Better Living Through Botany [Shiori]

[Kazumi]

It was a calm and quiet morning in the middle of the Wind Country's vast and sprawling desert. The sun had just peeked over the horizon and the heat was slowly baking off the cold that seeped through the village and threatened to free unwary inhabitants overnight. With her mother, father and little brother off in the underground village and her younger sister out training at the academy, it fell to Tsubaki to tend to the shop during their absence. It was not the most exciting of times, and it was rare to have a customer come in, let alone at such an early hour, but it gave her time to water plants, trim leaves and simply relax her mind after the jarring events that had put her into the hospital not a month ago.

The shop was rather close to the heart of the surface village, stationed in what was turning into a rather well off neighborhood, though not enough to be considered snobbish or elite quite yet. The interior of the store looked quite modern compared to the majority of the buildings underground. IT seems the village officials were making extensive effort to make the surface presence of the village as attractive as they could. Though the fact that they brought in a clan for the sole purpose of beautifying the area was likely proof enough of that. The layout resembled a storefront, spacious and sleek, though many of the surfaces were bare. Those that were not continued a wide variety of beautiful flowers, their scents mixing and filling the air conditioned room in stark contrast to the harsh exterior. Vases both empty and full stood atop some shelves and on the floor, making it quite apparent that the shop was not yet intended to host customers. The family was quite busy fulfilling their contract with the village to spend much time with their personal business after all. It was there that Tsubaki stood, tending to a trio of flowers off in the corner of the room with a small pair of trimming scissors and a keen eye for botanical health.

 

[Michi]

A woman approached the shop, it was early morning still by the time she had arrived. Her plans were coming along swimmingly but there were a few necessities that still required her undivided attention. The first being Harupia, the handsome Sunaku that she was only able to share a brief period of carnal passion with. The second being the deterioration of the Steward. She presently had unfettered access to his daily dealings due to her new-found position as his secretary. A vocation that would remain forever vacant if the average day was like her first. She was going to stop here on her way to work. The tall blonde stop by a series of storefronts, they were all new to this region but she knew what she was looking for. A distant branch of the Yamanaka family, she pulled their file when Sousuke was in the other room tinkering. They seemed like good targets for keeping things quiet.

In terms of the former, she had to consider him a loss. She had changed formed now twice in a short span, the first could be remedied by being called a henge but not the second. He had already seen the crimson sands that were in that basement and he would by now surely be aware of what she was, the Desert Queen. Yet the Ancient was nothing short of obsessive in her ambitions. The Sunaku artist likely lived in a compound with his fellow clansmen who would also be well aware of her alleged crimes - many of which were true but some were greatly exaggerated. She had earned the ire of the Steward unlike members of the Cabal whose death rolls were in the hundreds and it had cost the former medic her life once already and compelled the Steward to embark on a quest to create a 'god-killing blade.' She planned to abscond with the beautiful man although his compliance would likely be in question, that is where herbal intervention came into play.

The later, the deterioration of the Steward himself. A prominent desire, vengeance for his trespasses against her and for his crimes against her kind. How love and lust could become hate as such. It was terrible but it was true, this burning rage she felt that would not submit to logic, time or reason. She had access to his coffee, the several cup a morning habit he suffered from as well as his meals when he remembered to eat. It was a relatively easy task to add something extra.

She entered the store, her presence possibly heralded by a bell if one hung above the door. She approached the counter and called to the young woman. "Hello?" Her plants rested on the counter, "I would like to learn a bit about apocrathy."</B><i></i> She actually knew more than her fair share, she had spent a decade as a medic but it never hurt to play dumb. She lacked the resources these days to simply take what she needed from medical stores. <B>"Something for sleep. Something to slow the heart. Something to make the heart grow fonder. And something to... dilate my pupils."

 

[Kazumi]

A small startle joled through Tsubaki as the small bell jingled to signal, what sha assumed, was her family's arrival. They were not to be back for hours. As Tsubaki turned, small snippers in hand, fully expecting to see one of her family when an entirely new figure strode into the shop. The girl paused a moment, shocked to see an actual customer in there at this hour. As the unfamiliar woman called out, Tsubaki quickly set the snips onto the counter next to the plant as she walked her way over towards the woman. Given her age, Tsubaki was quite tall, a trait that often set her apart from her peers, though her family's constnat moving seemed to do a fine enough job of attempting to isolate her without any help. As Tsubaki stopped a few feet from the customer, she would give the woman a respectful bow, her hands pressed together jsut below her stomach before she proceeded to present her most friendly smile.

"Hello?" Her plants rested on the counter, "I would like to learn a bit about apocrathy."" That request was rather strange to the young shinobi, no one had ever used that term to speak with her or her family that she knew of. She was lucky to usually get someone to say anything other than herbs, flowers or green 'things'. "Something for sleep. Something to slow the heart. Something to make the heart grow fonder. And something to... dilate my pupils." As she began to list the needs off, Tsubaki began to nod in understanding. Obviously this woman simply wanted the shop to provide her with these things, she had no real interest in learning. A fact made quite clear to her as the while clad female listed off some rather strange requests.

Regardless of the strangeness of the requests, Tsubaki nodded and continued to smile pleasantly. She then reached up and tapped the side of her own temple before she would project her voice in an appropriate sounding voice in the other woman's head. Telepathy had become quite easy for her in the past few weeks, and the fact that she no longer needed to touch others made it significantly easier to communicate with customers. The fact that they lived inside of a village where strangeness was the norm, rather than the exception, certainly helped most customers come to terms with a telepathic conversation. "Good morning Miss. My name is Koizumi Tsubaki and I would love to help you with your herbal needs however I can."

