In Solitude We Try (Contract Search)

[Kiri]

The days passed almost unblinkingly. There were times when he felt as though the sky just wanted to spite him of the passing time when it didn’t move at all. Sometimes, from the window of his rented roof on top of a flowershop in the village, he would stare at the silhouette of clouds as they passed by the moon. Sometimes, he would look at the stars, counting them, as if a discrepancy would make him believe that he was in a different place. And yet, even out there in the far reaches of Lightning Country, the sky looked the same as ever. A philosopher may have made a note about such a thing – “The two constant entities of the world is change and the sky” but not from how he felt them. Change will only be there if he has grown stronger, or so he had been believing, otherwise nothing would change at all with meager strength. Not even an iron will could make out something from nothing without power. And time, well, it still felt as though it was yesterday since he left home to join the academy, and yet, in truth it’s been thirteen years since he has left his true home– one that he was never even aware of until the day he was decided to become a shinobi.

Thus, time and change were the constant hauntings of his days as an academy student. The words: “I want to be stronger” “I want to discover my own identity.” “I want to be relevant.” “I don’t even know my real name.” “Can this be my real home?” “Where do I stand in the universe?” “Am I just looking through moving pictures with an unchanging life?” lingered in his mind at times and despite his effort to appear cheerful, he would always retreat to some corner in his room, or some silent nook for contemplation. He even once barred himself from being all too broody, and yet, he knew he couldn’t really come into terms with it until he has experience the said “time” and “change” for himself.

But he wasn’t running away from the academy. He had enough time to visit his home in Port Cirrus before he would join the few who would be leaving for the inter-village in Suna, so he hoped that he could at least find some answers, something to ease his mind while on his way. But he ended up stopping midway, finding the long green plains to be perfect for stargazing that night. If he had hurried, he could have had another day at home, but then stargazing from home wasn’t as beautiful as this (not with the lights from the different establishments blaring red against his periphery). Here, in this silent landscape in between small towns, where he once traveled when he was young, seemed the only place to be. No lights. No sound. Just the kissing presence of the night breeze as he laid on his back and his green orbs gazed over the wide horizon. The pitch-black sky, same as always, was without the moon and so the stars were far brighter, far serene.

He hummed a tune to while the time away as he silently asked each star the questions that often plagued him. No matter how foolhardy he was, there was always that moment of pure solitude to simply ask, and he opened his mind to anything that could prove as an answer.

A breath. A sigh. A daring gaze. And a raised hand as if reaching for the coveted star that shone brightest of them all. But there was nothing but air that rans against the palm, like currents that flowed through the gaps between his fingers, lingering for a moment as if they were his own chakra, but he knew it was simply the breeze. Despite being quite gifted with his affinity for water, he had been training with the element of the wind lately. It was simply like the gales he would encounter when setting out in sails with his Old Man, into the daring oceans where wind and water were both allies and foes. Those two elements melded together and close to heart that he found such soothing responses from them.

Once, he dared and vowed not to betray their trust, making them his only power, but had he come to regret such a vow. Should he find more power? Should he risk more to gain far greater rewards? But how? But what? He was a no-name. He had no clan. He was a mere fisherman’s son. Adopted at that. And yet, he felt so at ease as a fledgling shinobi even when his heart once thought he’d be a fisherman through and through. And yet, both water and wind complemented him though he would recognise he still lacked more.

“If I offer my soul this time, would it be better?” he asked no one in particular, still gazing at the endless stars of the night, hand still stretched out even when he felt it was slowly getting numb and tired. “Do I even have one? And is it worth something? Or am I bound to be blown by the wind and flow with the current?”

As he finally felt his hand grown tired, he lowered it, half-clenched as he let the fist rest on his chest while he kept his eyes out to the rest of the sky. “You must think of me as a mere child. That’s okay, really. But I sure would like to know whose… that way, I can also say that I have one’s child, and that if I make a mistake, someone would scold me as a proper parent would. On that note… do I even deserve to represent Kumogakure in the coming exam?”

He finally closes his eyes as he struggled to stop himself from thinking of the worst. He didn’t want to succumb to his own self-pity, for that was not him, nor was it expected of him. Neither did he want to be a whiner but then when could he complain like a child should?

“Can no one even hear my voice? Will no one see my worth? If so, please let me dream a dreamless sleep. I don’t want to be disappointed from not knowing what my dream even means. And if you think this whining brat is too much, let me not wake at all. I don’t want regret to come later. I don’t want to even bother. If I’m no good, have me spirited away. Then maybe, somewhere, someone else can see fit to use me. Because right now… I’m so scared I cannot even begin to think of home; what more to defend my homeland’s pride?”

