The Interview Process [Private]

[Mikaboshi]

From the deck of the luxury barge that he'd taken to the city of Kurosawa from the port in Soon's Haven, Katsuo watched the hustle and bustle of Shinogi Landing and enjoyed a pull from the long pipe that he'd taken to smoking. It was a bad habit he knew but it had become something of a small comfort in a life that had rapidly become more complicated and stressful than he ever could have predicted. He didn't regret his choice to finally take his place as the ancestral Kazekage but he absolutely missed the freedom that went along with being just another guy. These days he had attendants always with him to some degree and there was always, always another appointment to keep with someone or some papers needing to be signed. He knew full well that this little excursion that he'd taken to Kurosawa City to personally watch the tournament, which had been against the advice of literally every adviser he had as well as the desires of the village council, would result in a tremendous backlog of work but in this moment as he blew a cloud of flavored smoke from his mouth and nostrils and enjoyed the rapidly cooling air of the fading twilight he decided it would ultimately be worth it.

His barge was anchored not too far off from the docks, close enough that the shore was reachable by a number of the smaller boats that were tied off to the side or, if someone possessed rudimentary schooling in chakra arts, the distance could easily be crossed by someone using the water-walking technique. He was still close enough that he could hear the commotion of the docks which never seemed to stop entirely. Even in these fading hours of the evening when the sun had just barely begun to sink below the horizon and the cowl of night was beginning to be drawn the docks were still full of people moving to and fro about their business as lanterns and street lights begun to flicker on all across the city district.

Most of the crew was still ashore but the Kazekage was not completely alone on the barge. His brother Reiko lingered not too far away, leaning with his back against the wall of the barge's primary above-deck cabin in the shadow of the structure that was cast from the still-sinking sun. Ever since the mysterious re-appearance of his younger brother, Reiko never strayed too far from Katsuo's side during the Kazekage's office hours and now while they were touring in a foreign nation the other Masashi ranger was always close at hand somewhere. He'd just finished his evening repast and was awaiting the arrival of one of the fighters that Sunagakure had sent into the tournament-- Aikayume Azusa. He'd sent someone to fetch her not too long ago and he assumed from the short meeting that they'd had previous to the beginning of the first round that she would not refuse a direct summons from the Kazekage. If the messenger he sent returned with word that she'd declined to attend the meeting that he'd asked for her to be brought to he would simply reschedule it for another time if only because he was enjoying the quiet almost-solitude of the back end of the deck.

He didn't know very much about Azusa or her Aikayume Clan but he'd come to learn quite a bit about the Toraono Clan that Katsuo had come to understand she was now the head of since Kuro's sudden retirement from duty. It seemed that Kuro had taken the admonishment that Katsuo had given him rather hard after the Toraono sennin had gone to the city of Sora to challenge the daimyo directly and likely to his death. Kuro had all but disappeared from the public eye, surrendering both his position as sennin of Sungakure and as head of the Toraono Clan. Azusa was the woman that Kuro had chosen to give his clan head position to and had also been the one that he'd wanted to cede his sennin position to but Katsuo had been hesitant about that. After all, the only thing he knew about Azusa came from what little Reiko had told him regarding a matter of violent altercation between a handful of Sand shinobi. Roku had put the matter to bed but it still concerned him. Reiko had described the berserk nature of Azusa's transformation as distantly familiar to him and that made the both of them uneasy for different reasons. If Azusa somehow had a connection to the black goo that had triggered the curse of undeath that now lingered over Reiko's head, she was a dangerous person to have on the Sunagakure payroll.

Still, she had so far fought valiantly for Sunagakure and won them two victories in the tournament. There was quite a lot of chatter about her being a favorite to win the entire thing and that made Katsuo proud. Not just for Azusa but for their people. Sunagakure needed this win if only to prove to the rest of Wind Country and maybe the rest of the world as well that they were still a force to be reckoned with. Drawing another pull from his pipe, Katsuo silently let his conflicting thoughts and emotions about the idea of making this woman he barely knew a sennin slosh around in his head. He'd have a chat with her, see what she had to say and maybe then he'd make his decision.