She replayed what the woman had requested again in her mind, her expression shifting to a moment of puzzlemnet before she smimply gave Shiori another nod of understanding. "May I ask if these are for yourself, a family or a friend? I believe I can help you with most of those, but it will take some time to prepare. Everything we sell here is freshly grown here in our greenhouse and we guarantee that anything you purchase will meet all of your requirements, from sleep deprivation to minor aches and pains."

 

[Michi]

"Good morning Miss. My name is Koizumi Tsubaki and I would love to help you with your herbal needs however I can."

The young woman did not answer her verbally, but the voice of a young woman could be heard inside her head. It was an odd sensation, not one she had been accustomed to but in a world where one could spit fire and summon great tides of water in the desert a disembodied voice was nothing to fear. Her pale blue eyes shifted from one plant to another, she knew most but not all of them, she wondered if some were imports from foreign lands. Despite her age, she had never left Wind Country in all of her years, she found that her hunger became ravenous when she did and she feared the places her hunger would take her.

"May I ask if these are for yourself, a family or a friend? I believe I can help you with most of those, but it will take some time to prepare. Everything we sell here is freshly grown here in our greenhouse and we guarantee that anything you purchase will meet all of your requirements, from sleep deprivation to minor aches and pains."

She answered verbally, unpracticed in telepathy. "Myself... mostly," she lied with a calm smile. "I suffer from tachycardia," she brought her hand to her chest "and suffer from terrible depression... and there is no happiness greater than love." If the young woman believed her or not, it mattered little. Any one of these could have a rather devious use and they could also have a rather dangerous use, something the young botanist would likely be aware of. It was likely a common request that a lonesome woman or man for that matter would request a 'love' potion but did she truly look like she would have any trouble in that department? Of course not, but she had a very specific taste and it was unlikely he still shared her ...passion. "Pain? What do you have for pain?" Most paralytics and anesthetics were left to the Medics, that said a 'natural' alternative was not as closely regulated if regulated at all.

She mentioned it would take some time, for quality and effectiveness she did not mind. Sousuke did not mention -when- her hours each day would start or end and surely she would be able to ride on his guilt for what he has already done. "Time is of little consequence, I would rather have something that worked than did not." She added in a polite tone as her eyes spied several small jars. She was attempting to note what each was labeled, some dry and coarse, some with full leaves and others still that seemed to be inky mixtures. Mortar and pestle... tinctures... infusions. She would have to ask about administration, she was used to medical grade potions often already in syringes. She tried to hold back a sigh, there was so much to learn and a lack of patience in terms of learning it all. "You will have to explain how to administer them in any case as well," she admitted, there was actually something that she did need to learn. She hoped none would be given via suppository.

 

[Michi]

It has been 12 days since the last post in this thread. I need the slot in the coming days so I am leaving topic. =(

 

[Kazumi]

"Myself... mostly. I suffer from tachycardia, and suffer from terrible depression... and there is no happiness greater than love." Tsubaki had indeed heard this sort of talk from customers before, though many didn't use such large words. She did not knew the medical nature behind exactly what tachycardia was, but she did know it had to do with someone's heart feeling fluttery. What did surprise her was the fact that such a woman as this would experience any difficulty in love or depression. She was well formed and as far as Tsubaki could tell, objectively attractive. It wasn't her place to judge however, business was business. "Of course," she telepathically responded, nodding in agreement. "While love potions are a myth, my mother always says the way to a man's heart is quickest through their nose. I am certain we could mix up a unique fragrance that is sure to help catch the eye of a certain special someone."

"Pain? What do you have for pain?" Tsubaki paused in thought, trying to remember all of the items they had which could assist. She wished her mother was here, as that was certainly in her area of expertise. "That depends what type of pain you mean. Herbal medicine is not as strong as the more common medication you would find in hospitals, but it is safer and can be surprisingly effective on many kinds of pain. What exactly is it that is hurting? The treatment for toothaches to muscle pain can be quite different."

"Time is of little consequence, I would rather have something that worked than did not. You will have to explain how to administer them in any case as well," Once again, the current shopkeeper nodded in reassuring understanding, ever smiling with pleasant attentiveness. "Of course. My mother and father are out in the village this morning, but I would be happy to prepare anything that we can for you now. Anything more complex and you can pick it up at your earliest convenience. Would you like to take a moment to peruse the shop and see if any particular fragrances resonate with you?" Tsubaki was not the best salesperson in the country, though thankfully her family did not usually need to resort to strong-arm tactics to remain as modestly successful as they were, their work usually spoke for itself.

 

[Michi]

Tachhycardia: simply an elevated heart rate of over 100 beats per minute.

"Of course... While love potions are a myth, my mother always says the way to a man's heart is quickest through their nose. I am certain we could mix up a unique fragrance that is sure to help catch the eye of a certain special someone."

The voice in her head answered and Shiori shook her head, that would not do. Not that a pleasant scent was troublesome or unwanted but it was unnecessary. "Do you have anything that causes recreational happiness then?" Yes, she was asking for drugs. Not necessarily anything illegal but something that causes a pleasant sense of ease. Something that could be disarming at the very least to the man or woman who consumes the tonic. While it could be easily assumed that these were intended for Sousuke, she actually had an alternative use for these. There was a man besides Sousuke that she was very much interested in remaining close to even if it is done through not so honest of means. This would refer to Harupia of course, before her death she had started to move on from her lover's obsession with Sousuke and had found yet another prize in a handsome Sunaku. Things had went well in her previous form but they would not go as well when he learned the truth and she would rather have a happy, hardly harmed captive lover than one of those unfortunate bruised ones that always tried to escape.

"That depends what type of pain you mean. Herbal medicine is not as strong as the more common medication you would find in hospitals, but it is safer and can be surprisingly effective on many kinds of pain. What exactly is it that is hurting? The treatment for toothaches to muscle pain can be quite different."