He fell into silence before he sighed a long deep sigh and opened his eyes, teary along the corners, but his pride didn’t allow him to. And so he would continue to seek with daring eyes as he gazed upon the cloudless sky with dotted stars. With no moon, no silhouette moved. No time. No change.

WC:1188

 

[Kawakami Hotaru]

You found a Marine Mammal! (Do you accept?)​

 

[Kiri]

I Accept.

 

[Kawakami Hotaru]

The serenity of the night was nothing short of a miracle in a world of abysmal noise and light pollution, the furry creature sat, or crouched rather, upon his hind legs gazing into the night sky and prostrating his own purpose in this land so far from his home. River otters mate for life, and this was no different for Hoshi his youth had passed as had his love, an elderly and wise creature who had long since decided to live out his twilight years in travel, often stopping to offer his sage like advice to those in need. The familiar sound of human prostration echoed in his ears as the furred creature took a moment to listen and twirl at his whiskers, the sounds of doubt and confusion were often themes he heard in his travels, especially among the youth, he had found humans often had a tendency to think a bit too much for their own good, always over-analyzing matters and seeking for some truth that was not there, dwelling on some philosophical debate that in the end mattered little. Such intellect and often they simply could not see the forest fore the trees.


Hoshi's nimble fingers dug through a small messenger bag wrapped around his side, pulling from it a cob pipe and a set of matches before taking a moment to pack it as he further listened to the boy's internal strife, small clouds of ivory smoke bellowed from the little beast as he considered whether or not to interject on the matter. Often times they, people, were stubborn animals who refused to heed his advice in the first place, but that hadn't stopped him from offering his words in the past. His scamper wasn't as spry as it had been in years prior as he approached the boy, drawing in his features, his scarlet hair and the look of conflict upon his face. His mind was made, he simply wouldn't allow himself to avoid speaking with the young man.

His small figure loomed over the young man obscuring his star bound view, flecks of umber fur floated down toward the young Nanashi as a pair of crystalline blue eyes peered toward him. Hoshi had an aroma that consisted of a combination of tobacco, lilac, juniper, and hints of ginger all thanks to the pipe he held clasped between his teeth, no doubt he was likely an unusual sight to see for the boy, an otter carrying around a bag and smoking a pipe would likely be an unusual sight anywhere in the world. The otter remained silent as he peeped at the tears rounding the edges of the boy's eyes, though he seemed to effort them away, likely to proud to let his tears flow even while so far away from others, typical of the young and unabashed.

"Perhaps I've come to spirit you away then, child." The otter remarked moving off toward the boy's side as to avoid further blocking his view and bellowing smoke into his face. "Though I believe that's not the case, for some I reason I doubt the Gods would send someone as furry as I to do such a deed. Of course they have been known to be rather unpredictable." Tapping the edge of his pipe Hoshi diverted his attention from the boy, everything down to his tone seemed to be rather nonchalant, as if this was an every day occurrence, forgetting sometimes that it was only that for him, not for others. Clearing his throat the elderly otter gave the boy a moment to adjust to what he was seeing, often times people claimed they were witnessing a hallucination or something of that sort, disbelief in their voice and all that good stuff, though they soon realized he was nothing short of the real deal. Staring back toward the boy he spoke once again in as candid a tone as ever, "Ah, I suppose an introduction us in order, my good child. Your people have chosen to refer to me as Hoshi, and to be frank I don't particularly know what I am aside from an otter and friend of other water dwelling mammalians, so perhaps we shouldn't go far into that. I've chosen to wander the lands in my elder years in an effort to offer my advice to those such as yourself, men struggling with internal conflict, those who feel they have no place in this strange world, those who fear the impending unfortuitous situations that this life brings. Some call me a sage, I instead simply say that I am a wandering eremite that has the occasional good piece of advice." striking another match the furry hermit once again struck his pipe alight.

Clearing his throat once more the otter continued with his locution, finding it far easier to get his points across before folk had the opportunity to shrug him off as some sort of odd apparition, "I happened to overhear your diatribe by happenstance and can't help but think it my duty to interpose, from what I heard I take it you serve the Shinobi village of Kumogakure, and it seems your judgement to be clouded by doubt. I can assure you such thoughts are natural for the young and callow. Such thoughts are part of the growing and learning experience of youth, one must remember that without regret, disappointment, and failure there would be no learning in life. I cannot assure you that you will succeed in whatever endeavor your embark upon, but I can assure you that in either success or failure you will learn from your endeavor and end up a better person for it, and perhaps you may even find your true calling within it." nodding to himself the otter once again took a moment to twirl at his whiskers, thinking of what he could possibly do to help the young man.

