A Spiritual Arrival

[Okibi]

At Mikaboshi's ambiguous comment, Hakumei rose an eyebrow. What did he mean by that exactly? Being confused about a person . . . thing . . . creature, whatever Mikaboshi was, was just a little frustrating. Having the abilities that she did, Hakumei could usually read a person easily; such was the case with the Steward. Human spirits are simple, and easy to judge. But this man of shadows was something more of a mystery. Even though his shell seemed human, its contents obviously were not, and that made it hard for her to gauge him. She'd never met his like before, so how was she supposed to asess something she knew nothing about?

On top of that, it just plain hurt to look at him still.

"I would hope it'd be the latter." She said as she followed Sousuke to their next destination. "As you said, people like me are hard to come by nowadays. It would be a shame to rob the world of me." It was easy for her to sound confident - like her usual self - when she wasnt looking at him. Since she was getting more used to his presence, she could almost pretend like he wasnt actually there.

She wanted to avoid him at all costs . . . and yet there was a part of her that was absolutely fascinated as well; the part of her that her grandmother cultivated. The witchy part.

Walking beside Sousuke, with her staff leaned against her shoulder, she grinned at his comment about moderation. "Yes, moderation." She lifted her right hand to her shoulder, scratching her crow on the head. "Funny how that word means different things to different people." Sousuke's next comment about Mikaboshi taking on a more casual presentation caught her attention once more. She looked at the Steward, and then at his shadowy companion. "You mean he has an appearance different than this?" For the first time, she let her gaze travel over him slowly. "Interesting . . . I think I would like to see that. It might be easier on my eye. And the rest of me."

By this time, they'd stopped outside of a bar, which was just a little more on the seedy side, as well as the gaudy with its bright lights. When Sousuke seemed to change his mind and started to turn his chair away, Hakumei snaked out a hand and latched on to the back of it. "Not so fast Little Bird, this place looks just fine. It's always the shadier places that offer the more interesting experiences." Then she let go of his chair and strutted into the establishment, pushing the doors open wide. She made a beeline for the bar and took a seat, setting her staff down beside her. She tapped the counter top and flagged down a bartender who was wiping the inside of a glass with a rather used looking rag. "Two shots of the hardest stuff you got." She said. Moments later the burly bartender smacked down two small glasses of an amber colored liquid, and Hakumei wasted no time in throwing them back.

Her cheeks blossomed with color once the second one went down, and she thumped the glass down on the counter with an exuberant exhale, her smile wide. "That's the stuff."

 

[Mikaboshi]

"... very well." Gasped Mikaboshi as he blew and over-exaggerated sigh at Sousuke's request. It was likely the Steward simply wished to avoid a panic from those that might recognize the fearsome mask of Mikaboshi being present in the bar but... the Steward-Kazekage himself was out and about. Those that knew the stories and legends said that Sousuke's very shadow lived and breathed... which was not extraordinarily far from the truth, actually. There would be commotion regardless. But either way he accepted Sousuke's suggestion and reached up to his hood.

Grasping each side of the hood's fabric in his fingertips, he flipped the hood backwards causing a ripple of verdant colored light to trickle down his body from the top of his head. As the ripple passed his appearance wavered and changed-- his mask appearing to disappear and dissolve as the ripple passed, consuming it and leaving behind a thin face with sharp features and a stern expression. It passed slowly down his body slowly obliterating the appearance of his military gear in the same strange process; replacing his ANBU Captain's coat with an equally long but more civilian-looking black leather affair with a button-down white shirt beneath it complete with a featureless black tie. Reaching out into the gloom, Mikaboshi's hand seemed to disappear for a moment before he brought it back to his person and tossed of what seemed like a writhing trunk of living blackness around his neck that quickly shivered and transformed into a long scarf colored a dull goldenrod situated around his shoulders and mouth as if he were attempting to keep himself warm. His transformation completed itself with a pair of raven-black formal shoes upon his feet and tipping his fingers with black cloth gloves.

Spoiler

"A being of my caliber has as many appearances as he requires." Boasted the ANBU Sennin in the same disinterested tone as before as he then looked to Sousuke. The most striking thing about Mikaboshi's transformation was his voice. Normally a strangely accented metallic-sounding rasp it seemed now as if that strange voice was a product of the grimacing mask he perpetually wore., Despite his entirely altered physical attire, Mikaboshi's gold eyes remained entirely unchanged from how they had appeared behind his mask. Like little amber candle-flames behind the tiniest of windows, it seemed as if Mikaboshi had deliberately chosen not to make any changes to his eyes when in truth it was those very eyes which could not change no matter how he altered his appearance. It was the one and largest draw-back to that particular talent of his. "I trust this is sufficient."

He had once more considered simply removing his mask and only changing his cloths but that would have caused his aura to be given free reign while they walked in public around humans which possessed little to no defense against it. For a normal man or woman, coming into contact with Mikaboshi while his full spiritual presence was unleashed could be an incredibly dangerous experience even if he were not focused on them at all. It could seriously wound or even kill them if they were not protected in some way and Mikaboshi doubted that what Sousuke desired in asking him to change forms was for Mikaboshi to become a walking heart attack for Sunagakure's populace. Mikaboshi's face remained in impassive as Sousuke inquired after some author which had apparently written on the subject of his kind in the past. Inu? The Sennin did not recognize the name but he did not go out of his way to devote the names of insignificant individuals to memory.

"I expect that he is as learned on the subject of my kind as I would expect from a human being." As the words of Mikaboshi's response crossed his lips the tone he spoke them with practically dripped sarcastic venom. Humanity had been the cause of his people's fall from power. What right did any of them have to declare themselves experts on the subject of ancients? "The idea that shadow is an answer to light presumes that shadow only exists to give context to light which is insulting at best." He declined to comment further on the subject of this "Inu" and his history of shadows. As Sousuke inquired after any of Mikaboshi's children, the Ancient said nothing at first as he seemed to consider what to say. "There is nothing to say of them except for that they existed and do not any longer."