"True," Shiori breathed. "A topical numbing agent should be sufficient," she replied not answering the type of pain but narrowing down the young woman's search.

"Of course. My mother and father are out in the village this morning, but I would be happy to prepare anything that we can for you now. Anything more complex and you can pick it up at your earliest convenience. Would you like to take a moment to peruse the shop and see if any particular fragrances resonate with you?"

A shame she was not the shopkeep, but perhaps that would serve to her benefit. She had no interest in perfume still, but letting her think she could get a hard sell while she made her concoctions would be worth the extra coin. She turned her back to the young botanist and started to browse the various oil-soaked herbs and brought them just below her nose. Most of them stank something horrid, dousing oneself in them would be akin to trying to suffocate oneself with noxious-- Oh yes... That would work. She made her rounds and opened every last vial and sniffed the contents. Some sent hot bitter fluid up the back of her throat and others put her into a coughing fit and made it hard for her to breathe. The later. She would retrieve a small bottle of the two strongest and place them both on the counter. No need to open them or even mix them, she could do that on her own. "I suppose that these would do."

 

[Kazumi]

"Do you have anything that causes recreational happiness then?"

Tsubaki tilted her head, attempting not to overanalyze what the woman was asking for. So far, she seemed highly educated, but she also apparently looked to be flip-floppng back and forth between than and a naive adult. Either she was hiding something, or was attempting to sound smarter than she really was. A momentary pause shook the thoughts out of her head. She was acting as a shopkeeper right now, not a shinobi, but it was hard to ignore what she had been so vigorously taught over the past year. "There are some herbal mixtures and supplements that will help elevate one's mood. Nothing illegal, of course." she added, trying not to give the woman an accusing look, "perhaps if you were more specific in what you were wanting it for? We have some mixtures that should help with depression by leveling your mood. The Koizumi clan would never attempt to sell you snake oil, and while there is nothing that will magically make you happy, there are certainly ways to help add cheer to a dreary day."

Speaking telepathically was even more difficult than talking, she had come to find. Normally one had a silent filter they could put their words through before they voiced them, but given that such was skipped when the words went from mind to mind... Suffice to say, she was beginning to wish her father was here. He would know exactly what to say to appease any customer, this one included.

"True, a topical numbing agent should be sufficient,"

Finally something concrete she could work off from! A small feeling of euphoira passed through her from the tiny victory, and as the customer turned to begin perusing the shop, Tsubaki would turn her back as well, looking throuhgh an assortment of vials and containers of various colored liquids and cremes. All of their stock was prepared on site, a fact they were quite proud of, but that didn't mean they did not prepare a supply of the less perishable products before hand. Many customers wished to try the product or were simply too impatient to come back after it was readied. Tsubaki occassionally glanced over her shoulder, her interest piqued from the sudden sound of coughing that erputed from time to time. By how closely she saw the woman bringing the vials to her nose, she was beginning to have some of her suspicions reinforced.

Taking a jar around the size of her closed fist from a shelf, she heard the sound of glass vials tapping onto the surface of the counter. She turned to see the pair that the woman had picked out. "I suppose that these would do." Responded the woman, who likely noticed Tsubaki's gaze shift to vials. The girl suppressed her confusion, instead giving the woman a nod and a matching smile. "Very well. This should serve to help you with your discomfort." Part of her wondered what it was to be for, but the other half knew it would be improper at best and rude at worst to simply ask. "Make sure you use the two sparingly and never together." She silently reminded the woman, looking down towards the pair. "Those are very potent, and a drop or two in a small bowl should be enough for an entire day."

 

[Michi]

"There are some herbal mixtures and supplements that will help elevate one's mood. Nothing illegal, of course."

Shame about only legal products being sold here. Still, the assertions in full view of the public was of no surprise. "Why would bliss be illegal," Shiori replied with a coy shrug of the shoulders.

"Perhaps if you were more specific in what you were wanting it for? We have some mixtures that should help with depression by leveling your mood. The Koizumi clan would never attempt to sell you snake oil, and while there is nothing that will magically make you happy, there are certainly ways to help add cheer to a dreary day."

Love potions were actually possible, in fact there was at one time a vial called 'Beloved' (used to be an item on NC, yes) that was commonly sold in the shops. The result of the brew was of course highly unreliable as love can be denied by many as different things that ranged from affection, to elation to unbridled lust. Many of those who purchased the potions hoped for the later-most effect and because the effect was only short-term when the potion was metabolized it often led to some social quandaries. It had become illegal in Sunagakure some time ago to make or to administer a love potion even to a willing target because of this. Still, what was 'love' but a sense of elation when in the presence of someone or in the midst of an action. Something one can be conditioned to experience. "A crate of Euphorium should suffice," Shiori finally announced. A legal mixture that causes a rush of endorphins -- yes, that would do nicely.

She conceded that a 'numbing agent' would be sufficient. Lullabye Powder or even Sleeping Rice for a true beggar but she had an illusionary skill unrivaled by most.

The two jars she had placed on the counter were as follows: Cactus Rose Spines, Powderized and Essence of Midnight Bloom. They would do nicely, both pleasant enough sounding names in fact.

"Very well. This should serve to help you with your discomfort."

Shiori accepted the concoction and opened the lid. She slathered a dime sized drop onto her forearm and rubbed it in. She could feel her arm burn momentarily before it fell limp at her side. She grabbed her own arm by the wrist and lifted it up before she watched it fall to her side again as it made no effort against gravity. "Potent," she commended. "How long does this effect last?" Her voice seemed to be laced with a forced concern. The shopper knew that in time it would pass but the temporary weakness was still disconcerting. "In fact... do you have anything that could serve as an antidote in case I overdose?" An intelligent question to ask, even if the cream was not intended for her even she had her limits on what she was willing to do.

