Supply and Demand [Open RP]

[Onamuji]

How menial. Satsumaru hated shopping for himself, but Azumi was away on other business. Unfortunately, his estate's storeroom didn't stock itself, and since Satsumaru was a shinobi and not a gardener or butcher, this presented a problem he had to fix himself. And so, the black-robed young master walked the Merchant district alone, with prepared slips of paper ready with lists of required goods. He didn't care for the street salesmen yelling about their goods, nor did he intend to pay them any attention. He knew which stores had what he needed, and he came to deliver his lists so that they might deliver the contents to his home and receive payment directly. That was one benefit, he supposed, to having plenty of wealth...there was no need to bargain or haggle, saving him plenty of headaches and valuable time.

Yet still, at least some contact with the rest of the world was required. He didn't hate people, per se, he just preferred not to get wrapped up in anyone else's affairs - whether minor or not.

To the people who made eye contact, he offered a polite grin and a nod of his head in greeting, but little more. It went a long way to speeding his task, until he stepped away from one of the merchants and accidentally bumped into someone without even looking. Odd for an Uchiha of his caliber and sharpened senses, but it was hard to concentrate with so much moving life around him.

"Forgive me," the long-haired man called out, turning to see who he had bumped, "I should've been paying more attention to my surroundings."

"Hmph...embarrassing,"<i></i> he thought to himself, slightly frustrated with himself.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Nani was doing some shopping for he mother when suddenly someone bumps into her and sends her flying backwards. A stuffed white rabbit flew out of her hand as she fell to the ground. “Ow, that hurt.” Tears started to from in her eyes. She was trying her best not to cry, but sniffed. Her plush toy runs form where ever in felt to Nani’s side. It did tricks; hand stands, back flips and funny dances. The white rabbit did its hardest to cheer its master up. Nani wipes her face with a small giggle and pats the rabbit on the head. “Thanks Maha, I needed that.” However what would the man think of a girl being cheered up by her own doll. Wasn’t she the one controlling it?

 

[Onamuji]

What the...?

Satsumaru had seen, and killed, puppeteers in the past...but none that allowed any sort of personality to be played at through their tools. Then again, a fluffy bunny wasn't much a shinobi weapon.

"Apologies again," he offered, a little guiltier in the fact that he had knocked over a little girl, bowing his head in apology, "I was too involved in my errand and didn't think to check my path."

The long-haired young man eyed the puppets curiously, wondering why or how she had them move and act as they were. It wasn't normally how a puppeteer utilized their puppets.

"Are these, erm...friends...of yours?" he asked.

 

[Ryu Hime]

As Satsu bows his head, Maha sneaks behind him and transforms into him. Maha mimics his motions and movement of his lips, though Maha did funny faces while doing it. This of course made Nani laugh. When he looks back towards Maha, Maha looks away and pretends to whistle. “Don’t mind her she’s a playful spirit like her sister. Usually my dolls warn me of incoming danger. I assume Maha here thought it would be funny to see me bump into someone.” A sweat drop runs down Maha’s forehead looking rather guilty. "I will have to tell Granny your behavior when we get back home." She had a stern voice like she was Maha's mother. Maha goes to her knees and bows for her forgiveness.

 

[Onamuji]

"Interesting," he remarke, his expression stoic and unchanging despite his tone of surprise, "I don't think I've ever seen puppets act..."

He was going to say 'autonomously', but then there was the chance that she had some sort of split personality and was using her dolls to fulfill it. In that case, autonomous wouldn't exactly be right, because they would be controlled by her, whether it was an alter-ego inside of her mind or otherwise.

"...like that," Satsumaru concluded, taking the neutral road.

He looked at the girl once more, analyzing her as best he could. She seemed just a little girl, not even out of the Academy.

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" the long-haired young man questioned, crossing his arms.

