bodies hanging from the ceiling all staring down at her. It was unsettling and made the hair on the back of her arms stand up. She took a deep breath, and coughed as dust found its way into her lungs.

Fanning her face and the air in front of her, she managed to regain her composure and called out softly into the void room. "Hello? Is anyone here? I had some questions about your craft."

[Tsedas]

The dim light of a single candle. The flame surrounded by darkness. Masked features stared at it for a moment as the man behind the mask wondered what he could even do next. He idled his days away in his workshop and built improvement upon improvement for one puppet, crafting multiple puppets to be simple templates for possible future projects. Yet despite all his work, his efforts bore no fruit. As the flame flickered from a gentle waft of air passing through the workshop, the figure closed his eyes and took a moment to clear his thoughts. He was a craftsman and a puppet user. He could spend the rest of his life striving to build the next best puppet for all the world cared.

Ignoring the dimly lit conditions or the dust riddled air, Ryousei Genkaku turned his attention from the flame as he looked back down at the rather large wooden head in front of him. He'd been carving it out for some time the past few weeks. Taking up the wood chisel and hammer once more, he positioned them along the space where he needed to carve out a little more meat from the puppet's features. Shifting his wrist, he brought his hand up slightly to shift the angle of the hammer and as he was about to tap down against the butt of the chisel's handle there was a tapping at his workshop door.

He hadn't expected Kiyoko to come by today, nor any of the other puppet users, or even other craftsmen who sought him out for advice in the trade. Turning his head, his hands frozen in their position, he stared at the chamber door. Who was it? He wasn't expecting anything, but it certainly wasn't some Iwa ninja here to take him away. He wasn't a threat to Iwa, he was a craftsman who spent too much time plying his trade in wood. 'Tis a visitor,' Genkaku thought to himself, 'tapping at my chamber door... Only this and nothing more.'

Shifting his pinky as chakra flowed from the core of his body, a string slithered out from said pinky before grasping the handle of the door and turning it. With a shift, his pinky made the door open slowly to allow the light of day to pour in, casting looming shadows across his workshop. The hanging puppets, menacingly hanging form the ceiling as the face beyond the door looked like it was about to fill his dusty place with a scream. Watching her take a breath before coughing and fanning the dust away, Genkaku was a bit amused by the display before he heard her call out to him.

From his seat by the sole source of light in the workshop, Genkaku turned back to his project. Shifting his pinky again, a window nearby had it's curtain pulled aside before it seemingly opened on it's own. A tapping of metal against wood would drawn her attention to his location as he worked. His dark skin, silvery hair in it's mohawk atop his head while a braided ponytail fell down his back. Form fitting black shirt and pants adorning his body as he was focused on his work. While she couldn't see his face from behind him, if she came over and got a look at him, then she would see he was wearing a pale mask as white as bone with tassels hanging from the sides.

"I am here, what questions did you have in particular? You will also need to narrow down what you mean by 'my craft'. I'm skilled in many different things from the eyes of a craftsman and that is a broad question you're just poised. But I think the most important thing is that you excuse the dust. I get wrapped up in my work and forget to air the place out sometimes." Genkaku stated as he chipped away at the head before him. This head was at least twice the size of a normal human head. "I suspect you already know this if you're hear to ask me about my craft, but my name is Ryousei Genkaku. Who might you be?"

[Kaida]

A friendly chuckle left Datura's pink lips, her smile kind and eyes shining brightly in the dimly lit space. The man before her seemed less social than she was used to, but his manners were present and she could see a hint of something more in his body language. She would still have to tread carefully, but she imagined it wouldn't be too difficult of a conversation. "My apologies, my name is Naegi Datura. It is a pleasure to meet you Ryousei-san." She bowed her head respectfully, keeping her voice quiet so as not to disturb the atmosphere further than she already had with her intrusion.