"Make sure you use the two sparingly and never together."

The merchant silently reminded her. "Which two," Shiori asked seeking clarification. She was being methodical in her plan this time. Unlike her admission to Sousuke, this one would go better -- harupia would not have a choice.

"Those are very potent, and a drop or two in a small bowl should be enough for an entire day."

Shiori nodded in agreement. "One more question, are these already concentrated to their most stable saturated forms?"

 

[Kazumi]

The aspiring botanist was quite familiar with a wide variety of mixtures, but to her and her mother one could not simply bottle a spectrum of emotions and call it something as vague as a love potion. It was possible, of course, to administer the right levels of various herbs, chemicals and treatments to nearly perfectly mimic the sequence of biological events that could simulate love, but to claim that a single simple bottle of liquid could accurately do so was absurd to the clan. This was likely part of the reason they were not extremely wealthy or well to-do as many other merchant families were. Standards and high quality only go so far in amassing fortunes after all.

"A crate of Euphorium should suffice,"

If the customer didn't have her full attention before, she sure had now. The girl looked a little stunned, as if she must have misheard the woman. Was this woman trying to relieve a little depression or was she trying to put an entire community out of commission for a week. More than a few alarms went off in her head, either this woman didn't understand how potent the stuff was, how many were in a crate, or something less savory. "That seems a little excessive. Perhaps you should try a single bottle first. Not everyone reacts well to such a potent mixture, and large amounts can very well be toxic." It was as if all of the salesmen in the world cried out in frustration before sighing in saddened frustration.

She proceeded to watch the woman take a small sample, a lot more than she should have, but Tsubaki was still mentally reeling from the size of the attempted order to process that before the woman's arm fell limp. "How long does this effect last? In fact... do you have anything that could serve as an antidote in case I overdose?" There were catch-all antidotes which worked on a large variety of toxins, but they were not very reliable, or at least reliable enough to be marketed as such by the clan. Trubaki knelt down, pulling a key from a pouch on her hip as she unlocked a sliding glass cabinet under the counter. Vaguely labeled bottels and vials sat neatly organized three deep, each one an antidote for any of their merchandise which could potentially cause harm if not purged correctly. It only took a moment for her to procure two bottles, one for the Euphorium and one for the Bitterbloom salve.

She locked the cabinet and stood back up, setting the pair on the counter before she opened the one with the thick red paste inside. Inside was a thin rod covered with the red black speckled paste. "Put a few dabs of this on that arm and a few drops in your mouth. It should keep the Bitterbloom from spreading and should restore full blood flow and feeling into the arm within a minute or so." The taste would be sharp, almost like a foul tasting acid on both the tongue and the skin, but the former wouldn't be noticeable until feeling began to return to the arm. She offered the lid with the applicator attached, watching to make sure she didn't end up applying too much or doing something else that might endanger her from being a repeat customer.

As the woman took the applicator she continued, ""One more question, are these already concentrated to their most stable saturated forms?"" Tsubaki softly nodded as she watched, her face still as she silently responded, "Stable, yes. our merchandise is made with the highest of standards. I do not recommend modifying those in any way, but it is possible to distill those down further, but the aroma could quickly turn very foul as there is a delicate balance between remaining compounds." It was then that her curiosity began to overcome her salesmanship as she suddenly inquired, "why do you ask?" It perhaps was for the best that her parents were not here to see the... less than stellar display.

 

[Michi]

Euphorium was a common enough compound, something she felt this small shop would have en-mass. She was of course asking for a large quantity, a crate or rather a gross if one was keeping count as that would be 144 vials. She was planning something big or she had a problem and liked to make herself feel better, or more aptly in her case she was taking every precaution. She was calmer and more savvy since her last death and she did not want to enter into anything with too much haste. Her attempts to manipulate Harupia against Sousuke garnered an unforeseen benefit turned complication. She felt something for him, it was likely nothing more than lust but it would never be anything more if she did not tell him the truth. It was a dangerous conclusion to come to and it would be the result of her one weakness: her lonesome nature that she was willing to take such a risk. When she came upon him again, in this new body. Her previous one gone and dead for months already he would understandably question why she changed again if he was not a friend of Sousuke's. He was in fact a close friend of the Steward turned self-claimed Kazekage so it was likely that he knew exactly who and what she was by now. That was likely why he never called (or it could have been that he was just not that into her in the first place). Regardless, she needed to know.

"That seems a little excessive. Perhaps you should try a single bottle first. Not everyone reacts well to such a potent mixture, and large amounts can very well be toxic."

The shopkeep warned. Shiori nodded her head in agreement, she had in fact never heard of someone overdosing from euphorium but anything was certainly possible. She slumped her shoulders, she would have to make up some sob story or grant some sort of 'admission' if the young woman insisted on giving her the run around. She sighed, "I am a recovered alcoholic," she actually was not lying about this. She in fact had a drinking problem, one that had landed her in the hospital on numerous of occasions before the madness finally made sense. "I have an anxiety disorder," she lied "...and all of these things are for me." She lied again with a slightly soured look. "I will be done with that euphorium in a matter of weeks," she answered honestly. She was likening the effects of euphorium to benzodiazepines and others CNS depressants. An effect of withdrawal is often a hypersensitivity of the nervous system as it was so used to combating the effects of the alcoholic sedatives. In addition to that, as most medics are aware, alcoholism is common among those with undiagnosed anxiety disorders where the afflicted self-medicates unknowingly to manage their psychological symptoms.

