A quiet warmth (open)

[Hyuma]

Serenity is is a Unique concept, perhaps it is rare in a time of war to be relaxed, but For hyuma at least finding a sense of peace was not terribly difficult, he was a nobody and had long accepted it, he was born to nobodies who'd died nobodies and held no illusion of grandeur or thought that he would be any different. He didn't mind such a fate, his life would be spent in service to his homeland, he know that at least, was an honor. But to apply excess effort seemed a waste he was content to do what as asked of him and nothing more, and when nothing was asked of him he pursued his hobbies of napping sewing and calligraphy.

If there was one art Hyuma had Strived to master, it was finding places he was not likely to be disturbed though it had taken him some time, he'd finally found a home in the boiler room, on the surface the room was a tad uncomfortably hot, considering it supplied heat to the subterranean compounds lower levels.and the ever present whirr of the boiler might seem unpleasant, but the room was not a destination too many took to exploring. As such, in Hyuma's eyes it was perfect. He'd found a small nook behind the boiler between a few decrepit boxes of parts for the machine, small enough for him to comfortably lay down. and rest and think. So each day after and between classes he would sneak off to his small base and rest. He was content to keep the place from his classmates, not out of disdain for them but a desire for seclusion. It took too much effort to train and be social, he could do one or the other but both was simply too much to ask he felt.

On this particular day as he snuck to his hiding place he felt a pang of paranoia that he'd been followed but shrugged it off, he wasn't interesting enough to follow he decided so he followed his normal routine. Pausing outside the boiler room door glancing about to see if he'd been followed he quickly jiggled open the old lock on the door that hardly held together anymore and snuck into the boiler room. Climbing around the machine, he stripped off his loose jacket for a makeshift pillow and laid himself down letting the quiet hum of machinery lull him to sleep for a small time before he again would have to train.

 

[Tomomi]

Re: A quiet warmth

Spoiler

Basic Knowledge:
Birth/Real Name: Kanemoto Akujin
Adopted Name: Byakko Kyūji
Alias: Mikisugi Kyūji, Mikisugi Akujin
Physical Age: 25
Actual Age: Older than 25, probably early 30's
Height: 6 feet tall
Weight: Wouldn't You Like to Know
Gender: Male
Day of Birth: October 5th
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Village: Sunagakure/House Byakko, Formerly Iwagakure
Alignment: Lawful Neutral or Is He?
Rank/Jobs: Tenured Medical Chief/Jounin
Medics Taught: Three(Azusa, Kumoni and Uziuke)
Religion: Celestial Winds
Languages: English(Site Generalized Language), Runic Terran(Suna Language)
Skin tone: Well he was white but now he is darker like all of Kuro's clan apparently. He is not black, but has a tan I would say.
Eyes: Golden(They glow yellow in some situations) and they are feline-like eyes
Glasses: Not anymore, corrected visions through taking the Byakko Oath
Hair: Straight and white. Refer to my face claim.
Hands and feet: He has normal feet, but his one hand resembles cat-like claws for the fingertips.
Ablation of Body Parts: His right arm; has nothing below the shoulder joint
Markings/Tattoos: Silver-white markings formed around his left hand and forearm; also Byakko Tenshi seal is on his back; Black-marking around right shoulder/neck to seal away his physical strength
Other Notable Features: Neko-ears
Relationship: Married to Lady Yanshi in the Eyes of Byakko/Betrothed to the Head of the Byakko Clan in Normal Eyes
Children: Kyushiko(Daughter) and Yanjirou(Son)
Looks Like: Avenger from Fate Grand Order

Twas another day in the life of the descendant of Byakko who was still adjusting to his missing arm. Earlier in the month, he had decided to take a temporary leave from his roles at the Academy and Hospital to readjust his life in his new body and learn how to be as normal as he could possibly be considering he still had two white feline ears on the top of his head that made him stick out like a sore thumb. In either case, he had adjusted quite well thus far learning how to properly take care of himself again and training regularly again so it was time to take a small step forward which was to go to the Academy and into his office to do paperwork for new students registering for classes. Baby steps would need to be taken so the public could adjust to the new appearance of the dearest descendant of the celestial being known as Lord Byakko. Hopefully, there would not be too many issues or strange looks from the public based on his lack of a right arm.

