Aftermath [Open for interrogation]

[Sagasu Yume]

It was a matter of formality. Had she been any other civilian, she would have been arrested for being an accomplice to the occupation but she had some credibility of being loyal to the village that aided her cause. Regardless, bureaucracy demanded a certain amount of paperwork to be done before a chuunin was allowed to enter the field again. Sitting alone in the small room, she had been hand-cuffed to the desk without a fuss; this was their job. CuRua was being held in a different room and Shinji would be called in to give his witness of her actions. She had all but confessed to being crazy, thinking that a month had passed when it had been a matter of days. Her history would be combed through, proving the man she called Ojisan was indeed her uncle through the Inuzuka clan. Record would state that he had been exiled for killing the pack-alpha. The official story was that he had acted unprovoked and simply slaughtered a man he deemed unworthy of leading the clan. That was the version Yume had been told as a child to teach the error of acting without the clan’s best interests in mind. After having heard Urufuu’s side, her opinion had changed. His family had been murdered for being unclean and he had been cast-out for the same reason that Shinji had; he possessed no affinity to a familiar. It explained why the clan was always so leery of her brother, wanting Yume to distance herself from his ‘filth’.

Of course, her uncle’s involvement wasn’t what had pushed her to insanity. When the tower exploded, all she could think about was if Sousuke was inside. No one had seen him and all that Yume knew was that he was busy that day. They were supposed to have dinner the following night. For her, time stopped and everything became quiet and loud at the same time. Nothing made sense and for a moment she feared that she had lost someone she was just daring to let into her heart. To the village it was the fear of loosing a leader; to Yume it was the fear of loosing a mate. Her addled state drove her to search the village, questioning the actions of the Main branch Sennin, pleading with Uri and Judori for any information. The last place she had left was Keystone Prime where she stayed, holed up for three days and made her acquaintance with the wolf-man. The blood work that would be taken would show signs of her immune system combating mold spores that had been released into the air when the miscreants from the Obsidian Palace had ransacked the facility. Coupling the hallucinogenic properties of the mold with her precarious mental state and it was enough to push her over the edge. It was likely that her rapid breathing exacerbated her reaction, leaving Urufuu and Mako unaffected. The Masashi veteran was probably saved due to her cigarettes killing the spores before they entered her lungs.

The last thing that might come into question would be her use of blood jutsu. It wasn’t illegal but it certainly put people on the watch list. A tome that had been given to her by Al Haqqish provided the ground work for using blood as a replacement for water, allowing her to adapt many of the techniques she already knew. An itch to know more had been tickled when she made the acquaintance of Sanban and somewhere in her mind it still lingered, only lightly scratched after watching her co-worker be turned into cubes of meat by invisible bands. She had been warned of the dangers and madness that came with her thirst for knowledge but it was a minor price to pay for a blissful moment of knowledge.

Had the lab not exploded she probably would have been questioned about human testing but other than her use of certain ‘willing’ subjects, there was no record of any such depraved experiments having occurred. Looking down, she tilts her head to get a better look at the ring that had been welded to the desk. There was an opening that had a lock on it, holding the circle closed around the chain that connected her cuffs. She wondered what sort of metal it was, and what properties Sousuke could tell her about it. Would it rust? Did it conduct electricity? Or perhaps it had been specially treated to not absorb chakra so that metal-adepts could not easily flee. Her musings took up only a few minutes of her time and she returned to looking around the room patiently.

All she could do now was wait until they were ready for her.


[MFT; WC: 786]

 

[Mikaboshi]

The Obsidian Palace was not a place that the fortunate found themselves abandoned within.

A fortress of gloom and suffering in more ways than the Common tongue had words to describe, the Palace had become a charnel house under the rule of the ANBU Sennin that called himself Mikaboshi and it was perhaps the worse kept secret in the history of the village's long history of keeping them but even the tales which were told about the crimes committed against the sinners caught struggling within it's web of shadows were only the tip of the metaphorical iceberg where the Sennin's depravity was concerned.