Perhaps there was something he could do, digging through his bag once more Hoshi retrieved a small scroll from his bag, white parchment wrapped with a silken ribbon as blue as the great oceans, "I discovered this parchment in my travels, a guide of sorts, it's contents contain the secrets of the world, of how to conquer your every fear, of how to attain confidence in your abilities, of how to succeed even in your failures. Perhaps, just perhaps, I could allow you to gaze upon this writ, that is if you prove yourself to me, boy." it then donned upon the otter that he hadn't even asked the young man his name, quite rude of the usually quite well mannered otter.

"Or perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself in my old age, I don't believe I've even asked your name, boy."




((OOC: Apologies on the delay, I've been at work every day since we last spoke.))

 

[Kiri]

First of all, within his reverie, one could almost assume Nanashi had not noticed the otter that suddenly appeared in his view. That was until it began to talk, of which a sort of confused expression graced his face. He then reached out a hand to touch the otter’s chin and dared to pinch its cheek before he finally remembered to breath again and the bolted forward to a sudden sit as he kept his eyes on the said creature. Immediately, his green orbs observed the unusual phenomenon that was the creature before him– small, furry, smoking a pipe and carrying a small messenger bag– as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And then, unsure of how to address the situation, Nanashi found himself seating in a seiza position, seemingly attentively listening to the said otter, who had a strange aura about it that made it feel noble and authoritative despite not saying so. Perhaps it was the choice of words? Or perhaps the redhead was still in disbelief that he simply had no choice but to be attentive to every little thing the furry creature said.

And perhaps it was the best option as the words began to finally sink into his mind. Soon enough, disbelief was thrown out of the window, and the gleam on his eyes proved that. What once was a blank stare of confusion, was now a deep determined one. The way the otter spoke with such confidence was somehow infectious and he was clearly brimming with an unknown awe.

“Nanashi!” he almost screamed his name when the otter had asked for it, out of pure eagerness before he realised it and modulated his voice that echoed in that wide open plain they were at. “I mean… my name is Yoru Nanashi,” he said once more, with a brief bow of courtesy (something he had come to learn from his brief meetings in school).

Thinking about it now, as what he had been saying earlier to no one in particular, this otter had introduced himself as Hoshi and that was a very large sign. After all, wasn’t he there to stargaze and ask the stars of destiny to give him an answer. And despite knowing the futility of it, since he knew stars never answered back (lest they have a mouth or are actually living entities that care for every bit of lost souls that look up at them), here this otter was, answering him in their sake. Hoshi…

“I didn’t think I’d get to actually hear anything from the stars, but you’re actually here,” he added as he reached out a hand once more to pat the otter on the head, more or less just to make sure that this was indeed real. “Hoshi… did you know that it means ‘star’ and ‘wish’ at the same time?”

He smiled a genuine smile before he looked down at the scroll the otter had displayed. There was an air of seriousness about them and Nanashi quickly regained his attentive listening and gaze. “As promised earlier, I will prove my worth no matter to who. But you, Hoshi, who is likely my star of hope, I will first prove to, and I will do it without fear and hesitation. State what you wish of me and I will not refuse.”

(OOC: It's okay. Also I can't help but want to hug Hoshi)

 

[Kawakami Hotaru]

The boy, Nanashi as he proclaimed, seemed responsive to their conversation albeit a bit touchy in the literal sense, Hoshi accepted the slight prodding as people tended to do vibrating his nose as if he had just been tickled. A cloud of smoke escaped his nostrils as he thought of the odd coincidence, or perhaps stroke of fate, in meeting the boy on such a night, of his own name denoting the stars in the skies, it seemed the Gods had sent him to help Nanashi this night, such occurrences were fairly common in his life as if he were a messenger for the divine, such was his place in this life. "Seems the stars heard you calling, young Nanashi. I believe everything happens for a reason, you know, and I strongly sense that after this night and the ones to come that your life won't be quite what it was prior, and I presume you're ready for that." Hoshi nodded returning the scroll to his bag as the boy proclaimed that he would prove himself to the old otter, his words rang true and Hoshi sensed the boy was true of heart and spirit. "We set off at dawn then, an old man such as myself needs his rest you see." Sitting next to his young apprentice the otter once again nodded taking the pipe from between his lips and tapping at it's edges again as he began to explain the trial that awaited not only the boy but Hoshi himself, "My brothers tell me of a small town not far to the south east of here, plagued by ill omens. Their cattle afflicted by a pox, the people cursed with infertility, men slaying their kin...We, my brothers and I, sought the village as a place of refuge on our long travels until the troubles started, and now I feel it as my duty to help purge whatever plagues these people, and I believe I've found you to assist me in this matter to prove your worth to my kin." in a moment of silent respite Hoshi flipped his pipe tapping the bottom and watching as a fair amount of soot fell to the earth. Placing the pipe back into his bag Hoshi laid it behind him as a makeshift pillow as a look of quiet worry surrounded his foreign features, laying down with a quiet sigh he contemplated continuing to explain their commission.