As he slowly made his way towards the Academy, he noticed a figure near the roof of the Academy trying to make it into the boiler room and sneakily looking around probably to notice if someone was watching them. Fortunately for Kyuji, the figure didn't see him walking towards the Academy or didn't care and had entered the room trapping themselves from the outside since it was the only entrance and exit out of the room. So like a good ninja should, Kyuji made his way to the room quickly by taking the stairs inside of the educational facility to not draw attention to himself or set off any alarms to the students or teachers. When he got there, he noticed the old, rusty lock that was suppose to keep people outside had been doing a poor job and he sighed as he pushed the door open.

Once inside, he did a quick hand-sign and he went invisible from the figure. He would then begin to walk around gingerly trying to find where the suspicious figure had gone. Would he find the figure or would the figure realize that he was there and make a break for it for the door since they were being disturbed? Only time would tell.

[OOC: Good intro post, Hyuma! When I roleplay, I let the story tell itself and I do not come in with a pre-planned post. There are times that I might take control of a situation but I try to allow wiggle room for all roleplays and you never have to assume something happens to your character if one is attacking you or something unless you agreed with others that one person can do psuedo-mods. You are in a boiler room with a one-armed cat-man who is invisible. Enjoy! ^^]

 

[Hyuma]

With most things one can have... too much of a good thing, as he lay half dozing he felt it again, a certain... paranoia, like when the hair on the back of your neck stands up. A sense of malevolent intentions or.. the feeling of being watched. He'd had this room to himself for a small while now, and perhaps he'd stopped being as cautious as he had originally been in his sneaking off. Perhaps that had lead to the situation he was now unwittingly in, and invisible presence hunting him down. The question was... was it another student? if so perhaps he could bargain his way out of being tattled on, if it was an instructor it was bound to be trouble, but either way.. he was certain that another existence was present. The question was, what to do about it?

For the moment he decided nothing, he wouldn't even bother to open his eyes, his ears had already grown accustomed to the gentle whirr or the machinery so listening for a sound other than it was doable, he just had to wait. If whatever it was assumed him slumbering then it might lower it's guard, which made his retaliation if necessary all the easier, that was... if he was discovered, fe felt that he still had a slim chance of going unnoticed considering his small size and the fact that he was laying quietly between to old crates. If one searched thoroughly he was by no means camouflaged but there was something to be said for hiding in plain sight.

He was tense ready to pounce, and that fact alone irked him slightly, he just wanted to nap, a cardinal sin he thought not, but the instructors would likely disagree. Either way, he was trapped, there was only one way in and out of the room so if he wanted to scape he'd have to go through whatever had followed him in, if it was anything at all. listening and waiting Hyuma would let the other entity make the first move if it was truly there. He could only hope he would have a chance to react.

 

[Tomomi]

This search for this small figure was getting somewhat interesting as he had been continuing his search of the facility, but he had still not found any trace of another human being nor demon. Had he been merely seeing things since he had been off-work for so long and going mad? No, that couldn't be it, this figure was real and he would have to find them quickly since nobody should be spending excessive amounts of time in a boiler room alone and isolated from the rest of the world. The fact that he hadn't found anyone yet was concerning to himself since this should've been an easy find for him but yet, he was struggling. He was starting to question his sanity as his body started to get uncomfortable as sweat was starting to develop to cool him off as he continued to investigate.