Many believed that the man called Mikaboshi was simply a madman with a macabre sense of temperament and a flair for the darkly thematic but the only people who really believed that had never met the creature himself. There could be no mistaking the lord of the Obsidian Palace for anything resembling human despite the darkly handsome face that he wore beneath his shroud. Yume was one of those unfortunate few who had found their paths intersecting however briefly with that of Mikaboshi and she had mercifully survived his passing with no physical or spiritual trauma to speak of.

She might have known he was coming just from the way the air rapidly lost it's heat or the way that the lights seemed to flicker in a show of submission to the beast clad in human skin whose arrival was imminent.

The door to the room slowly creaked open, the long metal claws of Mikaboshi's gauntleted hand resting lightly upon it as he pushed it open with his will more than his physical movement. At first he did not move, his hooded face taking in the surroundings of the room for a moment before cautiously stepping through the threshold into the interrogation room... while dragging something behind him. Perhaps Yume might catch a glimpse of the rather significant-looking load that Mikaboshi carried behind him but at the angle he appeared in the room with the lights acting strangely it likely would have been difficult to recognize it as anything beyond a large darkly colored sack which made a surprisingly large amount of noise as he dragged it behind him through the small room at a casual pace.

It seemed like the warden of the Palace was not in any hurry to be anywhere in particular.

"Did I not advise you to not let those of weaker conviction weigh you down?" He remarked as if he were almost disinterested in being there at all. "I do not give advice lightly, whelp."

Sousuke would not like it that he had addressed his paramour as "whelp" but Mikaboshi had been possessed of an uncharacteristic lack of enthusiasm for what Sousuke would and would not like as of late.

Finally reaching the table where Yume was restrained, Mikaboshi gestured behind him with a flick of his wrist and suddenly the door to the interrogation room slammed as loudly seemingly of it's own accord then finally he seemed to regain interest in the "sack" he'd been dragging behind him as if he'd suddenly remembered that it was there. Lifting the mass up with his other arm, Mikaboshi lugged what Yume could now tell was the body of a man that was horribly abused onto the table before her and released him. Relatively small in stature and dressed in attire which scarcely even fit the description of "rags", the man's limbs and fingers were bent and twisted in painful ways that they were not meant to be turned and his skin was a colorful range of blacks, blues, reds and yellows from the varying array of skin-deep to scabbed over wounds which covered his body. He whimpered softly giving the distinct impression that the only reason he was not howling in pain was because he had already been at it for so long that he lacked the energy to do so any longer. Despite being free of Mikaboshi's grasp, the man made no attempt to move or flee but whether this was from being frozen in fear, pain from his condition or simply because he could not muster the conviction to fight for his own life it was impossible to tell for sure.

For his part, Mikaboshi seemed to pay no heed to the brutalized man's state or condition. In fact, the way he addressed Yume was as if the man were not even present in the room with them. With another gesture Mikaboshi caused the shadows around him to twist upwards into a place for him to sit upon -- which he promptly did once the materialization of his seating arrangement was complete.

"Tell me girl... what reason could you have given the weak-hearted fools that rule this city to have them send you before me?"

 

[Sagasu Yume]

The icy air would prickle at her flesh, a sensation that would leave most with a sense of dread but managed to get a small smile to grace the Inuzuka’s lips. Mikaboshi filled the room with his presence, chastising her for not heeding his admonitions. Bitch. Whelp. They were technically accurate terms that seldom phased those of the Inuzuka clan. Intonation would certainly cause offence, but the words alone were of no consequence to them. Regardless of her affiliations, it was unwise to correct him but in her thoughts she did anyway.

They didn’t so much weight me down as… cause a conflict of interest.