"They tell me of a man that arrived shortly before the pox started a supposed preacher, a Southron Babtist, to be specific, I fear the man is not is as he says, I fear that he is something else entirely. I suppose we shall see, young Nanashi." Moving off toward his side Hoshi rubbed at his cheek for a few brief seconds waiting to field any questions the young man in his company had before closing his eyes and drifting off into a restless sleep.

5 A.M.​

Wiping the sleep from his eyes and wrapping the pack round his shoulder once again the small otter prodded at the foot of his company just enough to jostle the young man from his sleep, Hoshi had never been a fan of such early mornings but it seemed their quest was an urgent one, the sooner they made their way to the town the sooner the ordeal could be solved.

The trip was a long one, nearly six hours of travel on foot, had Hoshi been a bit sprier their trip could have likely been cut down to four hours, but he was not as he once was, idle conversation dotted the trip as the otter attempted to distract himself from the matter at hand, seemed a perfect time to get to know the young Nanashi a bit better, "You're from Kumogakure, then? I've been to the village proper on several occasions in my youth, last I was there your people were still talking of recovery from a war with the surrounding lands. Unfortunate business." pausing for a moment Hoshi surveyed their surroundings as the smell of ammonia and sulfur hit his nose like a ton of bricks, they were getting closer. Pushing the thought of the repugnant smell away Hoshi continued to try an distract himself, hints of macabre sorrow dotting his voice "Your parents must be proud, going into this line of work, proud and mournful. My children, a bit older than yourself in our years, they assist your people in the endeavors of battle, it saddens me a bit they refuted the scholarly arts as I had wished for them, but I am proud nonetheless. Their mother, she beamed at the thought of them bringing honor to the family, to our people, Gods rest her soul. We butted heads often on the subject..." trailing off Hoshi stopped as he spied a bloated steer laying off to the side of the road, staring at it for a moment he thought of giving the animal a proper burial but he neither had the time nor the manpower for such a feat. "Unfortunate." The otter remarked shaking his head in sadness, yet before he could utter another word a familiar voice rang out in his ears, "Hoshi! Uncle Hoshi!" the voice shouted out with a certain air of femininity drawing the old otter's attention.

Spoiler

She was far lighter than he, her fur looked as if it had been kissed by the snow itself, younger and sprier this new otter reached her older friend in a matter of moments embracing him in a rather awkward embrace, as if trying to mimic a human hug, with a slightly pained chuckle Hoshi returned the embrace his tone slightly more cheerful than it had been beforehand "Manami, it's been quite some time. I see you're a pale as ever." the old man took but a moment to rustle the fur atop his niece's hair enjoying their brief reunion, she of course tried to wriggle away immediately afterward succeeding fairly easily, still completely unaware of the human in their accompaniment. A glib smile rested at the edges of her features as she spoke to her uncle, "I hadn't expected you for another two or three days uncle, didn't know your old bones could still get around that fast." the two shared a brief laugh in unison before the younger white otter, Manami, spotted their companion gazing toward the boy and back toward her uncle with a slight look of confusion, "You brought a Shinobi uncle, are we expecting violence?" she asked peering at Nanashi curiously. Hoshi twirled at his whiskers contemplating his answer, and of course wondering how she knew the boy was a Shinobi off the bat, "How did you?--" the elder asked before being promptly cut off by his niece "Well he's clearly not a shaman, nor a peasant, and we don't deal with witch hunters, so.. Seemed obvious. fair enough.

Puffing out her chest in her best attempt to look intimidating Manami spoke, one hand clasped around the tiny dagger wrapped around her waist, the other extending outward to shake the young man's hand "I'm Manami, boy-o. The old fart's niece, suppose if you're traveling with him you can't be too bad." while far more spirited than her uncle the white otter had his proclivity for warming up to people quite quickly. Hoshi interrupted the two lest the group get more sidetracked from the matter at hand, "To answer your earlier question, no I'm not expecting violence. I happened upon Nanashi the night prior, I'm certain he'll be of use." the white otter nodded her head, if the old man said Nanashi would be of use she wouldn't question, Manami couldn't remember the last time he had been wrong about someone's character.