The shortness of Mikaboshi's statement implied there there could potentially be a bit more to it than he was saying but the Hand was nothing if not a secretive creature. He enjoyed his privacy and was not typically keen on divesting too many of details of himself unless ordered to do so specifically. It was just as possible that Mikaboshi was telling the truth as it was he was deliberately not elucidating on particular details. Just the same, they arrived quickly at the front of an establishment which advertised itself with bright flashing lights. Even though Mikaboshi was no longer wearing his mask, he scowled openly as Hakumei exuberantly rushed inside. Blowing another easy sigh, the ANBU Sennin-in-disguise followed behind her shortly and took in the surroundings of the bar. A small-ish establishment with only a few patrons here and there, Mikaboshi found himself thankful for that at least. His contact with the excrement of Sunagakure's society would be limited at the very least. Watching as Hakumei immediately drained a pair of shot glasses, Mikaboshi waved his hand in a pass to the bartender who looked to him next to order. His interest in this outing extended to Hakumei and his curiosity at why Sousuke was being so prying at his past all of a sudden-- certainly not as far as imbibing the swill they undoubtedly served at such a location.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

With some minor effort Sousuke made his way into the establishment. When he turned to look up at Mikaboshi, it seemed that his request for a different from had come true. "Exceedingly."<i></i> The Steward would say as he wheeled himself over to Hakumei who was downing too drinks. Sousuke merely exchanged glances between her and Mikaboshi. The Ancient more or less compared notes with writer he spoke of earlier. "Fascinating."<i></i> Sousuke would say as he took in the Ancient's words on the nature and the origins of the shadow. The Steward was almost child-like as he listened to his mentor speak with such knowledge and experience on the topic. When the Ancient spoke of his lineage coming to an end, Sousuke's expression soured. "That's very much a pity. I would have very much like to have met one, and see the resemblance or what features were ... trickled down ... so to speak."<i></i> Sousuke nodded his head. It wasn't that he didn't trust Mikaboshi on the subject, just that he may have overlooked something in a human sense, in which he was not. It was also quite probable that maybe one of the descendants had gone rogue and had cut off all ties in a humanly fashion and went to establish a new house or order. Oh the possibilities, the theories, they were so numerous.

When Mikaboshi did not order a drink, Sousuke bit his lip. "You sure? I do have some yen on hand."<i></i> Sousuke was making idle talk now. He wheeled himself up to the table and looked up at the two drinks Hakumei more or less inhaled. Sousuke frowned inwardly. The last time he was at such an establishment was quite some time ago. Granted that establishment was far more ... well ... concerning given the decor. Roku and Saemon had tricked the poor Steward into going into a 'strip club' as it were. It was an experience. One that Sousuke did not enjoy because they had informed the small man they were on a mission of sorts. Mission. Yes. Quite. Shoot to thrill as it were. Recoiling at the memory Sousuke held up his right hand and dug his fingers ever so slightly into his forehead and began to scratch slightly nervously. Drinks. Drinks. Drinks. Sousuke didn't make an ass of himself, more that when things turned from bad to worse ... the two brothers thought it was cute that Sousuke was being educated in the seedy underbelly of adult entertainment.

"Anything for you?"

Sousuke didn't answer the barkeep at first. He looked up and then at Hakumei. "Uhm... just a cola and ice. I'm ..."<i></i> Sousuke was at a pause for words.

"You're at Lord Nobu's dinner tonight at Red Swann, yeah he came by this morning with his associates and inquired for some extra ale."

Sousuke nodded his head and received his non-alcoholic drink. "Yes... and thanks."<i></i> Sousuke sipped on his drink through the straw. "Right then... now that Hakumei is theoretically back to her normal self ... or will you be needing another of those?"<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

By the time the two . . . 'men' - for lack of a better word in Mikaboshi's case - were seated/rolled up to the bar next to her, Hakumei had already gulped down a third shot. She thumped the small glass down with a loud gust, her cheeks turning pink because of the heat that was left in the alcohols wake. After being in the chilling and frankly disturbing presence of whatever the shadowy man was, the warmth the drink bestowed on her was welcome. The tapped the counter top for another one, and casually observed her 'companions' out of the side of her eyes as the barkeep topped her off.

She couldnt help the laughter that bubbled out of her mouth when Sousuke ordered and received his fizzy, normal drink. She hadn't known if he was being serious about the no-alcohol thing when he first suggested drinks, but in hindsight, she supposed that not taking anything he said seriously was her folly. Aside from the one joke he'd made about staying out of Mikaboshi's bed, he didnt seem capable of being un-serious.

"I think I'll need a few more rounds Little Bird. I have a mighty fine tolerance, and your friends presence is still making my head throb." She threw back the drink, and then a look at Mikaboshi, her gaze no longer fearful - thanks to the shots that were slowly but surely dampening her senses - but instead full of interest. "You can take on more forms you say?" She asked, being sure to keep her voice low. Hakumei didnt know the first thing about the 'man', but she figured it was safe to assume the general public didnt know about his . . . condition. "Can you turn into a butterfly?"

As she asked the absurd question, she tapped the counter for yet another round, this time accepting two more shot glasses. She whirled on her barstool and leaned towards Sousuke, unceremoniously dumping one of the shots into his cola. Just one wouldnt kill him, or so her grin said, as she turned away from him and pulled a small pouch off her outfits waist. She pulled open the small drawstring bag, dug in her fingers and pulled out a small pinch of something. She hovered her fingers over the other shot glass and rubbed them together, letting a very fine golden dust fall into the liquor. "I got this as a gift from an elemental I met not long ago. A rarity amongst his kind, according to him, and unheard amongst ours, Wee Falcon." She added on the moniker she'd bestowed upon the Steward, so it would be obvious that she was talking about humans, and not whatever Mikaboshi was. She wondered if he knew of the gold dust. "I'm not exactly sure what it does, if it does anything, but he did assure me it was consumable. Perhaps it will be to your liking . . . Ancient One." Then she added in a whisper. "Whether your body requires such things or not."

His name had been on the tip of her tongue, but even after four shots she found she didnt have the courage to utter it. Would she ever? That remained to be seen. For now, she would have to make due with titles.

Leaning back on her stool, she called for one more shot and rose it up in the air. "To new acquaintances." She toasted, and threw back the drink.

[MFT]

 

[Mikaboshi]

Was... this a challenge? Mikaboshi hesitated at first. He wasn't sure what the dust Hakumei had put into the drink she was now offering to him was but it was clear in his mind that she was daring him to drink it. Or rather, daring that he wouldn't. How dare she. Snatching the drink from her, Mikaboshi let a competitive smirk cross his face. A being such as he would certainly be up to the challenge of tackling whatever drug or poison she had challenged him to take.

"To acquaintances." He agreed and downed the shot.