Her sight flicked to the man on the table, tilting her head with scientific interest, managing to keep as clinical as possible. She had used subjects supplied by the Obsidian Palace for medical purposes which some might consider torture but never for the express purpose of depravity. Her gaze took in all of the contorted joints and then looked up to her interrogator. Most would be disgusted, horrified even, but all Yume’s eyes would say was ‘How does one manage to get such a unique angle?’.

Mikaboshi-sama. I must admit that I am surprised to be assigned to you. I require a… debriefing of sorts before I’m allowed to return to work. My actions upon the initial attack were frowned upon and my sanity has been called into question, not to mention my allegiances. One of the members of the occupation is my Uncle and an exile of the Inuzuka clan. I believe an exception might also have been taken with my use of blood jutsu during our encounter with the organization, but that is simply speculation.

Her tone would be business-like, doing her best to be respectful of the spectre. She had no inkling as to the nature of his lack of humanity but there was a sense that he wasn’t exactly mortal. Her familiarity with the nature of Ancients was wanting so she categorized him in a way that her animal nature understood: he was dangerous, but not irrational. Giving him more information that was necessary was perilous but withholding was just as fatal. It was a balancing act over a sandworm’s maw.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]It proved wise on Yume's part that she elected not to correct Mikaboshi's analysis of why she was sitting chained to a desk within one of his interrogation rooms. Mikaboshi did not seem like he was in a particularly foul mood -- save for the mangled slab of meat that was the man resting upon the table between them -- but it was hard to tell with him. Inscrutable did not begin to categorize him. His mood could change as quickly as the wind, going from calm to enraged with a single comment or misplaced word. It was not uncommon for attendants and messengers whose last duty was to deliver a message to the Obsidian Palace to detour to the Omni-Prime Medical Facility following a combination of meeting Mikaboshi and choosing their words poorly in his presence.

A flippant attitude was not a trait that Mikaboshi tolerated in anyone -- much less those who he considered beneath him.

"Nothing is assigned to Mikaboshi. I am here to satisfy my own curiosity -- nothing more." Growled the Sennin dangerously. The assertion that he'd been "assigned" to attend to Yume by some higher authority chafed against the ancient monster's pride in the worst way. It reminded him of the invisible yoke around his neck that Sousuke held which had become an increasingly more dangerous topic as of late.

"... h-helpp... m-m-me..."

The man lying on the table finally managed to summon enough energy to beg for help from Yume, utter terror and desperation clear in his eyes as he stared intently at her. Every piece of what remained of his rational mind knew that this might be his last or rather his only chance to save himself. There was no way of knowing that the woman that Mikaboshi had brought him into the presence of was just as powerless over her own fate as he was at the moment.

"Speculation, you say? Then tell me woman." Ask the Sennin lazily, almost absent-mindedly ignoring the man's pleas to Yume. "What further ruminations do you have towards your current predicament?"

He wondered if Yume grasped the depth of the danger she was in. To be sent into the Palace was akin to being handed a death sentence. Human rights were not a thing which existed within the walls of the Palace and it was not totally unheard of for even Sand shinobi to simply disappear within it's halls. If Mikaboshi so willed it she would never be allowed to leave the room she was in right now.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zld8hL448nA&index=28&list=PLMuzFojU54xaJt67DTEPPMh9Blbp9i4oS]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin (Council NPC)

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[Sagasu Yume]

Once more she found herself in a position to correct the Sennin and held her tongue. It wasn’t that she thought he could be constrained by the requests of others; it was clear that his compliance was mere formality. Rather, it was an honour to be seen to directly by him however any way the words formed in her mind seemed more impertinent than the last. She had seen the results at the hospital for herself. Mumbled words tugged on her attention and she found her gaze pulled back down to look the man in the eyes. There was a sadness reflected from the mednin that was closer to pity than empathy. Raising a finger, she brings it almost to his lips, ensuring that she didn’t touch him. In the animal kingdom, one did not touch what wasn’t theirs. To do so would be a sign of dominance and a threat to take the object in question.