 

[Muramasa Maya]

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The Kazekage's messenger had promptly delivered the message to the Toraono attendants that had accompanied their Lady beyond the Sunan desert. Who in turn, attempted to bring this news to Azusa's attention with utmost urgency. Unfortunately...

"I wish to be alone for the moment; it is far too early for me just yet."
Knock. Knock. Knock. Undaunted, her attendant once again attempted at gaining Azusa's attention long enough to get a simple message in.
"Forgive me, I seem to have...been preoccupied last night, and am moving slowly today." Again she dismissed her Toraono.
Knock. Knock. Knock. A third time the attendant had tried. And this time was greeted with the door to her room opening enough for an emerald eye to peer from behind a mess of blonde bangs.
"Unless you wish to become the next partner for my training, you are not to disturb me again until I say otherwise. I trust I am clear on this?" "..." There was a moment of hesitation where the unfortunate messenger mentally cursed his situation; he was damned if he obeyed, and damned if he did not. However, the shrineless shrine maiden's menacing smile could be quite persuasive. As such; "As you wish my Lady."
...Poor guy.

Just what could have been so vitally important to her that she would shun herself away for any amount of time?

Her tails, of course.

Her last battle had left them hurt; singed in places, cut in others. Their overall fluffality was at a record low. Though the medic had helped her wounds and injuries promptly after her battle, the wound against her pride was not so easily healed --an Aikayume who could not even protect her tails was a terrible embarrassment you see--, so it was only natural for her to confine herself to her room in an attempt to groom herself.

[Some time later]

"The Lord Kazekage?? Such an important message is to be delivered at once! A hundred curses..." Azusa swore aloud when she finally used her large ears to listen, and hastily altered her plans. She was hardly prepared for such an event on such short notice; she scanned her room littered with various souvenirs and gifts she had accumulated during her stay in Tea so far, searching desperately for what she deemed to be suitable attire. (Of all days...)

She worked her miracles in readying herself in record time, reducing her time from being "dreadfully late" to a mere "very late" by the time she had arrived to the anchored cruise. Though she was well attuned to the dry heat of the Sunan desert, the coastal humidity of Tea was something she was unfamiliar with and at the constant mercy of; she had but a few outfits suitable to the weather, of which she chose a white dress adorned with sunset hues of red through purple. Her large katana, (among other trinkets), was left in the care of a handmaid accompanying her, always several steps behind Azusa until they approached the Kazekage, and gave Azusa her space.

"I have never been fond of boats. My footing has always been unstable on anything other than the earth." The Toraono-Aikayume announced, bowing briefly. "And yet...This does offer a serene vantage to watch all the little people from, my Lord Katsuo."

Lord Kazekage had taken the time to journey out all the way here from the Desert, away from his Kage duties. Nothing if not a Vixen, she knew she would be a fool to not claim as much of his time as possible.

[MFT]

 

[Mikaboshi]

There was a subtle shuffle of discomfort from Reiko as the Lady of the Toraono Clan announced her arrival on the boat. To Azusa it might appear as an entirely mundane shifting of weight as he leaned against the wall of the cabin but it didn't escape Katsuo's notice. Generally Reiko was almost eerie in the stillness with which he stood watch during various meetings or even while Katsuo did paper-work. He was like a tremendous hunting cat in that regard, he could sit or stand completely still for hours on end without complaint or discomfort and for him to shift even slightly in the manner that he did said a great deal about how uneasy Azusa made Katsuo's little brother. He couldn't tell if it was because of the bizarre connection that he'd sensed in her or the way he'd witnessed her brutalize the member of the Byakko Clan that Katsuo had since come to understand was one of Sunagakure's other representatives in the tournament but as Katsuo stood and gave her a smile of greeting before returning her bow, he couldn't see what it was that Reiko saw in her that made him so nervous.

"I'm not overly fond of open water myself but I find that sometimes it's important to challenge my comfort zones." He remarked about her not being terribly comfortable about being on boats. Growing up in the open sands of the Wind Country deserts, Katsuo never had much occasion to travel on the open water the way he was during his stay in Tea Country and he certainly had to agree with Azusa that he preferred having solid ground beneath his feet. "I apologize about the short notice of my invitation but I thought I'd congratulate you on coming out of round 2 with a victory in person."