To say that Mikaboshi was unfamiliar with human alcohol would have been an understatement. This would be the first time that he could have been described as "casually drinking" with associates and though he had consumed alcoholic drink in the past which had been made by the hands of a human, this was much different than the honey-based liquor that man once preferred. He was unsure if it was the actual drink or the gold dust that Hakumei had poured into the drink but if Mikaboshi had been pressed to describe the feeling of downing the shot he might have done so as drinking a small glass of lightning. It burned as it went down and for the briefest of a split moment it set all of the pain receptors in his brain on fire. Then as if spared the feeling by divine intervention the pain was gone, leaving behind in it's wake a soothing feeling. Perhaps it was the fact that it no longer hurt which felt so nice but even a being possessed with a sour attitude like Mikaboshi was forced to appreciate the after-effect.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke stared at his drink. It had been defiled. No longer was it pure cola. It was now mixed. She then watched as she gave Mikaboshi something in his drink too. Whereas Sousuke failed to have the Ancient join him for drinks, Hakumei did not. He watched with interest as the Ancient took part in the act of the toasting and downing the shot. More interesting was the look on Mikaboshi's face. He had never seen the look upon his human visage before. Smriking. He was smirking. The expression fit his human face, but it was just so... unique and slightly entertaining even. "To acquaintances."<i></i> He would too join in the drinking. Sousuke merely down the entirety of his cola. He had downed shots before being the Kiri Blue Sake. It didn't affect him, and surprisingly this had no effect on him. Unlike Mikaboshi he was hard pressed to describe the taste of the polluted drink. It still had the sweet taste of cola naturally, but it carried with it something else.

"I am slightly tempted to order another one of those."<i></i> Sousuke would murmur to himself as he stared at his empty drink. The Steward merely placed his glass back upon on the table and made a motion for more. Sousuke merely took back his now refilled glass and raised it to sip it instead of gulping it down. "Tell me more about this elemental you had met Hakumei. Elementals are ... a varied and very mindful sort. Some of them go off to establish themselves as something entirely different being Primals, which more or less are elementals of extraordinary power for even their kind. It is a fascinating subject, and one I am ... somewhat educated in."<i></i> Sousuke would nod his head in the direction of Mikaboshi. "Gold dust. I am ... to think it was an earth elemental, or perhaps a sky one. Our history with sky elementals in Sungakure is not a pleasant one, but we are ... closer with most earth elementals. Mother Suna, our state religion came from the Earthern court."<i></i> He explained.

 

[Okibi]

When the barman came over with a refill for Sousuke, Hakumei ordered more of her own. Three more shots for her, and two more for the gentlemen. She pushed one towards Sousuke and the other towards Mikaboshi, grinning. If she didnt know any better, she'd say the ancient had enjoyed that last one. But, she could only gauge so much by looking at his spirit; his physical face didnt give away a whole lot. Even with her senses dimming, she could see the spike in his soul self, affected by the drink laced with mysterious elemental magic. She plucked the small pouch from her belt and put it on the counter in front of Mikaboshi. "You can keep that. Doesnt do a thing for me."

Turning to her own shots, she threw back two in rapid succession before turning to Sousuke to answer his question about the elemental she'd met and befriended. She blinked for a moment, her body starting to react to the alcohol she'd so far consumed. Closing one eye, she waited for Sousuke's image to stop doubling before speaking. "Aye, he was an earth elemental. Big ol' bugger. Pretty well aged too I think." She reached for her last shot and threw that one back too. "One of his kin had been put under a spell, and I helped em out. That's when he gave me that." She threw a thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the gold dust. "Suppose it was all he had to give me. Just shook his big rock body and off fell the dust. Had to scoop the stuff up and put it in the bag myself." She turned to Mikaboshi, grinning like a cheshire cat. "I suppose that kind of means you just drank the essence of an old boulder guy didnt you?"

She chortled into her hand, waving the other in the air to get the bartenders attention. More drinks? Why yes; looking at Mikaboshi still hurt. Curse him for being . . . whatever he was. When two more shot were placed in front of her, she picked one up, and instead of throwing it back, sipped at it. "I've had a few run ins with multiple elementals of different castes . . . lots of wandering spirits too." You could tell by the slight slur of her words and the amount of words coming from her mouth that she was definitely starting to feel the alcohol. It didnt help that she hadnt eaten anything for a few hours beforehand. "I've met many things that arent human." Her gaze shifted sideways as she continued to sip, eyeing Mikaboshi. "But I've never run across your like before." Again, she started speaking in soft tones so no one beyond their small group would hear.

She swallowed the rest of the shot and turned on Mikaboshi fully, wincing only slightly this time. The punch of his spiritual presence had diminished, but it was still there. She was starting to think she wouldnt be able to dampen her senses enough to get it to go away completely. "What exactly are you Mr. Mika . . . Mik . . . Miky." She snorted behind her hand. "Miky. I like that one. Ill go with that one."

Suddenly, her snickering died and she looked all business. "You never answered my question. Can you turn into a butterfly? I will not leave you alone until you answer me."

 

[Mikaboshi]

Taking up the bag as Hakumei dismissed it, the ancient considered it further. It certainly had a kind of energy to it; some kind of physically stored spiritual power. It made sense to him that it was a gift from an elemental-- coming across natural resources like this was very rare. He knew that there were advances being made in human society to cultivate and utilize a special kind of crystal in their sciences and that was along the same sort of principle. Palming the small bag, Mikaboshi reached into his coat and stashed it away for later. Who knew when such a gift might come in handy? These sorts of things were not exactly common. Did Hakumei know the value of what she'd just given him? Mikaboshi doubted it as he listened to Sousuke speculate on where it might have come from. Considering the taste of the energy he'd taken with the shot, Mikaboshi decided quickly it was of the Earth Court variety. The temper of Solar Court elementals not-withstanding, such a gift would be uncommon of them as for what purpose would a being made of air need powder of any variety?

Turning his head at Hakumei's comment regarding the drinking of essence of an old boulder guy, Mikaboshi raised an eyebrow. "Is that a joke? I do not understand."

Consumption of another's essence was, of course, a natural part of Mikaboshi's existence. While Hakumei made a vague jab at Mikaboshi's potential sexuality, the ancient simply shrugged it off as one of Hakumei's growing list of eccentricities.

"And you almost certainly never will again." He replied somberly as the shot which she had nudged towards him disappeared down his throat. Living among humans was a constant reminder that the age of his kind had passed. That he was alone and likely to stay that way. Of all his kind few would ever have described Mikaboshi as a sentimental ancient but the reality of being one of the last of one's kind can change those sorts of things. "I am diistkiin. The closest thing in your tongue which comes to mind is 'firstborn' though your kind calls us "ancients". A proper enough epithet, I suppose."