Shhhh. The free souls are talking. The only help for you at the moment is death so I would suggest not begging. Your time will come in short order in the relative scheme of things.

It was a fine line for a mednin to be compassionate. Yume had found that there was a level of kindness in euthanizing those who had no hope of survival. She had terminated a child’s life in her genin exam that would have die from their bones turning to dust and then burning alive. After experiencing so much loss it was simply a matter of fact: People die. It was an effort for her to keep her fear in check. It would have been foolish to think that there wasn’t a part of her brain screaming at her to run but when in the presence of a greater predator, it was a foxes’ natural reaction to hide in a burrow until the coast was clear. Keeping her pulse low and her breathing neutral, she sits up straight and gives Mikaboshi her full attention.

There are some who would call my actions treasonous but I was doing nothing more than my usual business; perhaps spending less time in the hospital but I felt that I was of no use to those in Omni Prime. I’m sure I would have done more harm than good, given the situation. Everyone reaches their breaking point and I had been emotionally compromised by the disappearance of Sousuke.

Her words, no matter how she said them, could be incriminating. It would have been an outright lie to say that she was completely stable during her time in Keystone but she had completed research which was in fact part of her regular duties. She ceased referring to Sousuke as the Steward in these scenarios as it wasn’t his vacancy as the village leader that had made her so distraught; it was the thought of him as a person never returning to her. It was a personal loss. Setting her jaw, she chews on the inside of her cheek as she ponders for a moment. It was easy to get her talking if she allowed her lips to loosen. She would have to be certain that she didn't give him a reason to keep her longer than necessary.

Would I be wrong in guessing that you couldn’t care less about my actions during my absence?

He had said as much when they had met in the facility. He had provided her ‘willing’ subjects to conduct her research and showed no sign of disgust at her work, not that she could tell from the depths of his cowl. The thought of her connection to her uncle had been on the forefront of her mind but THAT would be considered treason. She claimed an enemy of the village as her family over the clan whose name she had carried for her whole life. She was drawing this out and making it more dangerous for herself than it had to be.

The purpose of this interrogation, to my limited understanding, is to confirm whether or not I am fit to return to active duty as a medical practitioner and if I am a threat to the village. What do you need to know to make that assessment, sir?

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]"You surmise correctly in this case. Your mental well being or lack thereof is of no interest to me. The path you walk will either consume your sanity or it will not -- it makes no difference to me." The Sennin confessed. The research that Yume had been conducting was of an assuredly macabre nature and most human beings were eventually destroyed by their own foolishness in the process of pursuing such things. Blood magic and it's ilk were not studies for the weak of will nor the foolhardy and by their very nature assured that only those with the conviction and intelligence to survive what the art demanded of them were capable of claiming that power.

Mikaboshi had an appreciation for such studies if only because it so purely exemplified the First Law of existence. If you are strong you live, if you are weak you die. Survival of the fittest. Yume then asked the magic question -- the big question that was in many ways the sandworm in the room between them.

What do you need to know to make that assessment, sir?

Yume could not see it but behind the shroud of darkness that hid his features, Mikaboshi's mouth split apart into an impossibly wide grin displaying row after row of terrifyingly sharp teeth as he leaned forward onto the table and rested his elbows the table while interlocking his fingers before him in a thoughtful gesture.

"What, indeed? First, let us reflect a small amount upon your peril at this juncture." The rictus grin that he wore upon his face was almost palpable in the tone of his voice as he spoke slowly and clearly. 'I have something that you want. Nay, that you need. If we put aside the fact that I could keep you here indefinitely at my desire and you already owe me a debt for providing you materials for your research -- I am nothing if not magnanimous, after all -- your return to duty is entirely within my discretion. This you already know. Further, you must know that despite my generosity that I am not in the habit of giving for nothing on a regular basis. It is... bad for business, as I believe the apes say in this age. So with that in mind, let us talk of things that I would like to know more of."