"As for my broad question, I'm afraid I don't have many more specifics in mind. Years ago I fought for Suna, and I am still a Jounin. My line of inquiry regarding your craft has more to do with how it can be used to better defend our borders and our people." Keeping her face neutral, she walked a little closer to Genkaku. Her eyes taking in as much detail about the shop as possible while she conversed with the seemingly reclusive man. You could often tell a lot about a person when they were in their natural habitat and surrounded by their craft. It spoke volumes to their character. Despite the unkept state of the workshop, it was full. Meaning the man was dedicated to his work and had true interest in furthering his skills. His quiet demeanor and stilled body language indicated he was also perceptive and prone to self preservation. But there was an almost silent challenge spoken between him and the many puppets in the room. This man was not weak, and that could be very useful. "Would you mind telling me more about how your creations can be used?"

[Tsedas]

Her words were polite enough and her demeanor seemed to be one of someone who was happy, if not content to some degree. Then her words came in regards to her questioning of what could be done for the country and it's people. Asking on what could be done with the various creations that lingered about his shop. The bulk of his working hanging from the ceiling and looming over her like humanoid stalactites. His hammer tapped away at the butt of the chisel and carved out another section of wood before he set the tools down. Picking up a brush, he gently ran it across the wood before raising it up into the light to see it better.

The large head was beginning to take shape more clearly, it needed some fine tuning and sculpting to reflect the image he desired, but it was coming along. "Naegi Datura..." Repeating her name softly behind his mask, he lowered the head back onto the table before grabbing another set of tools and carving away. "Well wood working isn't much of a suitable craft for combat, unless you think you can turn wood shavings into projectile weapons." His smartass response pulled a little at the corner of his mouth as he held up one such sizeable wood shavings. "Unless you were a Senju from Konoha, perhaps?"

Flicking the piece of wood away and to the side, he would go back to hunching over his creation. "Everyone knows how puppetry can be utilized for Suna and Wind country. The problem is building puppets is a little time consuming. This is probably why you don't see much in the way of larger puppets on the battelfield, especially numerous ones." As he finished doing some work, he straightened his back before looking to the left of his work bench. Beside it, both of them could see a holder of sorts, probably meant for umbrellas but it was stuff with tubes and rolled up parchment. Reaching over, he pulled one from the holder and unrolled it. "Such undertaking cost ryo, more than some Kugutsu users see in their life times. Ideally there are larger projects I would love to indulge in, but I lack the funds or time to indulge in them. Even then, chasing these dreams now would only lead to strengthening Iwa for my efforts."

As his eyes peered across the paper, he analyzed the old blueprints of a long lost dream of his. Curved lines giving form to a streamlined hull, rigid extensions coming off like fins yet sturdy and capable enough to act as landing struts. Designs of mechanical devices that would harness chakra to give rise to propulsion and a rail system that glided along the exterior of the create construct, allowing chakra cannons to shift and have multiple angles to fire from. The ship drawn out upon the large sheet of paper was one designed to take to the skies. He'd dreamed of this beauty soaring over Suna as one of the first of many. "My creations can be used for a multitude of things with the right puppet master. Manual labor, construction projects, cargo handling, even transportation if done right. The only limit is time, imagination, and resources."

[Kaida]

She listened intently, humming her way through Genkaku's well versed monologue regarding his craft. Her golden eyes never leaving him for long as he worked. His disdain for Iwa clear in his speech bringing a slight smile to her eyes. It wouldn't be prudent to advertise an opportunity within the rebellion in his shop, but she could plant the seed for further communication outside.

"You are very knowledgeable. If I am to understand, you would need an investor of sorts? One that came without any...political strings. To give you the time and resources to complete such projects." Her hands came to clasp behind her back as she stepped closer to the puppet maker. "It's a shame about the current controlled climate of course, dimming th creative light in our beautiful village. Though I hear there are ways to go around such a system. Should you ever need any help with fetching materials or an extra set of hands, I'd be happy to offer assistance."

Her gaze wandered around the dimly lit shop once more, it was clear the man was busy. All manner of creations lined the walls and hung overheard, peering at her with lifeless dull eyes and oddly painted faces that left her unnerved. "In times such as these, it's always good to have unconditional friends." There was an underlying hint to her words, nothing outright traitorous os suspicious. But something that if the man was as smart as she thought, he'd pick up on it with ease while still leaving him the option of plausible deniability should he choose to stay isolated.