She remarked about watching the "little people" and Katsuo fought to hide the thoughts that crossed his mind. Was that how she viewed people who weren't of noble birth? Katsuo was perhaps unique in the city of Sunagakure in that despite being a noble by blood and by birthright, he had not been raised as one. Brought up in a clan that revered strength and duty above things like nobility and then spending a significant time of his youth wandering the deserts of Wind Country as a mercenary and monster hunter, Katsuo was what one might describe as out of touch with the noble experience. He viewed the extravagance that was often foisted upon him because of his position and blood as chafing at best and wasteful at worst and it was one of the things he hated the most about the station of Kazekage. He was expected to live a particular lifestyle and to be an image that those that were supposedly beneath him envied so that they could aspire to be him some day.

He understood that but also resented it.

Sousuke too was a man born to a noble house but if anyone in the upper echelons of Sunagakure understood the nature of noblesse oblige, it was he who had sacrificed almost the entirety of his adult life to occupy a station that he'd never asked for or wanted. Sousuke had served as Kazekage not because he'd wanted it but because he knew that it was his obligation to do so. His duty as a son of the Takahashi Clan. While Katsuo had never been particularly keen on concepts like strict adherence to tradition, he respected Sousuke's color of character for that even if all of the choices he made as Steward-Kazekage weren't what Katsuo would have done in his place.

"I think you already are acquainted with my little brother Reiko." Katsuo offered, changing the subject away from the "little people" as he gestured at the lurking... jounin? Come to think of it, Katsuo wasn't sure if he'd ever officially given Reiko a rank. He was often referred to as the Kazekage's guard dog because of his proximity to Katsuo at all times but on record it occurred to the 10th Kazekage that perhaps he'd never officially inducted Reiko into the Sunagakurian military. For his part, Reiko said nothing and offered little in the way of reaction to being acknowledged by the Kazekage. He kept to his place in the shadow of the cabin with his arms folded across his chest, the white and red visored mask that he wore over his eyes to keep the strange affliction he suffered with under control masking the movement of his eyes and the expression borne by his brow as he did his best impression of an aloof house cat. "Have you eaten? Most of my staff is still off ship but I believe my cooking staff could bring something up if you are hungry."

 

[Muramasa Maya]

The delight she felt to hear that this audience was granted in response to her latest battle caused her ears to twitch. Recognition, praise, and ambition is what drove her forward each day, just as insults and dishonor earned her spite. "My Lord Katsuo, you spoil me. If merely winning a round or two against those who are not even of Sunan heritage is enough to earn your company, then I shall grant you a hundred more victories in the future to come." Pride was both her blessing and curse, but if it had afforded her a meeting the Kazekage she would not have it any other way.


"I think you already are acquainted with my little brother Reiko."

And yet, it were these words that quickly replaced her previous elation with a chill and a stare for a period of time just long enough to be considered abnormal, but not lasting too long that it was entirely impossible to disregard. The words spoken by her Kage was an innocuous introduction, but to Azusa, carried heavy implication; it had given presence to Reiko, who otherwise would have been a faint masked face in her memories. And more importantly...it had suggested the Kage was familiar with the events which had occurred the night of her brief meeting with Reiko through a firsthand account.

"I was unaware you had brother, my lord Katsuo." Azusa replied, noting that this made the meeting more complicated. She had no idea what Reiko could have understood through the scene, or how he had relayed that information; did he see her as a bloodstarved fiend? A rogue threat to the village? Or perhaps the victim of a very bad day? "My lord Reiko, It is unfortunate we had to have met under such atypical circumstance. I do hope it has not left you with a poor impression." Searching through her memories of their brief encounter was like trying to recall the finer details of yesterday's dream; faint. It had been back during a terrible time of her madness and bloodlust...and yet -because- she did not react with hostility to him even while berserk at that time hinted all the more at some unspoken familiarity between the two; Reiko's shifting here? All gut feelings drew from some kind of subtle instinct, and perhaps he had just subconsciously picked up on what lay hidden passed the veil of her formal words and pretty attire --the ferocity that all too eagerly slipped through during the heat of battle.