 

[Ryu Hime]

She sticks up her nose and tries to act upset. “It is rude to ask a lady her age.” She then drops the act and excitedly says, “I’m twelve.” She was proud of her age because she was only 11 less than a week ago. As for how her dolls move, autonomous was definitely closer to the truth but there was more to it than that. Being an Uchiha, if he looked with his Sharingan he would notice something peculiar; her chakra and the doll’s was two different colors, but there was still clearly a string of chakra connecting them. Nani thinks upon what the man said about her doll’s movements. She has scene puppeteers before and he was right. “For some reason other people’s move so jerky. It’s as if they had no soul, but how do they move?” She always wanted to ask a puppeteer that question, but never had the nerve to do it.

 

[Onamuji]

Satsumaru was taken aback by the question, if only because he didn't know the answer. He had never been the slightest bit interested in how puppeteers worked their craft, and his own talents were firmly rooted in other methods, taking away any need to learn.

"I wouldn't know," the older man replied, "Through the commands given through chakra strings, I suppose. I've never given it much thought."

Raising an eyebrow, he went on to say, "Twelve, hm? If you have the ability to control your chakra and utilize puppets - however your methods - that must mean you're either a Genin or an advanced Student, if I'm not mistaken."

Giving a polite bow of his head, the long-haired shinobi offered, "I am Uchiha Satsumaru, Jounin of our village. Might I ask your name, young lady?"

 

[Ryu Hime]

"My name is Hatsuro Nani, genin of this village." Maha transforms back into her plush like form and falls lifeless to the ground. The chakra, that was inside it, leeks out and into the air. Floating, it gathers sand to form a new body; a body closer to its choosing. New strings connected to it as it requires more energy to move its new vessel. A small whirlwind spins next to Nani. The sand sucked up by the vortex comes together to form a golem of sand resembling a weasel in both size and shape. The detail put into her appearance was astounding. The fur, the nose, the claws, the eyes; nothing was taken for granted. There was even a scar on her left cheek; however it was her front claws that were her most notable feature. They were long as daggers which seemed strange for her size. The weasel climbs up her leg and into her pack. "And this is… Maha what are you doing?" She takes the sand made animal by the tail. A storage scroll was in her mouth. Nani smiles. "You want me to summon your sister don’t you?" The weasel nods.

[ooc: Jutsu used: Animated Golem]

 

[Onamuji]

How odd. He still wasn't sure whether or not the girl was really controlling them or if they were completely autonomous. They seemed to speak to her, and her to them. If she was manually controlling the little creatures, she did an excellent job at hiding the chakra usage. Granted, he wasn't entirely knowledgable on the art of puppeteering, but this didn't seem normal.

The Uchiha had to check himself with the realization that, in all fairness, most of his abilities were incomprehensible to most other people.

He snapped himself out of his reflection, saying, "I am Uchiha Satsumaru...Jounin. It is a pleasure to meet you, Hatsuro Nani."

Yet, he was stuck glaring at the little weasel once more.

"Does it hold any use in battle?" Satsumaru asked, wondering what its purpose was. It was tiny, and lacked and visible strength. It could potentially be used as a distraction, but...Nani seemed emotionally attached. Sacrificing the little thing seemed unlikely. But...what would the purpose of all this elaborate work be?

 

[Ryu Hime]

“Do you mean my dolls in general or Maha specifically?” It was a weird question. She wonders if all jounin considers something’s worth by how it can be used in battle. “Maha is more of a trickster. She likes to transform into me and others. She makes a good decoy.” She unrolls the large scroll and places it on the ground. She places a hand on it and channels her chakra through it. The little weasel golem then denigrates into dust and the white rabbit comes alive once again. In a puff of smoke she summons all of her stuffed animals: a white tiger, an artic fox, a rattlesnake, a frog, a brown bunny, a squirrel, a mouse, a teddy bear, and a raggedy Ann doll. Each one of them was alive and full of life.