She tried to creme and her arm fell limp at her side. She could not wiggle her fingers and she tried, not could she lift her arm and she felt as if the paralysis was spreading although that might be her imagination. It worked perfectly. She tried to control her expression, it should have been one of glee but it needed to be one of feigned concern. She requested an antidote, just in case she inadvertently went too far. She expected a fight with Harupia when she showed up on his doorstep. It was likely that eh would meet her with ire and anger, in fact she counted on that fact. She wanted to take him down without hurting him, he was far too lovely to blemish and if the truth could be told she would feel bad hurting him. She hoped that if she had a chance to explain herself and why she did what she did that he would forgive her and he might eventually. Until then she would take care of him, keep him safe and lovely until he agreed or was conditioned to do so.

The counter-lady rummaged for the requested potion and liberated a pair from beneath the counter.

"Put a few dabs of this on that arm and a few drops in your mouth. It should keep the Bitterbloom from spreading and should restore full blood flow and feeling into the arm within a minute or so."

With her one mobile arm she would carefully with the tip of her tongue taste the astringent paste and it sent a shiver down her spine. It was so vile she could feel her gastric contents crawl their way up the back of her throat but with a hard swallow she pushed it back down. She then placed the smallest of spots on her forearm. She felt no different immediately but after the passage of several seconds she felt as if someone had dropped a vial of acid on her arm, she let out a pained hiss. Her sensation had (un)fortunately returned.

"Stable, yes. our merchandise is made with the highest of standards. I do not recommend modifying those in any way, but it is possible to distill those down further, but the aroma could quickly turn very foul as there is a delicate balance between remaining compounds."<i></i>

That was exactly what she was looking for.

"why do you ask?"

The effect of the cream had completely worn off. Her arm was fully mobile and functional. She gave it a test bend and rotated it. There appeared to be no lasting effect once the cream had worn off, that was good. "Can never be too safe," she replied with a large white smile. "I would like to take everything, euphorium included," she concluded.

 

[Kazumi]

"I am a recovered alcoholic. I have an anxiety disorder ...and all of these things are for me." Suddenly a number of oddities clicked into place for the girl. The odd behavior, the strange mixture of knowledge and naivety that the woman seemed to possess, and the strangeness of some of her orders. "I will be done with that euphorium in a matter of weeks," For some reason that response, as straight forward and the lack of any obvious desire to draw sympathy from Tsubaki, it knotted her stomach up rather fierce. She had never struggled with an addiction, though one could call her nightly 'meals' one, not that she would ever admit to such or agree with that idea. Even so, the thought that the woman was coming to her to help ease this constant suffering threatened to break her heart.

Tsubaki fell silent as the woman tested out the antidote, which worked exactly as expected, but she was too drawn into her own thoughts. As she concluded, proceeding to test out her arm's functionality, the customer spoke once more. "Can never be too safe. I would like to take everything, euphorium included," There was an awkward moment of complete silence between them, both audial and mental. Another voice, that sounded to be of a kindly elderly man sounded in the woman's mind, "you poor dear..." Tsubaki broke from her momentary stupor and quickly leaned forward onto the counter as an idea struck her. "Maybe we can help!" It was Tsubaki's mental voice again, chiming in with youthful vigor only a moment after the odd foreign one. "It is a little experimental, but a mixture we have been working on might be able to provide you with some longer lasting relief from your suffering!"

For unknown reasons, an image of her sister Mao came to mind, possibly even momentarily flashing inside of the customer's as well, thought it would be gone too quickly to fully catch. "My mom has been working on this remedy that... well, I won't bore you with the details, but it should help keep you from replacing one addiction to another, if you are interested?" From the feeling she was giving off, it might very well crush the young shop-keeper's heart if the woman said no, given the expression of pure optimism that had plastered itself onto Tsubaki's open mouthed smile. She did not know if she was allowed to speak of these things, or if it was a good idea to even offer it to this woman. Regardless, something spurred her on as she eagerly hoped for the woman's agreement.

 

[Michi]

Ready to make a purchase, likely the largest one the shop would make in a week when she was halted by the voice in her head. More chipper than before, it actually caused her head some minor discomfort. She should have shopped at Poyznz R' Us, their no-questions staff would have already sent her on her way by now, not caring in the least about why she was buying the gross quantities of product. Time was passing them by and at this rate Harupia would be old and grey by the time she vacated the store.

Help with what? Oh yes, her suffering. The girl continued on about this 'cure' or 'remedy' which only added to her dismay. Her instinct was to say 'no' and be on her way. She was going to be late for work at this rate and while she was not looking forward to being on-time to see Sousuke first thing in the morning. Each day was unbearable in its own way. She was electrocuted, burned, frozen and trapped in all manner of devices and that was only her first week. It was a testament to her durability that she had not re-cycled yet, and this was not to mention his fixation with her skirts being too short or her tops too low. Still the beaming hopeful face was mirrored with her inner glower.

Really?

...Yes, really.

Her shoulders slumped slightly, as she gave her consent. "Sure."

OC: Let's see what you got.

 

[Kazumi]

This was going against every little bit of logic and common sense that the girl possessed, but part of her compelled her to do her best to help the woman from her alleged plight. Was it the Spirit? The Many? A piece of her own sub-conscious that resonated with the woman? It was impossible to say at the time, but Tsubaki put those and other concerns out of her mind as she hurried around the counter, making her way to the front door of the shop. She flipped the Open signed to Closed and quickly turned the deadbolt to lock the front door before she turned and hurried her way back over towards the woman. She passed by her rather quickly, slowing for a moment as she passed a thought along to her, "come this way!" Without pausing to even see if the woman followed, she splipped through a free swinging door that lead to the back of the shop. This was pure stupidity, chorused a a few of the Many who were joined by her own rational mind, but she kept hurrying herself forward as she ignored the thought.