The room would suddenly grow much colder.

"Let us talk of magic books."|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zld8hL448nA&index=28&list=PLMuzFojU54xaJt67DTEPPMh9Blbp9i4oS]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin (Council NPC)

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[Sagasu Yume]

It was unwise to toy with one as close to the shadows as the ANBU Sennin and his assertions were entirely correct; she owed him a great debt for aiding her research. That debt was compounded by the fact that he hadn’t told Sousuke her secret and that his presence in Keystone was part of what roused her from delirium. Now she was his pawn. What was that her father would say? Make a deal with a devil and eventually it would come due? It was her turn to serve him. Hairs on the back of her neck prickled as the temperature descended further, sending a shiver up her spine. It was difficult but she kept her jaw resolute and her eyes on the Sennin. It would do no good to back down now.

I possess of book of magika that Al'Haquish gave to me for assisting him in growing his knowledge of chakra. It contains many methods and concepts that replicate how shinobi use chakra without interacting with the physical life force. I have read the entire thing and compiled notes on my discoveries, researching how other elements can be broken down to the basic five and how combinations of those five allow control over things that had been previously considered unrelated.

Would you like me to bring the book to you? I believe it was one of the items that Shinji recovered before Keystone was demolished.

The researcher in her could not stand vague suggestive conversation. Despite having nothing but time, she hated wasting it all the same. Yet, she had to be careful with this game. If he decided that she bored him or that she was no longer useful, he could spin a tale so that she would remain here until her dying days which, by the looks of the man on the table, could be spent in painful agony. Through observing her brother she knew that when men had carnal desires they were easy prey… what of a man who had no interest in ones body? How did one offer their mind while retaining secrets that others should never know? In her thoughts she felt naked, worried that the Sennin could see into her soul and tear out the information himself. He had warned her about withholding information but when his questions were vague, she could supply vague answers.

How are you going to get out of this, little one? What if he wants what you can’t give? This is no longer about standard procedure, this is about freedom and survival. What is it worth to you?

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]"That is a book of magic -- not a magic book." Corrected Mikaboshi, the coyness in his voice slowly slipping out and giving way to menace which lurked at the back of his words like a caged tiger. "No, you know which book I refer to. At our last meeting you mentioned a book by the name of Sanban."

Mikaboshi's goals were suddenly quite clear. He had once warned her that there were those in Sunagakure would would do horrible, heinous things to possess the tome of knowledge which was known as Sanban but chief among them was the ancient specter named Mikaboshi. Within his twisted and dark heart there lurked questions that the tome which recorded all of history and time within Wind Country might be able to answer for him... the location of the Heart of Orochi. Orochi had been the sire of an ancient court which had been known only as the Court of the Wild Hunt and in time his very nature consumed his sanity as he feasted upon both mortal and immortal spiritual energy. At the cost of his rational mind he became immensely powerful -- perhaps the singularly most powerful being to ever have walked the dunes of the Wind Country -- and functionally immortal. Even after the three Great Lords Fuujin, Homura and Suna threw together their power to destroy Orochi the beast continued to rise and ravage the land. It wasn't until Homura stumbled across a temporary solution by complete accident during a blind rage did they finally put a stop to the beast. By carving it's heart from it's body the Great Lords succeeded in prevent Orochi's remains from reanimating themselves as it seemed that dark quality was granted to him by the mass of power contained within his heart. For that reason the Great Lords secreted away the Heart of Orochi to prevent any who might seek to wield it's power from getting their hands on it.

And naturally because they didn't want him to have it, Mikaboshi coveted it greatly. Especially in these times where his power was diminished so greatly that he had to rely on a human being to be free of his imprisonment.