With the alcohol and the effects of the golden dust swimming in his brain-- before now he had not even known such things could effect his husk of a body --Mikaboshi paid little attention to the nick-name that Hakumei drunkenly associated with him. His eyes narrowed slightly in dislike but was too distracted to gripe about it. "Once a long time ago, yes. As I am now? No. My shape-changing is limited to false forms similar to my size."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Hakumei seemed to be quite adamant about the whole butterfly thing. Sousuke thought hard for a moment. When Mikaboshi took off his mask and revealed his true form, he did have wings like that of a bat. He could not fly with those wings of course, but they surely had some use. Asking Mikaboshi to use that form to test scientific theories was never good. Mikaboshi's true form was to be used in time of a crisis and only then. It did call a lot of attention to itself, mainly because it was a sort of power vacuum of sorts. The Steward thought it was strange though that when they combated the Djinn that the creature was found wanting of Mikaboshi's power, given that the Djinn itself was a being of mass vast power. Sousuke continued to drink his soda. "If it is an earth elemental, I suspect it was perhaps a Kiriishi... the earth elemental had a sort of primate form to it?"<i></i> Sousuke would inquire. "Kiriishi have strong features, borrowing or acquiring their power has its uses. As earth elementals they are quite enduring and physically strong. Ah... and I would think that Mikaboshi here would refer to the elemental as young compared to himself."<i></i>

Then came the nicknames. Sousuke swapped side glances between Mikaboshi and Hakumei. Hakumei had quite a few nicknames for him in line apparently. It was quite alarming how many nicknames came out. Mikaboshi of course did not give in, responded, or rose to the play. He was simply beyond this. Sousuke wished he was more like Mikaboshi in this regard. Perhaps it was the test of time and having dealt with so many things? Or merely that he was apathetic. "When you changed forms, did you take with it a solid form, or was it spectral like? I've oftentimes wondered how the nature of shape-shifters work. When we use the transform jutsu, we merely acquire the form and a solid exterior."<i></i> The Steward would inquire.

Once again he swapped glances between the two. "Tell us Hakumei, how did you come about your abilities. Nothing ... truly revealing, perhaps a small history?"<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

Hakumei threw her head back with a loud guffaw when she witnessed Mikaboshi's confusion about one of the comments she made. He seemed to understand that it was supposed to be a joke, but didnt understand why it was supposed to be funny. That just made it all the funnier. Maybe it was the shots too . . . how many had she downed now? Ten? Something like that. A lesser man might have been under the table by now, considering how strong the stuff she drank was.

Suddenly, she tipped on her stool precariously, and flailed out with an arm for something to catch herself on. Her hand landed on Mikaboshi's knee and lingered there while she tried to right herself. "Not to worry your wee head 'bout it Miky. Tis a human thing." The room started to spin, and she further started to slip from her seat. She slapped her other arm on the bar top, leaning heavily against Mikaboshi's leg. That close to him, she could make out the faintness of a scent that came off him. "You smell like purple." She mumbled, looking him in the eye with a squinched up contemplative face. "Ancients you say. Makes sense. Tell me, as old as you are, surely you know a good joke or two."

Her words might have made one think that there was going to be a request at the end of them, in her case, possibly for one of said ancient jokes. Surprisingly, she reared back and fought to herself on her stool as she pulled a small bowl of salted nuts toward her. "Och, Im so hungry." She murmured, mostly to herself as she started picking at the small morsels. She popped a few into her mouth and chewed; listening with half an ear as Sousuke made comments and speculated. Honestly she'd completely forgotten what they were talking about. Something about dirt, or dust, or something. Whatever it was the Steward was going on about now didnt hold interest for her anymore.

She was leaning back and dropping a handful of nuts into her mouth when Sousuke asked a question that grabbed her attention and strangled it. Perhaps it was because she was drunk, but she'd not been expecting such an inquiry. It shocked her. An involuntary gasp swept the bits of nut down the wrong pipe, choking her. Coughing heavily, Hakumei fell from her stool and landed on her knees, shaking with the effort to dislodge the nuts in her windpipe. Eventually, she was able to force them out, and hauled herself back up with into her with shaking arms. Hakumei requested some water, and sipped it to relieve the pain in her throat.

Suddenly, she seemed much more sober than she had moments ago, falling all over Mikaboshi. She turned to Sousuke with a grave expression, her eyes darkening. "That's quite the question my Wee Falcon." She said evenly, then took another sip of water. Turning away, she eyed the glass, watching the condensation slowly trickle down the side. Slowly, she answered his question. "I was young; just a wee lass. I cant remember everything detail for detail . . . but I remember what I felt. Absolute terror. I dont know what it was, or where it came from, but something dark, and sinister was birthed in the basement of my childhood home." Another sip, and she continued. "There was fire, strange fire. It was dark, and sucked in the light . . . and there was a voice. It spoke in a timbre Ive never heard before or since. It chilled me down to my wee bones." She took a deep breath. "The flames devoured my parents, but they never touched me. The last thing I remember before I woke up in my grandmothers care was their screams of agony." One of her hands drifted up, lifting her mask completely off her face and placing it on top of her head. She touched the delicate skin under her left eye softly. "When I woke up I couldnt see out of my left eye; at least, not the way I used to. I might as well have been blind for all the understanding I had of what the bloody hell I was seeing. Darkness, random bursts of color, threads, wisps of unnatural fog. It took me years to learn how to see both worlds at the same time."

When her story was over, Hakumei drew quiet for a moment, her head hung over her glass and her hair curtaining her face away from the world. Then, as suddenly as her sobriety came, it was gone, and she was reeling back and exclaiming at Mikaboshi. "Tell us a joke Miky! I bet your chock full of em!"

 

[Mikaboshi]

Even if she had not caught herself in her fall, Hakumei would never have struck the ground. The shadows of the bar swirled around their feet as they prepared to catch her, mostly to prevent her from falling down and pulling the sennin with her to the floor. Still, she managed to recover from the fall coming strangely close to him in the process letting her likely feel the unearthly chill that seemed to follow Mikaboshi where ever he went.

"I once preferred a less corporeal form to a physical one. Sufficiently less to manage," was the reply to Sousuke's question to Mikaboshi as he considered the glass that he had taken his last gulp of alcohol from. It swam in his mind and could feel that something about his senses had been dulled by the substance. It was either that or the golden dust, he still was unsure.