"It would be rude of me to refuse you. Have you tried the fish here? I would say it rivals that of Sora!" Her tails swayed for a brief moment before her composure took hold. Yes, her love of all things seafood was enough for her to momentarily lose her bearing here; do not underestimate the sea!

"...If I may say, my Lord Katsuo. Knowing that our proud Kazekage is present and watching will make my blade strike all the more swiftly."

 

[Mikaboshi]

Despite the ever-so-slight level of palpable anxiety radiating off of Reiko, he stopped all movement and froze as Katsuo and Azuza acknowledged him directly. There was a moment of silence between the three after Azusa addressed him, referring back to the night they'd met under... dubious circumstances. Azusa had been under the thrall of her affliction but Reiko had no less also lost control of himself. Unaccustomed to cities of such tremendous size and activity, Reiko had been overwhelmed by the onset of the Hunger and made decisions which no person could possibly categorize as wise ones. While the Hunger could not control Reiko, he was not possessed or anything of the sort, it certainly could influence him in the same way that stubbing one's toe or falling in a puddle might sour their mood. When the Hunger surged, it inhibited Reiko's decision making and could hamstring his rational thought processes even though that made him no less accountable for the actions he underwent during such times. It was one of the many reasons he religiously wore his sensory dampening visor out into public.

"Don't worry about it." Was the only thing that he could muster to say, turning his head away from the Kazekage and the Toraono clan-head as he did in badly feigned disinterest to hide the slight reddening of his face. Even though he wore a visor upon his face that made his upper facial features impossible to read, it was not at all challenging to see that Reiko was still very much conflicted over the matter.

Glancing between Reiko and Azusa for a moment with a raised eyebrow, Katsuo cleared his throat to get his brother's attention once more. He did indeed know about the events that had transpired that night, after all Roku had filed a report regarding it and had not been surprised to learn that the now somewhat infamous Miroku Akkuma had been involved in the incident. It was one thing of many that Katsuo wanted to address with the head of the Miroku Clan but matters of state commonly took precedent over such desires. Thus far Akkuma had outwardly proven himself to be an ally of the state despite his less than savory after-hours activities and as Katsuo understood it Roku was having difficulty really pinning any crimes of note on him.

Not for lack of trying, Katsuo had learned.

"Reiko can you please do us a favor and go down to the kitchen to see if they have anything left over from dinner and bring it up?"

With a nod to both Katsuo and Azusa as he excused himself, Reiko said nothing before he disappeared around the corner of the cabin to head back towards the stairs which would take him into the interior of the ship. Katsuo had asked him to go and fetch the food out of both convenience but also to give his brother a break from the clearly tense meeting. Even when they were kids Reiko had always been of the introverted sort which made him something of a mirror against Katsuo who's out-going personality had made him popular with most of the other kids their age. Compounding that was of course the admittedly small but violent history between the two and it was easy to understand why Reiko was uncomfortable.

"We're cousins by blood, on my mother's side. Reiko's dad died when he was young and my mom sort of adopted him after she took over the clan. We were raised together so as far as I'm concerned he'll always be my little brother." Katsuo explained as he watched Reiko disappear below deck some distance away.

"The fish is good, that's what they served tonight though I admit I don't have much to compare it to. Never spent a lot of time on the coast." And certainly never at the country's capital city of Sora, he thought without vocalizing. Azusa commented that she planned to fight all the harder because she knew he was watching and while he understood that it was just small-talk flattery that was common between nobles, he nodded in thanks. "That's good. We need the wins. Every battle you win shows the world that we're still a force to be reckoned with and the news that travels back home will bolster the moral of our forces and... well hopefully bring some more people over to our side."

Leaning forward in his chair, Katsuo rested his elbows before motioning to a chair that sat relatively adjacent to where his seat was placed on the back-end of the deck. Both chairs faced out across the water at opposed angles and before them was a small table with a bottle of wine and a handful of glasses sitting upon it's surface, one of them about a third full having been the glass that Katsuo had been enjoying previously with his dinner and in the fast fading twilight hours of the day.

"Do you know why I asked you to come see me?"