At some point, he decided that creating two clones made of shadows would be a smart idea as he could delegate some of the work to them to help him look. He also decided to make sure the trespasser didn't try to escape during his search by going over to the only exit of the room and tying the door with ninja wire to make any escape attempt more difficult. The figure could escape if they managed to take the time to untie all the wire to the door, but taking the time would probably catch the attention of one of the descendant of Byakko's clones or the descendant himself. In either case, the figure was in here with him and they could play a cat and mouse game for hours if the figure wanted to not cooperate or until Kyuji grew tired of playing and decided to just set the place on fire; he would only threaten and never actually burn a place down since that was frowned upon.

But, he was going to change his strategy from his original plan and try a different method of approach. He would turn his back to the door and stand only a few feet in front of it while he allowed the clones to continue to search. As he stood there, he would raise his voice enough so he was audible over the machinery which would be quite hard to do and say the following: "I know you are in here! Come out and you will not be in trouble with the Academy, the village or I. But refusing to show yourself will get you in hot water so choose wisely. I am not here to get you in trouble, I am only here to ask questions and get some answers. So please come out!"

It was time to wait and see if the figure would come out and end their little game or if he was going to have to go with plan C and so forth in the alphabet. He really didn't want to get into any drama today at all and he just wanted to know why someone was in this room of all places in the village. It would be much easier for the suspicious character and him to talk this out than to have to drag someone out kicking and screaming right to the ANBU and then having further consequences affecting them. Yes, Kyuji wanted answers and that was all, he meant no harm and no trouble.

 

[Hyuma]

What a pain, the thought that pulsed in his mind. The sanctity of his nap had been ruined, and more so than that, he was disappointed that his hideout had been breached and he'd have to find a new one after this. There was no real escape from this situation he was practical enough to know that he couldn't run and that waiting any longer would only earn him trouble. So his only option was to begrudgingly reveal himself and accept the consequences that were created. He had his doubts about what the other in the room had said, but he didn't have the time to wiggle out from the nose of a superior.

Crawling out from his hiding place Hyuma stood up and wrapped his knuckles against the wall twice making the sheet metal ring and announce his presence. He didn't speak it wasn't his place his name hadn't been asked his status hadn't been questioned only his presence had been requested and as such as he stood he'd fulfilled all requests, staring at the door Hyuma frowned, the mild humidity f the boiler room highlighted a cord on the handle of the door, it had been sealed. Furthermore, there were multiple people in the room.. or clones as it were, a further unpleasant development, all of this he observed through half lidded eyes still bearing an expression of disinterested drowsiness. he preferred to seem unaware when he could as it was often assumed that he thought and knew less than he did, something that suited him just fine. Giving a slight bow to the closest figure before letting out a slight yawn and arching an eyebrow as a mute question mark.

 

[Tomomi]

It appeared switching his strategy to bring out this figure was a wise as the individual would reveal himself. The closest copy of descendant of Byakko would walk right up to the boy staring down at him as the Byakko heir made his way towards the child revealing himself to the boy with each step. If the child was interested enough to look at him, he would see a six foot tall giant approaching him with golden-feline like eyes and his body wrapped up in a shroud-like garment concealing everything except his head and the occasional display of a boot as he walked; in other words, he was concealed to hide much of his body like he always was and he also was fashioning a nice black hat like he usually did when he wasn't teaching or doing medical stuff since he was technically off for a few more days at the very least. The two shadow clones would poof as he approached the tiny, pale and sickly looking child who had auburn hair and ribs that were so exposed it looked like you could practically rip them right out from the skin. This kid didn't look like he was fairing too well and Kyuji could tell considering he was a medical chief from the Hospital and saw cases like this all the time...sometimes in fortunate or unfortunate cases.

Once he was practically standing right over the child, he knelt down on a knee to get more eye level with the boy. The boy could choose to look at Kyuji or not, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things right now. In either case, the descendant would offer a friendly smile to the boy as he began to talk with a pleasing tone in his voice: "I am glad that you finally came out and we could end our cat and mouse game. Although, I must admit it was getting kind of fun trying to find you! But anyways, I am Byakko Kyuji and you would be? More importantly, why would you be hiding out in the boiler room of the Academy when you could be training or playing around with your friends?"