Mikaboshi raised an eyebrow at Hakumei as she answered the query that the Steward-Kazekage had leveled at her. She sobered suddenly as her tale was explained; one more strange curiosity surrounding the woman to add to the list, Mikaboshi decided as he listened. Darkness and flame, it seemed, was the cause of her opened spiritual sight. It made sense to Mikaboshi now why it caused Hakumei physical pain to look upon him. Her third eye had been forced open by a traumatic encounter at a young age and it had remained open ever since. He felt no pity for her loss of her parents to the flame but certainly found himself invested with interest in the origin of her powers. He wasn't even aware that it was possible to induce strong spiritual sight in humans through such means. Promising himself that he would test that theory later on some of his "guests" at the Obsidian Palace, Mikaboshi was caught surprised as Hakumei returned suddenly to a state of boisterous drunkenness.

"I'm afraid my expertise does not extend to humor." Mikaboshi's reply was sour but without the sting of pretentiousness that it usually carried. "I find myself curious however. Have you explored the limits of your blessing?"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

When Mikaboshi spoke to Sousuke of a spectral form being preferred to a corporeal form the Steward nodded his head. It made sense that the spectral form would be preferrable. One did not have to maintain a diet, or worry about their form being in the way of most things. When Hakumei put her hand on the Ancient, he diverted his attention to her as it not expected that her drunkenness and lack of physical control would come this quickly. The Ancient did not react, but then again no one ever really did touch Mikaboshi. Granted Sousuke had forged his body, but that was something else entirely. When it came to answering his question, the witch seemed to have a fit of sorts. She fell ovff her stool and landed on her knees. When she answered him that the question was worthy, Sousuke's eyes would merely narrow. She had his curiosity, but now she had his attention.

She proceeded to detail the origins of her abilities. It seemed most fantastical with the birthing of a being in the basement of her home. The creature it would seem was born of shadow and flame. Strange. Fire could chill someone to the bone? Most curious and strange. "Fascinating. The fog you speak of... it reminds me of the proto-genesis mists. Some theorize that when the world originated the creators were of a spiritual sort, and when they allowed natural life to spawn they had to disperse and into a mist or fog that maintains the spiritual quality of life of others."<i></i> Sousuke shrugged. "An excerpt of Sage Khan's work... one of his more ... questionable theories about creation. Well ... one of his most questionable theories to be honest."<i></i> Sousuke knitted his fingers together. He turned to Mikaboshi. "A creature of fire and shadow. A Balrock perhaps? That type of creature though isn't a spiritual type though. Most curious."<i></i>

Hakumei then asked Mikaboshi to tell a joke. Mikaboshi explained that he was no good at the art of jokes. The Steward let out a sigh. Perhaps it would be best if he were to try? Timing of course wasn't his best suit. "I will attempt to tell a joke."<i></i> Sousuke would clear his throat. "Why is everyone afraid of the number seven?"<i></i> He would pause for a moment. Giving them time to figure it out. It was a math joke, but it worth telling. "Because seven ate nine."<i></i> Sousuke would look for any form of amusement between his two companions. He didn't expect Mikaboshi to laugh. If he did it was because this joke was pathetic in his mind of course. As for Hakumei... this could go either way because of her drunken manner.

 

[Okibi]

Hakumei frowned, her painted face turning down in a pouty moue when Mikaboshi confessed to having no jokes to tell. She wobbled in her seat and wheeled back around to lean over her glass of water, sorely put out. She was so looking forward to hearing an ancient and unheard of joke too . . .

Her two toned gaze turned sideways when Sousuke started to speculate about the story she told them. His last comments caught her interest; she knew of balrogs. Nasty pieces of work those buggers. She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the few memories she had of that night so long ago. The fire had been cold, the shadows cloying . . . and while it was terrifying, she didnt imagine that a balrogs presence would suck the very light out of the air. She was pretty sure they didnt have any such ability.

"Not a Balrog. Dunno what it was." She mumbled, the tip of her hair brushing the countertop as she turned back to her water. Sitting up, she took a sip of the cool drink before setting it down and looking back at Mikaboshi. She hadnt ignored his inquiry about how far she'd delved into her abilities, but had actually just taken a moment to think of something interesting to show him and Sousuke. She'd already made dust butterflies and golems for Sousuke . . . but what could she possibly do to impress an ancient? She didnt think there was much anyone could do to accomplish that . . .

But maybe there was at least one thing she could do that would spark his interest.

She turned around completely in her seat so that her back was facing the countertop. She looked left and right at the two males sitting at her sides, grinning. "If I swoon, Ill trust one of you lads will catch me." Was all she said before promptly closing her eyes. With a deep breath, she willed her body to go into a meditative state, drowning out all the side and distractions of the physical world around her. She'd never attempted to do this while inebriated, nor while in the presence of people and creatures that could harm her physical body while she was away from it. Doing what she was about to was putting great trust in people she hardly knew. Maybe she really had just a few too many drinks.

When next Hakumei opened her eyes, she was hovering over her body, looking down on it as it started to sway and fall over. Her eyes widened for a moment, wondering if either male would actually do anything. (OOC: I will assume one of you will do the honors). Her spirit 'breathed' a sigh of relief when they did.

There were dangers to Spirit Walking, even when she was secluded in her cave out in the desert. Leaving her body vulnerable to attack was bad enough, but letting her spirit wander was dangerous too. While in such a state she was completely open to spiritual attacks; she could move around quickly enough, and commune easier with other spirits and elements, but she was virtually as helpless as a newborn kitten. She turned her spirit's eyes on Sousuke, once again taking notice of how . . . incomplete his spirit was. It was much easier to see a persons aura/soul while she was in this form. She lowered herself to the ground just next to him, wondering if he could sense, or even see her. Grinning, she reached into him and brushed his crippled soul with her own. Whether he would feel it or not, compromised spirit and all, she didnt know, but usually that trick cause a least a tingle to rush up the person's spine.

Then she turned to Mikaboshi-

And the pain she'd felt when she first laid eyes on him returned with a vengeance. Apparently being in her vulnerable spirit state made his impact on her just that much more deadly. It was like needles by the hundreds were being shoved into her eyes. That wouldnt do. Concentrating, she closed off the 'visual sight' of her spirit form, so that she could no longer see. Everything was darkness, but, she could still sense.

Wandering closer to his immense presence, Hakumei reached out with shaking 'fingers' and brushed up against the chilling emptiness of Mikaboshi's aura. Even as an insubstantial spirit, touching something of such great power made her shiver. He could so easily obliterate her if he wanted to.