"Back to the matter at hand my dear niece, I've heard bits and pieces of what's happened, but not the full assessment now if you would be so kind as to fill Nanashi and myself in on the details." Hoshi declared rummaging around his messenger bag, digging out his pipe once again awaiting his niece's debrief, though instead all he got was a pained look, "I think it would best if I showed the two of you instead, tread lightly friends fore things are getting mighty bleak here." with a look of confusion Hoshi looked back toward his human friend shrugging his shoulders, seemed they would be seeing everything first hand.

1 P.M.​

The smell of sulfur and ammonia gave way to another new stench, funeral pyres, a necessity during plague times. Manami held her dagger moving silently, with her compatriots in tow, a voice bellowed from the center of the village, stentorian and deep, menacing even. Men and women crowded around, all sickly and callow, their skin seemed paper thin, veins ever present just beneath the surface. The only sounds aside from the voice were those of low coughs and that of a crackling fire. Abruptly stopping before they could interrupt the proceedings, Manami pressed a finger against her lips indicating silence before pointing to a figure standing above the crowd, he stood atop a makeshift scaffold, as tall and severe as his voice warranted. "I am like God, and God like me." the man shouted out waving his hands out to the crowd, all the while Hoshi beheld the man, the creature, for the first time, standing somewhere above 6'7" and easily weighing a near three hundred pounds, bald with eyes that at first glance seemed as black as night, though under closer inspection seemed to be Byzantium in color. He did not wear the clothes of a normal preacher, but instead he bore heavy plates of silver adorned with a divided crest of a blade to the left and toward the right two hands clasped in prayer, Hoshi blinked for a moment looking back toward his new friend once again to gauge the look upon his face as the bald man continued his sermon, "I am as large as God, he is as small as I." scars marked his face denoting the supposed holy wars he had partaken in, one atop his head as if struck by an ax, claw marks jutted from the left side of his face, and one horizontal mark moved from the right side of his mouth, holy or not the man was clearly blessed with luck from not dying from his previous injuries. "He cannot above me, nor I beneath Him be. Remember this my children." the man finished to faint claps from the weakened men and women about the town, watching as he slowly stepped down from his perch, his eyes locking upon the newest member of the crowd, a young boy he had never set eyes upon before. Those cold, cold eyes...

The Preacher's hand wrapped around the haft of the silver longsword at his waist, ever so gently, it seemed obvious that he had no intentions of drawing the blade, it was far more likely that it was a show of intimidation if anything else, "My child!" his voice bellowed as the crowd dispersed near instantaneously allowing the Preacher to gaze down upon the two otters in the boy's accompaniment, though he seemed thoroughly uninterested in them, even as Manami grasped at her own blade cautiously doing her best to stand in front of her elderly uncle. "These lands are quite dangerous, plagued by some unnatural devil and yet you've braved your way here, why is that?" Preacher's hand moved from his sword back down toward his side as he approached ever closer, Hoshi cleared his throat staring up at the man to answer in a tired and scratchy tone, "We're here to cure your --" though he was cut off by the Preacher, "I know why you're here, to attempt to cure these lands with your abominable presence, Manami has pestered me at every turn. Your kind should count yourself lucky that the Southron's are lenient on abominations such as yourself, you know if the Tenouzans had caught you they'd have likely made you into a fine coat, as they well should. Alas I was not speaking to you, I was talking to the boy that you have no doubt indoctrinated with your blasphemes." for a moment Hoshi looked taken aback, staring at his niece who seemed to be used to the berating of the man.

The Preacher stood in silence for a moment before rubbing at his bald head with a heavy grunt, as if he had forgotten something, a pained look contorted his face as he spoke once more, "As by law of my order I am required to offer bread and water at my table to any travelers in my stead, no matter how much an affront to my eyes they might be." Hoshi's fingers grasped gently at the shoulder of his younger more temperamental niece, staving her away from saying anything they may regret as he knew the string of obscenities that would fly from her mouth as he answered for the group as staccato as he could muster, "We accept." he remarked looking back toward Nanashi once again before the bald preacher walked off obviously angered by his new found situation.

"Fucking abominations." He remarked spitting upon the ground beneath him. Hoshi sighed, rubbing his temples, the man was going to prove as difficult as he had first thought, "Well he seemed pleasant." the old otter remarked.






((OOC: Double otter trouble nao! Also a preacher fellow, doesn't seem like a real nice guy. Anyway, color coding. Preacher is going to be gray, Hoshi is brown, and Manami is purple. These are going to be our central characters for the remainder of the contract search. On a slightly related note I'll be going to Taipei for the month of August, so we'll probably have this wrapped up within the next 4 or 5 rounds.)