Going Missing Acta Non Verba

[Otani Ryuichi]

Ryuichi's fist curls as they stand in front of the door of their childhood teahouse. Their silver hair flowing freely in the chilling Kumo wind, and their pale skin gets pelted by a sheet of falling rain. If it were any colder, this rain would be slicing skin in the form of hail.. Or snow.

Snow....

Ryuichi's hand falls to their side, unable to muster the courage to face anyone they once knew. What...was Ryuichi? A failure, an orphan, a loner, a weapon, a tool, a fraud, a coward....

All of it wells up in the youth's chest as tears began to form in the corners of their eyes. "I'm done." Ryuichi says to themself, rubbing their eyes with the side of their forearm. With steady hands Ryuichi pulls the cloak over their shoulders back up over their head, tucking away any freed hair.

With a series of handseals and an outstretched arm, Ryuichi summons a simple messenger bird and finds the nearest respite to write a letter... Leaning against a nearby building, Ryuichi hastily finishes the letter and lets the bird fly off to deliver to its recipient.

"Okay. I got this." They say to themself, as the first feeling of pure fear hits their stomach for the first time in nearly ten years. A wretched, almost painful jerk of anxiety and panic washes over them for a moment before they stand straight and inhale deeply.

Then, in an instant, Ryuichi was gone. Leaping away with the speed of an S-rank shinobi, the untrained eye wouldn't have been able to catch their movements from rooftop to rooftop until it was too late.



In a few short minutes the silver haired ANBU saw the gates....dragontooth pass, a passage of impregnable fortitude and an aggressive guard to match. Ryuichi focuses for a moment, holding out their arms and allowing the elemental energy surrounding them to flow within them. With their cloak dragging down across their arms, Ryuichi pushes both arms down to send themself flying into the air, leaping past the gates before anyone could even react. Now on the other side, Ryuichi simply looks back into the gates, finding amusement in the shock of some of the guards.

'Best make a declaration....' Ryuichi thinks to themself, before holding both hands out to their sides, smirking. "I'm bored of this little town. Even as *The Killer Dragon*, I haven't been able to enjoy myself with this profession for years. So I take my leave! Unless, of course..."

The ground beneath them begins to crack, and chips of earth peel upward and into spirals like a an orange's outer peel. "Anyone wishes to entertain me?"

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

[forgot to note- default run time]

 

[Okada Kaji]

As an adventurer sets out on the road to wander, they are offered one last chance to set eyes upon the iconic facade that was Dragon Tooth Pass. No matter the time of day, villagers, warriors, and visitors in the name of trade came and went from this historic front. The perpetual vapors of the mountain scraping the sky masked the vicinity, so it was often sound that invited one’s attention first.


On came the creaking sound resonating from a distance, and the clopping of a hooved creature marching slowly. Ryuichi might have spared the attention to notice a mobile cafe on iron-banded wooden wheels, aching with age as it came up the pass. It was drawn by an impressively large, six-legged oxen construct; an ingenious creation forged from living stone. It’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect to sate a hungering soul... After all, so many wanderers did so in search of something to fill the void.


The Oxen came to a meandering stop. There was an elderly couple in flowing silk garments setting up for service inside. Wooden blinds were pulled up, revealing a service window. A younger employee; a woman with a lithe shape and a fresh chunin uniform could be found stepping around the front of the wagon. She carried two stools at her sides. The blush in her cheeks imitated a rare liveliness or shyness despite her will to shout at a stranger. Even from twenty yards away, the vivacity of her emeraldine eyes fought for curiosity and collected hearts. This perfect stranger might have been confused for a guard due to the sharpness of the creases in her uniform, but it was merely a gimmick to draw in shinobi getting off from guard duty.


“Hey you!” She found Ryuichi and called to him with a friendly tone. “Care for a quick meal before you set off?” Excited that she might have snagged her first potential customer, the apparent sign flipper hurriedly picked up her arrow shaped placard. In very traditional hiragana it read, “Kyōgeki”, apparently famous for delicious spicy and stinky tofu. “Come enjoy some right quick! “You won’t regret it!”


- Entering thread as a Villager NPC.