"You said that an elder of your clan possessed the book. I need only his name and you are free to go." It was a fair enough deal. Mikaboshi would give Yume what she wanted in exchange for the name of the person who possessed Sanban. He wouldn't even ask her to retrieve it for him -- he could do that himself easily enough.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qnyspTfWD8&list=PLMuzFojU54xaQ3VqXMNSrhFZ5-smFwaK7&index=9]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin (Council NPC)

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[Sagasu Yume]

Under the desk, she fidgeted with the chains that held her wrists. She was treading the precipice of destruction and drawing closer to selling her soul. The dark Sennin’s questions had become more specific, going as far as to mention the tome by name. At its mention, Yume’s breath would hitch, giving away any chance to deny his claim. It had been dangerous to mention Al’haqqish’s tome but it had bought her time and brought the topic into clarity. Her lips parted and her tongue flopped around in her mouth, unable to form words. Closing her mouth again, she swallows hard a few times, moistening her throat enough to shape some noises.

You are a man of your word, yes? I do not like to lie but I do not like to be lied to either. The problem I face is that while I desire to go free I desire even more for this particular member of my clan to be alive and well. If I give you his name and he is killed then my actions thus far have been futile. I must understand the nuances of this deal. Are you looking for him or the tome? While I am partial to the tome, I’m more concerned with the well-being of my clansman. Furthermore, my knowledge about the volume specifically is a little shaky. I met Sanban during a very strange time in my life when my mind was not all together intact. What I do recall is the overwhelming desire to know its secrets. Quite an insatiable craving.

A glimpse of the insanity she spoke of became clear on her face as she thought back to the moment. The avoidant and pained look would be familiar to the master of shadows; he had seen it in Keystone when she had first mentioned Sanban. Her thoughts went back to her discussion with him. He told her of two others and opened her mind to so much more. Some would ask of their future or the key to wealth but these things were of little consequence to the Inuzuka kit. Her only desire was to know and understand the world around her. As the pieces of her psyche came back together, her expression acquired a small smile that curled just the corner of her lips. Perhaps it was the inkling of madness that remained and not courage that allowed her to be so brazen with Mikaboshi.

It turns out that it’s not so much the mind as it is memory. Memory is the key.

She wasn’t trying to be clever though there was a nervous chuckle that threatened to burst out of her. Absent mindedly, she tries to lift her hand and ruffle her hair, only to be stopped by the restraints that still held her bound. Looking to her irons with a frown, she lets out a huff of discontent as if to scold their very existence. Though it wasn’t her intention to be sassy, it was possible that he would take her erratic moods as an attempt to be coy. Taking a deep breath, she tries to settle her mind and focus on the moment, blowing air up through her bangs and looking back up to Mikaboshi with renewed intent.

Sir, I will tell you almost anything but, if I may be so bold… I’m curious as to your desires. I am no danger to you. I’m merely a fly on the wall that is used to being ignored. It took me awhile to become accustom to Sousuke’s attention but to be addressed so directly by one such as yourself; it makes me a little self-conscious.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]From across the table, looming above the broken man whose light groans and weeping had come to an end as he perhaps fell into unconsciousness from the pain he felt, Mikaboshi took in every detail of Yume's response. Even though she hesitated at first her very disposition spoke volumes to the creature sitting across from her. The way her breathing halted only for a moment, the way she pursed her lips. She was beginning to fathom the true depth of the game that she had entered into as Mikaboshi demanded the identity of the man that possessed Sanban. Her life was no longer the only one at stake for she stood as the gatekeeper to a much greater tragedy. She made that concern plain as she asked further clarification of why Mikaboshi wanted the book.

"You ask much but give little. Rather than an answer which I am rightfully owed due to the debt you have to me, you have repaid me with a question of your own. Allow me to frame the context of our pact in the interest of complete transparency. After all, I would hate for you to feel misled." He avoided answering her question just as she had his, the coyness returning to his words. Reclining in his seat of shadow-stuff, Mikaboshi swept the mangled body of the man he'd brought into the room with him from the table with ease, clearing the space between he and Yume fully, and sent him flying into the wall opposite of the table with a sickeningly wet crunch where he finally sat totally still and silent. It seemed as if he were finally allowed to expire. "As it stands now, there is nothing stopping me from simply going from clan elder to elder and killing my way through them until I find what I want."