He had assumptions, but we all know what assuming meant in the world. He would just need to feel this kid out and see how things went. He wanted only the best for the child as he did for all the children of the village. It was somewhat hoping the child would tell him the truth about himself, but also he knew that children did enjoy white lying sometimes to get out of trouble. But! The child wasn't in trouble, he was just being questioned and for good reason since a veteran in the shinobi world could cause mass havoc in a boiler room with all the heat radiating from the machinery. Sometimes, you had to take things into your own hands when the right shinobi weren't around and this was going to be one of those cases, it appeared.

 

[Hyuma]

looking at the an under heavy lidded eyes he frowned slightly, he was dealing with an unknown ninja of a rank he didn't know and he'd already displayed the use of high-level Jutsus casually, he was either intentionally showing off, powerful enough that it really was a casual use for him, or very cautious. He couldn't draw a bead as to wich of the three it was but it was but they at the very least gave him some level of insight to watch for, understanding an opponent's personality was more crucial than most thought in defeating them.

"I am glad that you finally came out and we could end our cat and mouse game. Although, I must admit it was getting kind of fun trying to find you! But anyways, I am Byakko Kyuji and you would be? More importantly, why would you be hiding out in the boiler room of the Academy when you could be training or playing around with your friends?"

He pondered the questions it didn't make him glad to hear that the man thought him a mouse in a game, it edged him a little closer towards understanding the man's personality though he still didn't want to make any assumptions, though for the moment careful answers would have to be his directive.

"My name.... Hyuma... I'm here.... because... tired..."

Yawning loudly Hyuma Squinted and let his voice fall into a more regular pattern it was probably unwise to antagonize the figure opposite him.

"I.. I lack any desire to train beyond what the academy demands... and I'm afraid that my classmates find me uninteresting, I'm not... the type to reach out.. So I come here... to sleep sometimes..."

There, he'd painted the man a pitiful picture, if he was lucky perhaps the man would deem him not worth his time and not punish him, or at the very least go easy on him assuming him not worth the attention. either way he allowed himself to continue looking sleepy and hope that he was underestimated even for a student.

"pleased to make your acquaintance Byakko Kyuiji"

 

[Tomomi]

Listening to this child, the descendant of Byakko tried to keep a neutral face as the child was introducing himself and trying to explain why he was here in the first place when most children would be exploring or getting into little childish shenanigans with each other. The dearest descendant wanted to hug the child to comfort him since the small child sounded like a loner of sorts. Still, it made no real logical sense to Kyuji why a child would pick the boiler room of their Academy to hang out in when he could go and rest in numerous other parts of the Academy. However, he couldn't completely scorn him for picking the boiler room at the Academy considering he could have taken his free time in another part of the village like the Red Light District or other parts of that terrible slum, low-class, and corrupt lifestyle.

So what would this older male decide to do with this kid? There were many options with numerous variables that had to be considered with each option, but it was an easy choice to him. So, he simply put a smile on his face and gave a positive, upbeat tone as he talked to this child: "The pleasure is mine, Hyuma! However, you really shouldn't be trespassing in the boiler room of your Academy because it appears suspicious and other adults like your teachers or the ANBU would have broke into the room and dragged you out kicking and screaming without questioning. I however will not be arresting you nor telling anyone about this encounter as you are young and children are to be taught, not punished for doing wrong. Punishing a child only makes them want to rebel more, but action has to be taken if the same child does not learn through being taught."

He would then pause placing his hand on the child's shoulder and looking the boy right in the eyes with his beautiful, golden feline-like eyes. In all honesty, he wanted to help the child out as much as he could, but he would need to try to crack the hard surface of the boy to do so. After a brief pause, he would continue talking: "I am not going to force you to leave this room as I know you are safer here than you would be in other parts of the village. However if you need a place to live until you can support yourself, I am offering you a room in the Byakko Clan which is a side-branch of the Toraono Clan. I can send a Byakko messenger to escort you whenever you are interested in the offer since I am sure you want to think it over since you just met me. I assure you that if you want to live in my estate, you will have a bed to sleep in, a shower to wash in, and plenty of food. So just consider it, alright? You will be able to contact me to send one via dropping me a note outside of my office in the Academy."