[MFT]

 

[Mikaboshi]

Turning his head to the side, Mikaboshi watched as Hakumei freed her spirit from her body and stepped into the spiritual "air" around them and with that managed to secure Mikaboshi's full attention. He'd thought Spirit Walking to be a lost art lost to humanity as a whole. It was the art of sending one's spectral self out into the space wedged between the physical and spiritual planes. Not quite fully the spiritual plane but... also not quite on the physical one either. Difficult to even learn the basics of and even more dangerous to even attempt, Spirit Walking was not for the light-hearted. As Hakumei came to consciousness within the spirit construct she'd created to house her mind in the veil, she might notice that Mikaboshi had his eyes squarely upon it-- distinctly looking at her despite the fact that no one else in the bar save for perhaps Sousuke would even be able to perceive her intangible presence.

Looking only to where her body was as it began to tip towards him, the shadows leaped to life around them and cushioned her fall allowing Mikaboshi to kneel and retrieve her from the safety net of shades which had caught her at his leisure. Under normal circumstances, with any other human being, Mikaboshi would have been unlikely to care one way or another if they injured themselves. But in this case, he found himself fascinated by this woman. He'd of course met talented psychics and exorcists among humans before; that was not entirely uncommon. Especially among Sousuke's kinsmen as many of them were demon hunters and spiritualists by trade. But Hakumei was young by human standards. She could not have even been thirty years in age. Her clear spiritual sight had bought her Mikaboshi's curiosity but to possess such a natural talent for a difficult skill as Spirit Walking? Impressed was not the right word; very little a human could accomplish could truly impress the ancient lord. But fascinate him? Certainly. Rarities often did.

Lifting her delicate body with little to no trouble, Mikaboshi looked to where she lingered near Sousuke examining his broken spirit. She turned her "eyes" to Mikaboshi and once more he witnessed her spirit-self recoil in pain. The veil was much more in tune with the spirit world allowing for spiritual entities like Mikaboshi to have a much more profound presence than they even did in the material world. Even with his mask still on, Hakumei was not protected from the black radiance of his energy while in her spirit construct form. Slowly, she reached forward and brushed her "fingertips" against the edges of his hungry aura and for a split second Mikaboshi surprised even himself by feeling further concern for her well-being. He quickly justified it to himself as simply his duty to Sousuke but still he brought his right hand up, supporting her slight weight in his left arm still, and "touched" her spirit construct's arm to warn her away from further contact with him in such a manner.

He was, after all, a predator living amongst his prey and it was never wise to wave meat before the face of a hungry wolf. Even with his interest in Hakumei, his instinctual nature shoved at his rational mind to consume Hakumei's already bare spirit. He did not even need to deal with the process of shucking her physical form before tucking into his meal. He could simply...

"I am afraid that would not be wise." He cautioned, burying his instinct behind the wall of his oath to Sousuke to protect his interests. At least, that is what he told himself as he smothered the urge to devour Hakumei's spirit. "There is a very good chance that I could hurt you."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

So it wasn't a Balrock? Sousuke was stuck for a moment understanding what Hakumei was saying through her accent as the last letters of the word he said were replaced. Sousuke would have to inquiry with his mother about such a creature. Cold-fire was rare, and if Hakumei said was true, then it certainly was a mutant Balrock at that. Sousuke's thoughts were disrupted as Hakumei next spoke of someone having to catch her. Her body did just that, Sousuke reached forward but Mikaboshi had used his shadows to guide her. "Why... did she just go limp like that?"<i></i> Sousuke would ask as he turned to Mikaboshi. Sousuke then watched Mikaboshi make movements at air. "I seem to be ... missing something."<i></i> Sousuke would simply say quietly to himself as he sat back a bit.

The Steward would feel something brush against him. The Steward's eyes widened for a moment. What was that...? The feeling was a tingling one, and one that Sousuke was not familiar with. His eyes darted about. He wasn't concerned or anything really, but when something was going on and he didn't understand it he was certainly pressed into knowing what was going on. Sousuke took comfort in having a mastery or some knowledge onto, neither he had at the moment, and in that he was slightly uncomfortable. Mikaboshi began speaking about how something would not be wise, and that he could cause harm to one. There was a pause as some understanding had come to Sousuke. Hakumei fell limp because her consciousness was transferred perhaps? The Steward's eyes would continue to dart about as if he was trying to find something that would signify where he consciousness had went exactly.

To Hakumei she would indeed see Sousuke's damaged soul, too much damage it was as if the spiritual part of the Steward had been torn asunder. She would be able to see markings of something monstrous on his spiritual being. The damage was not fresh, in fact it was old, very old. Older than the Steward himself by a few months as he hadn't even been born when the forced exorcism had occurred upon him. Was there any sign of repair? Not really.

Yet there was something strange to behold. Despite all the damage to the soul, Sousuke's heart was perfectly well, in fact it was astoundingly strong for the situation. For all his shortcomings, Sousuke had a great deal of heart. Did his heart became so strong because it lacked soul? Or was it simply that Sousuke despite his cold formalities was in fact a genuine caring and concerned individual? Some of that concern would manifest upon Sousuke's face as he grew concerned of Hakumei. The Steward's eyes shifted over to the empty vessel. "How long can a consciousness be separated from its proper vessel until they face severe damage? Those of the Yamnaka heritage can do so, but ... this is something different entirely. Isn't it? Hakumei isn't displacing a mind, or can she?"<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

Hunger.

That was what she felt when she brushed her fingertips over the edge of Mikaboshi's aura. It was also dark, and cold and none too friendly. She heard his words, trying to warn her off, but they came to her ears like they might had she been under water. Although she could communicate with spirits more easily in her spirit form, speaking with the living became that much harder. His words sounded jumbled and thick, but she could understand the jist of them. He didnt want to accidentally (or otherwise?) hurt her in her vulnerable state. And there was no denying that he could. That he could see her, touch her with his physical hand while she was supposed to be insubstantial to all things mortal . . . that spoke levels. Hakumei let her eyes open again, renewing her spiritual sight, and although it felt like her eyes were slowly being melted out of her head while she looked at him, she did so anyway. While still letting her fingers linger. She looked into Mikaboshi's golden eyes, searching, for what she wasnt sure. An answer of some sort perhaps. What was beneath that stoic mask?

Well, she already had one answer. A deep and cloying hunger lied under that facade of apathy and aloofness. The likes of which she'd never seen or felt before. Even as she let her fingers linger, against his warnings, she could feel tiny pieces of herself being sapped away. Her eyes narrowed on him.

As ancient as he was, as put together as he was, surely he was not a stranger to such hunger.

She could only imagine how he fed it.