The Sennin's words were ugly, threatening and absolutely dripped with seriousness. It was a grim but pragmatic view of the situation. Strictly speaking Mikaboshi did not have any further need of Yume or her information as he already knew enough to start an investigation of his own. Through various means of torture, suffering and murder he would inevitably recover the book.

"There are after all only so many of your kind in the village and I already know that one of them possesses what I want. It would only be a matter of time before I looked under the right rock. No doubt this has occurred to you." Mikaboshi once more leaned forward, the edge in his voice palpable. "The fact that I am capable and willing means that the only thing standing between your clan and extinction is of course how tedious it would be to hunt them down. By giving me the information that I want, you also render this method of acquisition inefficient and remove any need I would have to hold your certification hostage as a result."|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qnyspTfWD8&list=PLMuzFojU54xaQ3VqXMNSrhFZ5-smFwaK7&index=9]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin (Council NPC)

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[Sagasu Yume]

Her eyes would follow the mangled body with neutrality, head snapping to the wall and dropping as his body fell. Her head lolled as she brought it back and looked up at Mikaboshi. There was an inkling of madness that was preserving her sanity; a scream of terror resting in the back of her throat.

The man was part of the clan but now is not. If you sought answers from the Inuzuka, you would find none. They do not recognize him as kin, just as my brother was not recognized as kin. So we have now disowned them. They are no longer my clan.

The riddles would normally be a point of fun but there was no mirth in the woman’s wordplay. It was a point of fact but her brain was not allowing her to speak plainly. As he leaned in, she struggled to not lean back. Large green eyes blinked long as he made his threats; none of them empty.

I hold no power over Sanban. If anything, it holds power over me… and my uncle. I feel an itch in my veins and a chasm in my head that longs to be filled with its pages… but that is not the point of this. Ojisan is being kept under watch. I am to speak with him when he awakens. I would rather be mad than know I had a direct hand in his death. He is known a The Exhile of the clan… have you heard of him? It would be heartless of me to give you his name but you are intelligent. Surely it would not be my fault if you guessed. Perhaps that is more dangerous though. You seem to have no patience for guessing.

It was evident that the mednin was struggling with the morality of self-preservation. She wanted to go free but was the cost worth Urufu’s life? He wanted a name and from what she could tell, he wanted the book. He told her that there were some who would stop at nothing to get their hands on the tome and she had no doubt that he was one of those ‘some’. It sickened her that she suggested Mikaboshi guess; was that not the same as giving his name outright? The result would be equal if not worse for her for withholding information but this way she could lie to herself. Tell her mind that she had not bartered with her uncle’s freedom and life for her own. Her gaze became distant and she seemed to look through Mikaboshi as her thoughts took her somewhere distant.

Wolf in sheeps clothing. That's really who we all are in this village. A demon sennin who cares for others. A steward who has problems understanding the emotions of his people. A mednin with no care for the well-being of her subjects for the sake of science. All wolves in sheeps clothing, so why not an agent of the occupation with little care for how well it went? One who came with no intention of sympathy and found a family.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Mikaboshi's head inclined backwards as he laughed heartily at Yume's words. It was a deep, rumbling laugh that seemed strange coming from the thin frame of the creature called Mikaboshi that sat across from Yume. This was perhaps one of the first times that the black creature had found a reason to respond with anything more than derision and mockery. Yes, it was odd but he found himself fond of this young wolf-bred girl that sat before him. She reminded him of a woman that he'd once known a long time ago in a world that no longer existed. That memory was normally one that stung his heart and reminded him why he hated those around him with such fervor but in that moment where Yume explained her position and managed to give Mikaboshi exactly what he wanted while still refusing to concede defeat...