The back of the shop was much like one would expect. There was a spiral staircase in the far side that lead to the upper quarters where her family lived, a series of plants hanging in reserve from the ceiling, boxes of vials and other equipment and three openings that lead off in different directions, all without doors. Tsubaki waited next to one of the three at the far side of the room, restraining herself long enough to motion the woman to follow her inside. Upon seeing the woman Tsubaki would dissapear inside. Without pausing to think, she began to move quickly around the room, which looked oddly similar to a patient's room in a doctor's office, though it was twice as long mots for its width. Inside was a lone chair that seemed to mimicked a gray colored leather dentist's chair, a short rolling stool, a set of grey painted cupboards set over top a long counter top that was adorned with a set of clear beakers and vials, and an array of strange looking plants in clay pots.

Only one or two of the dozen plants looked familiar to anyone who knew the local flora, indicating that the others were either hybrids or were imported from elsewhere in the world. Most looked rather normal, but there were exceptions. Small flower buds of various colors on one, strangely shaped leaves on another, and a bush of leaves tha looked more like very thick green hair than it did actual plant matter. By the time the woman would make it into the room she would fidn Tsubaki already hastily plucking a few of the green and red spotted flower leaves from one of the plants as she dropped them into a old fashioned stone mortar. She paid no heed to the woman as she ground the petals into a fine mixture with a matching pestle before she set it atop the counter. Tsubaki plucked a few of the long hairs from the plants and brought them over to a beaker that already had an inch of clear liquid in it, a burner sitting lit below it. One by one she lowered the hairs into it and as the liquid heated up the liquid slowly turned a cloudy green color.

Once the hairs were tended to the over-eager Koizumi girl turned to greet the woman, "please have a seat, I just need finish this. It shouldn't take but a few minutes!" The girl did then hesitate a moment before silently asking, "I don't think I caught your name?" Before the woman could answer, Tsubaki already turned from her and pulled a scalpel from a drawer, quickly inserting her finger into the loose dirt of a rather plain looking plant. She fished her finger around for a moment until she apparently found what she was looking for. With a smooth motion she slid the scalpel inside and made a quick cut on something inside. She pulled the scalpel out, the blade of which was covered in a deep red liquid. Setting it down, she pulled a root that was dripped the red liquid from its severed end and quickly brought it over the beaker she was heating up. She suspended it over the opening and allowed the red drops to dip in one by own. After precisely seven she set the root down and pulled a thing glass stirring rod from another drawer as she began to stir the cloudy green liquid together with the red drops.

 

[Michi]

Shiori followed her wordlessly into the back of the shop, beneath the hanging planterboxes and down a hallway and twisting staircase. They ended up in a familiar setting, at least to the former medic. An eclectic, informal treatment space not unlike the rooms in privately-owned doctor offices. The girl had went to work almost immediately on her concoction. She thought herself an expert in the realm of desert horticulture, their environs had scarcely changed in a millennia and yet here she was surrounded by a number of plants she failed to identify. She was impressed but she would not verbalize this fact, she still needed to play dumb.

"Please have a seat, I just need finish this. It shouldn't take but a few minutes!"

The energetic shop keep announced as she muddled her herbs psychically. She hesitantly took a seat in the only chair afforded her, it looked comfortable enough at the very least. She sunk into the chair and rested her head against the plush faux leather back as she reclined.

"I don't think I caught your name?"

A soundless voice inquired. "Rioshi," she replied simply. It was an unusual name, but it was not one that would garner any attention from the authorities unlike her previous one. She was just a secretary, a menial job in comparison to what she was in terms of power, prestige and earnings yet it gave her the access' that she needed and allowed her to be underestimated by her enemies. "What are you making?" She asked, somewhat curious about the makings and effect of this vice cure-all.

OC: Not much to do but follow. Carry on.

 

[Kazumi]

"Rioshi," Well, if nothing else she would know the name of the person sending the authorities after her when this fool's errand wound up backfiring. It was another of the thoughts that she pushed out of her mind as she continued to stir the mixture in a slow and controlled manner.

"What are you making?" Asked the woman as Tsubaki lifted the glass stirring rod from the now faint yellow mixture that was slowly beginning to bubble from the heat. She didn't have a name for it. It was a pet project that spun off from her mother's research, and it was in its infancy. She was no scientist or doctor and her own practical experience in the area of 'unstable and experimental medicine' was less than Rioshi would be comfortable with. "It doesn't have a name yet," she mentally replied as she went back to the mortar, and moved back to the softly bubbling beaker. "If it works as expected, you can name it if you would like." Her mental voice was calm and yet boundlessly eager. If it weren't for the less than reassuring words she used, it would sound as if she was highly confident in its success.

A minute passed and the ground petals fully dissolved into the liquid, their colors mixing with it until, strangely, it turned perfectly clear once more. She dialed down the flame until it cut off and with a pair of tongs, she lifted the beaker from its stand and set over onto the counter-top. "Just need to wait a minute to let it cool down." She absently remarked as she looked intently down at the clear liquid as it sat in front of her, the girl's back to Rioshi. Seconds multiplied as time seemed stretch on until a full minute of silence had elapsed. If Rioshi became inpatient, she would be given a few reassuring remarks about it almost being ready, and while that was true, there were other reasons for the delay.

It wasn't until the decoction was almost ready did Tsubaki slow her mental processes down enough to actually think about what she was doing. In essence, we was going to be poisoning the woman with multiple substances that were carefully combined to produce a very specific effect. She had used it once before, though that was months ago, before her hospitalization. At first she had tried on herself, and it had worked to a degree. She had then requested her sister's aid on the substance, which had proved to her that it did indeed work but not exactly as she had hoped. The experiments had completely escaped Tsubaki's mind until now, and with what she presumed was the perfect opportunity to use it to help someone at hand, she couldn't possibly resist!