'I see.' Her spirit form said, finally pulling her hand away from his throbbing darkness. And that was all she said before tearing her gaze away with great relief. Trails of silvery 'blood' had leaked from her eyes, no doubt a side effect of having looked at him for too long. When she glanced down at her body, she saw that it too was crying tears of blood. 'Ah, dammit. Didnt think that would happen.'

She glanced at Sousuke, floating over to him so she could get one last look at him before she returned to her body. She could feel herself weakening by the second - doing this trick while in none too perfect health was obviously a bad idea. She settled herself down on the edge of his wheelchairs armrest, observing his soul in deeper detail. When she looked closer she could see that his soul was not only missing pieces, but that those pieces had actually been ripped out by something. Something deadly by the looks of it. How he still lived with so little soul was beyond her. Smiling grimly, she let her hand drift over his purple hair; such a lovely color.

Floating back up, she turned back to Mikaboshi. More silvery tears instantly fell from her eyes, and in turn, red ones fell from her physical eyes. 'On a good day I can stay like this for up to twenty four hours. But," She looked at her body, which was now racked with shakes. 'I suppose this wasnt one of those days. Should I put myself back now?' She asked, smiling coyly. His earlier concern had surprised her, and part of her wanted to see just where it was coming from.

 

[Mikaboshi]

"It varies from individual to individual. These types of skills are rare because they require spiritual, mental and physical training." Mikaboshi explained in response to Sousuke's inquiry "During a spirit walk, one creates a spectral construct and projects their consciousness into it. It isn't truly separated so much as being transmitted through the construct."

He explained to help resist the temptation to "take a bite" out of Hakumei's spiritual form which she was foolishly flaunting in front of him. Against his warning, she remained in contact with the edges of his spiritual aura and in doing so continued to tempt the most predatory parts of his mind. It was likely that she simply did not understand what she was dealing with. Humans by nature were born to be creatures of choice. No human had ever or would ever be born that had their spiritual weal pre-determined for them. They might be born with varying talents and desires but the thing that made mankind special was their ability to choose. In contrast, ancients were creatures bound by their natures from the moment they took form. A beast of darkness and cold, Mikaboshi was by his very nature a hunter of spirits. His realm had been a place where the cunning and strong thrived and the weak and foolish were food. Every part of Mikaboshi's heart pushed at him. He was allowed to take this one. He'd warned her, hadn't he? Satisfied his pride by giving her the option to opt out of her bad decision. It was more than he'd given the lion's share of his prey in the past. She held his gaze in challenge to his warning, pushing his buttons as best she could. It hurt her to even look upon him but she wanted to see what would happen if she pushed one inch too far.

Typical human.

Reaching up with his free hand to his "face", Mikaboshi's illusionary form wavered and fell away from his masked face as if dust being brushed away from a statue while his fingertips crested the edges of his mask's eye sockets. With a brisk tug, Mikaboshi wrenched the mask free from it's anchors and things went to hell.

The bar had not been extremely well lit to begin with but when Mikaboshi pulled his mask from it's fastenings within his hood it went completely dark for a moment before the lights managed to flicker back to life to battle back against the supernatural gloom that was forced upon them but only just. In his immediate vicinity, the shadows coiled around Mikaboshi's body like hundreds of snakes as he lowered his mask just far enough for his exposed eyes to look over the brim of his mask towards the spectral form of Hakumei. Just as they did, those roiling shadows which had gathered around Mikaboshi flowed together into a spectral construct of Mikaboshi's own. Invisible to all except for the 'walking construct that Hakumei had made, a set of truly large bat-like wings unfurled from the mass of ethereal shadows and they slowly took a form of their own. Even as Hakumei's physical body shook in Mikaboshi's firm hold, he held his dreadful stare upon her spirit-self as his construct took form. Large muscular arms formed attached to a broad chest and from it finally emerged a truly monstrous face.

With shadows pouring from the dusky "skin" of his spiritual construct, the spirit form closed the distance with Hakumei's with frightening speed and suddenly it would become clear just how large it was in comparison. With it's wing-span easily wrapping around her and throwing unnatural darkness between them, the hungry golden pits of Mikaboshi's spirit-eyes burned hotly as he raised a single clawed hand and grasped at her chin with surprising gentleness for such a terrible countenance. His response to Hakumei's playful taunting as a single statement, whispered in a voice which seemed as much a predatory growl as it was spoken word;

'You tell me.'

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"Three fields, and probably three equally trained."<i></i> Sousuke wondered though because Hakumei didn't seem the type to work out really. His eyes shifted to her fallen form. He watched as blood dripped from her tear ducts. He scratched his forehead. Right. These things usually didn't happen unless... unless they were pushing the envelope metaphorically, which meant that they were pushing their limits. It would seem that Hakumei was pushing her limits, but ... no she wasn't staring at Mikaboshi again was she? "Would I be correct in assuming that if one destroys either vessel and the person is either ... spiritless or doesn't have a physical body anymore. You can maintain a living shell with no spirit in it, but that person would be in a sort of coma?"<i></i> Another query came from Sousuke as to be expected. When something wasn't know of he put himself in a position to learn as much as he possibly could in a short amount of time.

The lights in the bar would go out for a moment. Usually when this happened something foul usually followed up. The Steward looked about. Hakumei's spiritually-empty body was where it was before, being held by Mikaboshi. Most of the patrons were still around and some of them looked slightly nervous. Sousuke closed his eyes for a moment. As his eyes were shut, lenses slipped over his eyes. Usually these lenses were used only when he wore his armour. Other times he wore glasses when he needed to use the lenses, but now he had them shift in over his eyes. The Steward's eyes would turn a slight light blue. The lenses were often used as a defense to genjutsu, but sometimes Sousuke could see something extra with these lenses. The Steward blinked as saw Hakumei's spiritual form being surrounded by Mikaboshi's unleashed form. Sousuke's site proceeded to go black instantly as he was blinded for a moment. "Well... I wasn't expecting to see that."<i></i> He spoke slightly audibly. "Tell me, what ... exactly are you two doing?"<i></i> It took Sousuke a moment to regain sight. His eyes stung, and he had to quickly revert the lenses. Sousuke closed his eyes and had them shut for quite some time. Mikaboshi's secondary form always interested Sousuke. He had many theories about it, but he could only stand face to face with it in t he MkII. Unfortunately the MkII wasn't on his person at the moment in time, secondly the MkII was still compromised. "I seem to... have overexerted and exhausted myself. Not my most intelligent move, but not my worst."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

She could feel the shift in the atmosphere the moment Mikaboshi reached for his face and swept away the illusion of the civil human male. His mask reappeared, and when the ancient pulled it from his face, Hakumei was not surprised to see all the lights go out at once. She glanced around the bar as they flickered back to light, barely fighting off the writhing shadows spilling off of Mikaboshi's form. Patrons - most of whom were rather large, formidable looking men - were looking around with clear confusion and unease on their faces. None of them seemed to realize it was because of their little pow wow that the electricity was suddenly going haywire.