Nostalgia was not an emotion that Mikaboshi was well known for but even beings such as he fell victim to it once or twice a century.

His laugh leaving him after a moment or two, Mikaboshi stood from where he sat across the table and turned from Yume without further comment or regard to the broken man that he'd brought into the room with him. In his wake the shadows drifted around playfully like small fish in the wake of a huge sea creature as he moved through the gloom, his seating arrangement disintegrating and rejoining the mass of seemingly living shades behind him as he moved away from it. He stopped only briefly at the door which opened slowly without a movement or command from the Sennin, looking over his shoulder towards the Medic who still sat chained to the table.

"Well played" He uttered, his tone of voice evoking the imagery of the wicked smile he assuredly wore upon his thin features behind the darkness of his hood, as he lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers causing the links of the chains holding Yume to the table to shatter to dust. If Yume took her eyes from the Sennin she would find him gone from the open doorway when she looked back to him and if not he simply continued about his way without further comment.

Mikaboshi hadn't given an indication one way or another how he might rule on her case but the fact that the door was open and her restraints had been removed seemed to indicate that he viewed their transaction as finished. Still... the Sennin had given off the distinct impression that he'd even been somewhat impressed by what Yume had said -- with the way she played his game without hesitation -- but perhaps that might leave Yume with an unsettling realization; what sort of monster must one be to garner the approval of the Devil himself?

[Topic Left (Unless Stopped)]|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qnyspTfWD8&list=PLMuzFojU54xaQ3VqXMNSrhFZ5-smFwaK7&index=9]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin (Council NPC)

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[Sagasu Yume]

The laughter made Yume nervous. The sound was genuine but she had never heard such a hearty noise from the Sennin. True she had only met him a handful of times before this but it led her to believe that he was enjoying the game. It was the cackle of a hunter toying with its prey. She held her expression and focused on keeping her heartbeat steady. It would do no good to show the predator how terrified his amusement made her. The broken part of her mind wanted to join in the mirth and let her hysterics out but it was no longer in control.

With a compliment and a snap of his fingers, her iron-restraints shattered into dust. She didn’t know how to take his words. Was it a simple remark of enjoying how she played or was there pity and distain for her even trying? The splintering confines caused her to glance down quickly. Judgment had been issued and found her non-threatening. Compared to someone such as Mikaboshi that wasn’t saying much but the mednin wouldn’t stay and argue his verdict. Looking back to the door, the Sennin had departed. It was for the best, in her opinion. Had he stayed she would have offered her thanks and a debt of gratitude; a dangerous thing to offer such a dangerous being. Regardless, Yume found that she liked him. He was honest.

What sort of beast are you if a legendary ‘monster’ such as Mikaboshi is honest? You were willing to sell your kin to save yourself.

No I wasn’t… I was willing to wager them. Not that it’s much better. Urufu would have done the same. He would understand.

She had to rationalize her actions, convincing herself that she had done no wrong. Her father had told her a story of a man who sold his soul for limitless knowledge. Was she any better than him? Was she doing this for her family or so that she could grow close to Urufu and get hold of Sanban? The questions would have to wait. Getting up from her spot, she makes no delay in shaking off the filings and heading for the door. The heap of flesh on the floor gives her pause and she mumbles a prayer over his twisted corpse.

I warned you that death would find you soon. Pleasant that it came when it did. May Mother Suna guide your soul to rest.

Her footsteps were light as she fled down the halls and out to the free world. The sounds of the damned nipped at her, encouraging her not to tarry. She made sure not to run so as to not tempt the predator to give chase but spent no more time in the Obsidian Palace than she had to. She had been given a window. Perhaps it was to trick her into committing a crime of escaping or to lead the Sennin to her uncle. Regardless, she had vowed to see him the moment she was released and she was determined to do so.

[Topic left. Headed to Omni Prime]