Tsubaki knelt down and opened the lower cupboard. Inside were dozens of arranged vials of a multitude of various liquids and powders, each marked with a symbol that would be unfamiliar to Shiori. She pulled out two vials, one with a course black powder and another that was a milky white. Removing the lid on each, she poured a few drops of the liquid which dispersed into the beaker's contents as it took on a faded white hue. This was followed moments later by a small pinch of the black, and within moments she stashed the pair away where she found them. taking the stirring rod, she mixed them together once more. The milky color faded as the powder dissolved and the solution turned clear once more. Curiously, she continued stirring and wisps of park purple began to form behind the rod as she continued. The wisps spread and solidified into pockets of the color, and before long the entire concoction was a deep regal purple.

She took the beaker and poured a smaller one half full, the latter containing around half of a cup of the eerie concoction. With a slow breath she took the smaller tall beaker over to Rioshi and held it out for the woman to take. "Here, just drink this. It will make you feel sleepy within a minute and you will likely pass out, that is perfectly normal. When you wake up, you should feel much better. I give you my word that it is completely safe." Tsubaki felt a tinge of painful guilt in her chest at the remark. She knew it wasn't completely safe. It contained specifically modified variations of both Heaven's Touch and Wraith's Dream along with other herbal substances that would make the process work more effectively.

If she decided to take the girl's word and proceed, she would find the taste was quite bitter but it went down smoothly and had almost no after-taste. The substance would begin to slow her mental processes down as it worked to drag her into a deep state of sleep. As it took hold there would be an unsettling feeling welling up in her mind, but by the time it became pronounced she would liekly have already passed into unconsciousness. Once that occurred, her mind would begin to start working once again as a vivid dreamscape would form itself around her unconscious mind. The dreamscape would not be pleasant however, with the toxins and other substances in her body, she would find that it would be a nightmare most foul, both vivid and lifelike. Tsubaki felt bad for the experience this would give the woman, but if she executed the next part as she had hoped... perhaps she would be free of whatever was causing her to feel that addiction to Euphorium... She hoped.

If all went according to plan and Rioshi's consciousness passed into the realm of her own personal nightmares and terror, Tsubaki would walk around behind the woman's chair and place both hands atop the woman's head. She would close her eyes and concentrate on the sleeping woman. Dreamwalking was second nature to her after these years, but it was only in the recent month that she had gained the ability to do so without being unconscious herself. With luck, this would make her capabilities in that foreign world stronger, but luck was a fickle mistress indeed...

 

[Michi]

"It doesn't have a name yet... If it works as expected, you can name it if you would like."

That was less than reassuring. "Wait, have you done this before?" She asked reasonably concerned as she tried to sit herself upright with an awkward motion. Her hand gripped the rest as she swung her legs over the side. This was a bad idea.

"Just need to wait a minute to let it cool down."

The girl seemed to not notice the the blonde as she started to exit the reclined seat. Shiori watched the girl work with idle interest. She had lost mental track of what she had already set to boil and what she had already mixed. Still, she spied the various plants and powdered product. She did not know what most of them were but she recognized the occasional component. She shifted inpatiently in her seat, she silently wondered how long this was going to take. Psychic assurances would soothe, claiming that the wait would be brief. She wondered what sort of concoction she was about to allow herself to be subject to, this mixture without a name that -might- cure an ailment that she did not even have anymore. There was a time where she sought respite at the bottom of a bottle but after she suffered a terrible injury, she was forced to dry-out the old fashioned way. It was not the best way to be cured because it never repaired the mental affliction that led to her former substance abuse but rather ended her physical dependency on the drink she had not touched since. Why did she have the problem in the first place -- well, that was something uninterested parties would soon discover because they interfered and spied in hidden places.

"Here, just drink this. It will make you feel sleepy within a minute and you will likely pass out, that is perfectly normal. When you wake up, you should feel much better. I give you my word that it is completely safe."</B><i></i>

A tall glass beaker hovered in front of the Ancient who had chose a slouched pose on the side of the chair. She wordlessly wrapped her long manicured fingers around the offered drink. "Sleepy, eh?" She echoed as she sniffed the drink. The girl mixed a lot of fancy plants to make this but it did not smell caustic. Doubtful,<i></i> her mind added as she brought her lips to the edge of the beaker. Doubtful that a simple drink would knock her unconscious. She would placate the young girl's curiosity and play this game, claim it gave some minor healing effect and that would be her good deed for the day. Once a mother, always a mother.

She gulped the contents of the beaker, it was like salted milk that has gone bitter but once it was drank the taste did not linger. It took its time traveling down her throat before resting in her belly. It felt warm but gave her a nauseated sense and she fought the urge to gag. "Delicious," she coughed. She yawned shortly thereafter, willing to continue this charade. She did not feel anything, not really. <B>"I should mention that I am going to be late,"<i></i> she commented after realizing the time. She should only need five, ten minutes at most more to give the girl a happy lie. She pulled a headset out of her pocket and pressed the channel button. Her mind was already getting foggy although she did not realize. She intended to call Sousuke's office to tell him that she would be late, if she actually did or if she hit another channel she would not know because before she could verify the broadcast she fell over, all that would be heard if anyone did pick up on the other end would be a dull thud as she landed face-first on the floor along with a low occasional snore.

While it would have been likely the intent of the girl for her to fall back into the chair, bad posture and disbelief are the sources of powerful errors. She was fading into a sleep like none she had experienced before. She did not remember her dreams, when she slept it was an abyss without shape or form, the only constant was the monotonous passage of time. This would be different, Shiori went into rigors as the dream started to take hold. Her flesh like ice as it grew grey and cold; her body covered in a mist of sweat.

