The sound of slow, shuffling footsteps reverberated through the cold, dimly lit hallways of the ANBU headquarters. Accompanying the slower, dull thump of boots walking on a hard surface were a quicker series of clicks and scratches brushing against the floor. The noises drifted through the halls together in tandem, piercing through the otherwise total silence that the building and its employees were well known for. For a moment, the trail of noise came to an abrupt stop and the hallways again grew still. But soon enough, the thunderous, metallic groans of a vault door sliding open shattered the momentary respite of silence. Aside from whatever did or did not allegedly occurred inside the building's interrogation rooms, this may very well have been the noisiest day Headquarters had seen in quite some time.
In the hallway, standing at the entrance of the aforementioned vault door was the present noisemaker, Kouhantei Kouyuu, the owner of the aforementioned footsteps. He was dressed as usual, although "usual" for him may not have fit the standard dress code of the building. He lacked the standard cloak or armor that characterized the appearance of most ANBU, and in lieu of the branch's signature mask, he was wearing a brown paper bag with holes cut out for the eyes. Rounding out the whole outfit was his usual cap, placed atop his head over the bag. Standing loyally at his side, at roughly knee height, was Watson the Turkey, whose talons moving across the floor were responsible for the other noise. Watson, for his part, also made a dutiful attempt to follow the building dress code with his own, smaller paper bag mask. An additional hole was cut out in his mask for his beak to poke through.
Upon opening the vault door, Kouyuu and Watson leaned inside to have a better look. The door opened into a room that was pitch black, dark enough to utterly swallow the tiny morsel of light emanating from the hallway. They glanced left and right but couldn't make out anything in the darkness. This had been about the fifth or so door they had opened since they had entered the building. Every attempt revealed nothing but rooms filled with impenetrable darkness, and given how horribly it went last time, they didn't really care to enter the room and grope around inside blindly to look for a light switch. They moved away from the door and Kouyuu dragged it shut, the sound of scraping metal filling the hall again until the door slammed shut with a sonorous thud.
"It doesn't seem as though we'll be getting much of an orientation today," he noted with a sigh. "I don't suppose you picked up a complimentary map brochure on the way in, Watson?"
Watson chirped sadly in the negative.
"Well then. Next door."
In the hallway, standing at the entrance of the aforementioned vault door was the present noisemaker, Kouhantei Kouyuu, the owner of the aforementioned footsteps. He was dressed as usual, although "usual" for him may not have fit the standard dress code of the building. He lacked the standard cloak or armor that characterized the appearance of most ANBU, and in lieu of the branch's signature mask, he was wearing a brown paper bag with holes cut out for the eyes. Rounding out the whole outfit was his usual cap, placed atop his head over the bag. Standing loyally at his side, at roughly knee height, was Watson the Turkey, whose talons moving across the floor were responsible for the other noise. Watson, for his part, also made a dutiful attempt to follow the building dress code with his own, smaller paper bag mask. An additional hole was cut out in his mask for his beak to poke through.
Upon opening the vault door, Kouyuu and Watson leaned inside to have a better look. The door opened into a room that was pitch black, dark enough to utterly swallow the tiny morsel of light emanating from the hallway. They glanced left and right but couldn't make out anything in the darkness. This had been about the fifth or so door they had opened since they had entered the building. Every attempt revealed nothing but rooms filled with impenetrable darkness, and given how horribly it went last time, they didn't really care to enter the room and grope around inside blindly to look for a light switch. They moved away from the door and Kouyuu dragged it shut, the sound of scraping metal filling the hall again until the door slammed shut with a sonorous thud.
"It doesn't seem as though we'll be getting much of an orientation today," he noted with a sigh. "I don't suppose you picked up a complimentary map brochure on the way in, Watson?"
Watson chirped sadly in the negative.
"Well then. Next door."