Another pause to gather his thoughts and then he finished with a simple few words: "Is the Academy teaching you well? You aren't having any issues are you?" He really hoped that during his absence, the other teachers had been doing a good job of teaching these students since they would eventually need to be called upon for numerous tasks inside the village and/or outside the village. Of course, Kyuji had no idea which tasks any of them would be assigned to or want to do.

[OOC: Marked for training at 602 words]

 

[Hyuma]

Hyuma frowned at the woube be benefactor, listening to him speak on one had irked him his mightier than thou attitude rubbed him the wrong way, perhaps the man was trying to be kind but he'd seen too little kindness in his time as a student to be sure if it didn't come with a steep price as so many favors do, so he bided his time weighing his words. It wasn't like the man was wrong trespassing wasn't something looked kindly upon, but he'd not been caught before... at worst the learning experience was that he'd gotten lazy and that he'd need to work on being stealthier. But... listening to the man chide him worried him, the man was stronger than he, he could tell it easily and it made him wonder just how many ninja belonged to the sand that could so easily force his hand. He wanted to be stronger perhaps... though he didn't believe he was going to do anything with his life but die anonymously another average ninja he wanted to be able to be strong enough to secure some of the few pleasures in life he wanted before it ended... so perhaps it would not be unwise to consider what the man said... and accept an offer of a home, and hope that the offer extended to tutelage.

"it.. it isn't a matter of not being able to support myself... I just... I... i'm not good with people I... handle solitude better.... your offer... it's gracious and... I promise to think hard on it.., But.. the academy is fine.... I'm probly a bad student rather than this being... a bad academy... Forgive my apathy Byakko dono.. it is simply.. that I feel you'd be wasting time on someone lowly as I... you're right that.. my trespassing is wrong.. but... I'm not sure I can change so easily after so much time of being a stranger..."

Bowing deeply in apology Hyuma waited to be dismissed, he'd decided he would accept the offer... for a time at least.. and see what the man had to offer but he was afraid to vocalize it... same too with the reasons he avoided his fellow students, he didn't want friends. Like family... you learned to love and care for friends but the life of a ninja always leads to death and he was afraid of making friends and connections only to lose them... it seemed too painful.

 

[Tomomi]

He would listen to the child respond to him and in his head, he would sigh as the child commented. It was unfortunate that this child had such low self-esteem and confidence in himself, but he would learn to gain some in due time if he continued to stay around Kyuji because this man was not one who allowed children to fail nor put themselves down if he had anything to say about it. After all, he was much like him when he was younger and he hated to see someone have to go through the hardships that he did to grow up. Hopefully, the kid would think it over and get back to him about wanting to live with him or at the very least, he could mentor the child which was not a bad alternative.

Anyways, time would tell about that. For now, Kyuji would place a hand on the boy's shoulder and say the following in a happy demeanor with a smile on his face: "Definitely think about it and let me know if you are interested in the future! There is no rush at all, Hyuma. Also, you are not a bad student. Some students just take longer to learn material in the Academy while others excel outside of the classroom learning material. Personally, I was not exactly at the top of my class when I was in the Academy but I still turned out fine. Don't worry about it too much. Just work hard and keep yourself out of trouble and you will be a fine shinobi."

He would then say a little more after a brief moment: "You may go or stay. I won't tell anyone regardless. Have a good day, Hyuma!" He would then walk over to the door and untie the ninja wire from it to allow them both to leave at their leisure. He would then turn back to the kid and wave with a smile on his face before walking out of the room to go about his day. He would ponder in his mind about the kid that he just met for quite some time as he went into the Academy and got what he needed done before going home.

[Topic Left. Thank you for the roleplay! I enjoyed it! If you are done, you just need to make a post and mark it as topic left in the OOC section like so.]