When she looked back, the shadows surrounding Mikaboshi were starting to gather, taking form in front of their master. Pain lanced through her 'head' and she winced as it became more and more 'solid'. It was big, very big.

And it wasnt until it was right in front of her did Hakumei understand what was going on.

He had created his own spiritual construct to interact with hers. She didnt completely understand why, since as he'd proved earlier he could touch her spirit form quite easily with his physical one. But as she thought about it, in the face of the immense, and terrifying creature he'd created, it became clear. This . . . thing, this monster, was probably what he really was, or perhaps a smaller version of it. It was hard for her to imagine something as immense as him could fit in the tavern in his true form. He was trying to scare her because she had not heeded his warning.

But, in all honesty, she found that she was much less frightened in the face of his construct than she was going face to face with the facade he played with. It was like those silly horror films she'd seen on occasion when visiting the village. The monster was only scary while it stuck to the shadows, where its victims couldnt see it. But the moment it came into the light, and you could see it for what it truly was, the movies just became . . . hokey.

Not that she was calling this version of him hokey, not by any means. She was still frightened of course; that all consuming hunger rang through loud and clear when one of its giant claws gently cupped her chin. An icy chill pierced through her skull, and Hakumei could be almost certain, although she couldnt see it, that her body was probably convulsing and foaming at the mouth. He was far more dangerous to her now than he was before - he could easily tear her spiritual form to shreds, probably devour it piece by piece if her hunch was correct, leaving her body a lifeless shell. The growled words that swept over her face carried a barely controlled predatory ferocity that she knew she could do nothing to escape should he decide to let it have free reign.

She was staring into the face of a ravenous lion and it was only by its whim that she still breathed.

A humbling thought, if nothing else.

At that moment, she heard Sousuke pipe up from where he sat by the bar. He talked like he could see them now . . . strange, since he obviously hadnt been able to before. She didnt bother answering him; even if he could see their spirit projections now that didnt mean he could hear them. Her time was about up anyway; she could feel it. She'd just answer him when she was back in her body . . . if she was still capable speaking, anyway.

Her spirit form closed its leaking eyes, letting a soft smile play over her lips as her hands came up to rest on the monster's giant claw. She gave it a pat. 'Not as handsome, but still impressive.' She chirped glibly. 'I dont think I fancy the idea of dying today, so perhaps I will just put myself back now.' And just like that, her form seemed to lose its solidarity, turning into a fine white mist that swirled around and past Mikaboshi's giant form. In passing, she couldnt help letting parts of her scattered form glide over his wings, 'feeling' them essentially. It was quite fascinating, his monstrous form. The mist collected over Hakumei's body and slowly 'fell' back into it. The instant the last of the mist disappeared Hakumei's body jerked explosively in Mikaboshi's hold and she coughed horrendously. Spittle and foam flew everywhere as her airway cleared out and she collapsed backward, gasping for much needed oxygen in fast, soft breaths.

When she opened her blood stained eyes she saw that one of her hands had somehow ended up on the Mikaboshi had used to pull off his mask. She grinned tiredly and gave it a pat, like she had with his mental construct. "Quite the self-control." She complimented with a wink, her voice hoarse. Craning her neck, she looked at Sousuke, who for some reason looked as tired as she felt. He made a comment about over exerting himself, and she laughed weakly. "I think you're stealing my lines Little Bird."

 

[Mikaboshi]

((I apologize for my gross tardiness. Been suffering a pretty bad chest cold.))

The spectral talons of Mikaboshi's spirit construct scythed closed just as Hakumei's faded and disappeared into mist which had been the result he'd been looking for by revealing his own spiritual construct. There were two possible outcomes from him doing that; the first being the one which came to pass. Hakumei would rejoin her body and be out of danger. Sousuke's offer to host her in the village as his guest remained un-imposed upon and Mikaboshi's honor remained intact as a result of that. The second was... regrettably more violent for Hakumei. In her favor though it would have been over quite quickly. Still, Mikaboshi had made a calculated guess that she would recognize the danger that she was in when she came literally face to face with the hunger that she taunted. It was easy for her to flaunt her spirit-self in front of his hungry eyes; like waving a steak in biting distance of a hungry bear from behind steel bars. But it was entirely another matter to take the steak past the bars and do so with the bear close enough to smell it's breath.

Satisfied with the outcome of his risk, Mikaboshi lifted his physical eyes to look at the muscular spirit construct he'd created and as he did it turned to face him. In many ways the construct was a personification of the feral mind which tugged at his consciousness from beneath the mask. Sousuke was a brilliant mechanist and possessed a number of scientific talents but lacked in many ways where spiritual matters were concerned. When he'd sealed Mikaboshi's power into the vessel he inhabited the seal had split his mind and his energy into two essences. The distilled essence of his spiritual energy possessed no true mind of it's own but it had within it an imprint of the ancient's basest subconscious. His hunger, his ambition and his passion all roiled within that spiritual energy. It was one of the many reasons he wore the mask. If he didn't those lesser pieces of his mind would threaten to overwhelm his conscious and drive him to break... well. Everything. Much less his word to Sousuke.

The construct stared back at him and Mikaboshi knew that his energy did not wish to be contained once more within the flesh of his vessel. Hakumei probably didn't realize that in many ways she had been tugging on a frayed string of a larger tapestry that was already coming apart. But what was Mikaboshi if not capable of reigning in his darker side from time to time? For a moment which seemed to last to him much longer than it should have, the two just glared at each other before his own construct broke apart into dusty smoke and returned into depths beneath his mask before being chained there once more as Mikaboshi instinctively snapped the mask back into it's restraints with a push and a soft tug to set the anchors properly. Conscious in his physical form once more, Mikaboshi was surprised to feel the warm of Hakumei's fingers against the back of his hand which he'd used to pull his mask from his face. When had she reached out to touch him? Silently, the Sennin cursed his moment of weakness. He'd allowed himself to be taunted into a state of complete defenselessness. It was lucky for him that he was among allies.

"You have no idea." Mikaboshi remarked in response to Hakumei's compliment. He wondered if she had any idea just how closely she had danced with her own demise just now. Seemingly remembering that Sousuke was present, Mikaboshi cast his eyes in the Steward's direction. "I was... making a point."