The fox challenges the raggedy Ann to a dual. The doll puts up her fists and dances around like a professional wrestler, while the fox wielded his Concealed Stinger in his hand like a foil. The teddy bear, rabbit and bunny played leap frog with each other, while the frog in the group took a nap. The squirrel being very shy hides behind Nani. The tiger and the mouse seem to be discussing to each other about something; their mouths move, but only Nani could hear the words. “Have you ever heard the phrase power in numbers? Alone they are weak but together they are strong.”

 

[Onamuji]

At her answer, Satsumaru shrugged. She had a point that he could understand well enough. He was, after all, a strategist. Strength in numbers was common sense, by all accounts.

"I see," he conceded, "It looks like the little things might be rather useful. Puppets, from my perspective, have always been a nuisance in battle; but thanks to you, I can certainly see how useful they can be."

The Jounin rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking over each of the dolls in turn. They seemed to be capable of hiding weapons and tools within their stuffed bodies. Things like senbon-throwers, blades, and poisons would be an interesting addition. Suddenly, Satsumaru's eyes widened and he raised a finger to denote a sudden spark of intrigue.

"How about putting an explosive note in them and using them as suicide bombers? Your opponents would stand no chance!" the elder ninja gruesomely suggested.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Satsu suggested something very inappropriate for the crowd he was taking to. All her dolls stopped what they were doing and stare at him appallingly. They talked to each other in voices only Nani could hear. Many of them seemed worried.

Wait can we survive that? Maha asks her sister. The stuff tiger walks up and smack the rabbit in the back of the head. Of course not; that’s why we will be called suicide bombers. The white fox stands proud. At least we will die with honor. The raggedy Ann doll did not agree with the fox at all. Screw honor. I may have vowed to protect Nani but I am not killing myself to do it. It is because of that attitude you failed to save the priestess vowed to protect. The doll stares at him for this was a low blow, but she retaliates with her own. Big talk coming from a fox that couldn’t even protect his mate. The fox then draws his weapon ready to fight the doll to the death. The snake slithers between them and intervenes. Whoa, whoa you two. Let bring this back to the problem at hand. The mouse who was busy scribbling something in the sand with his tail speaks up, According to my calculations one could survive if we transfer are soul into another body quick enough. How long? Asks Maha concerned for her life. The mouse rechecks his math. 5 minutes. 7 at most.

“Enough! Satsumaru, I don’t think destroying my own toys is a good idea. I may have numbers, but I cannot afford to sacrifice them in such a manor.”

 

[Onamuji]

Disappointed, the Jounin nodded and replied, "Oh, I see..."

He looked at the scuffling puppets for a moment, trying to figure out what each of them was doing, or what they were thinking. Obviously, it was far beyond him to hear what some chakra-based dolls had to say. He couldn't hear a word even if he tried, and it seemed equally impossible to imagine that he'd understand it, anyway.

"Well, I suppose it's up to you how to utilize your tools," the long-haired Uchiha conceded, "You know them better than anyone, I'd imagine."

And with that, he gave a defeated shrug. He really was fond of his suicide bomber idea. It had the potential to be both unexpected and highly effective.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Her stiffed rabbit reminds her of the reason she is here and directs her to look at the sun. The sun was rising to dangerous levels. She would have to hurry her shopping is she was going to be done before lunchtime. She quickly gathers her things and thanks Satsu for the talk, “It was a pleasure talking to you, but I have an errand that needs to be done.” She then rushes off.
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[Onamuji]

Giving the young woman a polite bow in return, he pushed a smile and replied, "And a pleasure meeting you, puppet girl."

Before he knew it, she and her bevy of automaton friends took off as quickly as they bumped into him. An interesting meeting, as far as he was concerned. He had very little experience with puppeteers, and she provided some new and strange insight into how they worked and how they thought. The calculating Uchiha was still rather fond of his "suicide puppet" idea, but after giving it some thought, he realized that he had other tools and strategems that - although not quite as interesting to utilize - were more efficient and effective.

With a shrug, he took his belongings and continued along his path...

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