The world held in her mind was the one she remembered from her perspective. When at the height of her power when color had taste and she could see sound. In a world where smell was also a tactile sense. The world was full of color and sound. There was a song carried on the wind and the world hummed with life. The hot and cold, tickle and caress of the earth underfoot and the breeze over one's flesh. The sky was ablaze with tangerine, flamingo, gold and indigo and the earth was rich and gleamed. The air was fragrant and a bouquet of blooms. The air had a taste both sweet and savory. The environs had never changed, this desert expanse persists in a manner similar to this day but the perception of this place was relegated to her memories.

The world would then fade away to a place of ruin, this same space. The air run afoul with the scent of blood, the iron hung heavy in the air as the races of men were left dead in the fields. Not all that were dead were human of course, shadow etched in writing pain darkened the floor alongside pools of flame and piles of reddened sand or an orb of photonic light. They were these things but they were also the remains of loved friends, rivals and children. She could hear them screaming, the pains of death still raw and their cries were deafening. She could see, hear, smell and taste this death and she could feel it I her metaphorical bones. Everything hurt but she could not leave, there was fighting in the distance and it would seem that her heels were glued to the earth.

 

[Kazumi]

Tsubaki watched with bated breath as the woman took and drank the mysterious concoction. As Rioshi pulled out the comlink, Tsubaki turned to glance at one of the bottles on the counter, suddenly unsure if one oif the materials was a dud, so to speak. The sound of movement caught her attention as she looked behind her towards the 'patient' just in time to see the woman's head soundly smack into the ground two feet away from the chair she sat in. A brief surge of panic brought the girl in low as she worked to roll Rioshi over onto her back. The woman's nose didn't look broken, but she was no doctor and wouldn't know exactly what to look for in such a case.

There wasn't much she could do right now, and if she didn't hurry, then the window of opportunity would pass her by, and so with the aid of a sure of chakra into her muscles, Tsubaki hefted the woman's unconscious body up off the ground and into the chair. Had she done this a year prior, the endeavour would have been nigh impossible, but, as she learned day by day, proper application of chakra can make almost anything possible. After stuffing a small bit of tissue into the woman's left nostril, hoping to stem a trickle of blood she thought she saw, Tsubaki laid the woman back in the chair in the position she should have been in in the first place. It was finally the moment of truth as she assumed her intended position behind Rioshi with her hands clasped around the nearly motionless woman's head.

...

What felt to be merely a moment later, Tsubaki opened her eyes and almost immediately had to close them again. The dreamscape was strangely vibrant, much more so than she had remembered in the past. Sensation seemed to blur over one another as she lived the world that this woman was dreaming of, as she experienced it. It was almost overwhelming, and for a moment, Tsubaki thought that this might have been a side effect of having direct contact with the dreamer, but that notion was quickly silenced as the colors seemed to suddenly receed from the world, drawn into the darkness that her concoction had summoned forth in the woman's mind.

A swirl of foul emotions tinged the dreamscale, befouling every sight, every sound and even the very air that surrounded her. Tsubaki couldn't tell where she was, somewhere in the desert she assumed, but nothing looked especially familiar, which was not uncommon in these dreamscapes. Taking a step forward, she felt her foot step into a wide pool of barely flickering fire, and she immediately withdrew her foot, but not due to a fear of the fire but of a sense of... shame. It felt defiling to step into it, as if it were, or was, a living entity. As she pondered these strange instincts, her attention was drawn up to what looked to be a battlefield, corpses of people strewn about other... things. Like the fires, her first thoughts were that of anger and remorse, but less so for the people and more for these other strange entities that were far from human.

This all was becoming much stranger than she had anticipated, but she knew she had to try and persevere and push forward. So, gathering her willpower, she stepped around the corpses of both entity and human alike, trying to not let her eyes be drawn to them. She couldn't see anyone that looked like Rioshi in the area, but the sound of battle seemed to cascade across the field over a far hill, and so that seemed to be as good as any to try and find the woman. She didn't know what she was going to do to help, perhaps have the woman come to terms with whatever this place was or her feelings towards it, though first she would need to try and understand what this dreamscape even represented. Regardless, she stepped over the body of what seemed to be a young child, shutting her eyes as she quickened her pace towards the far hill in search of some semblance of understanding.

 

[Michi]

If her nose was not crooked and blood was not gushing out, more than likely nothing was broken. Well, there was a bit of blood, a sluggish trickle that came from her bare. It was thick and crimson, of a mud-like consistency. The woman was obviously not well, despite how put-together a facade she displayed. Heaved onto the chair, the woman was lighter than the Yamanaka would have expected. Her limp form almost flung, perhaps she was stronger than she knew or more likely she weighed half of what one would have expected. She was nothing but sand and wind contained within only the thinnest of carapaces. Still, she seemed real enough, the only thing uncanny being the almost unrealistic, often post-surgical attributes.

She would not be awakened by the the impact or by being hefted back onto the chair. Her long, blonde tresses a mussed mess; she looked like she was sleeping peacefully rather than poisoned by some teenage herbalist hopeful. She was stable, something Tsubaki may or may not have realized with her lay medical understanding.

---

Inside the dreamscape, what Tsubaki saw was Armageddon... Not the one for when the days of man have passed but rather from when the days of her kind had expired. On a bluff in full sight of the carnage, stood nothing or nobody. Just a gust of wind and a patch of earth. The wind and earth had form and it was almost humanoid. Time and familiarity have made her malleable form more representative of a human than an annelid, avian creature or reptilian beast. Here and now she was merely a disembodied breeze that carried with it a sparkling, crimson sand. Still, the intruder would have intuitive knowledge of what she saw. That what she saw was living, much like the pools of fire and light.

"We lost... By the right of the first law we lost and they are coming." The wind lamented. Not everything was dead, there was an army in the distance and smoke from distant fires had turned the sky black. The earth and the sky, the shade and the light -- Everything screamed. "We mustn't intervene... But know that they are coming." There would be a stoic pause, "Run, I can only stall their march."