Open The Night of Deliberation | Golden Crystal District

[Raizo]

Yukina found herself walking through the shopping areas, looking around at the various trinkets. While there were plenty of dazzling items on sale, she found herself more captivated by the presence of the villagers. The inner workings of the Ryuzaki clan weren't oppressive by any means, but the focus was on military might and practicality. Something like the Golden Crystal District, a plaza of the superfluous, would never be found at the Ryuzaki estates. There was something beautiful in it, moving past the consumerism of it all. People were working, people were laughing, people were on dates, and people were out enjoying a meal or drink; all of it was the simplistic beauty that she often didn't get the chance to admire. So much of her life had been dedicated to her assigned mission of serving Raizo, and this night was honestly no different.

Focus, this isn't a shopping trip. This is for Raizo...

She had received a note earlier in the day from someone present at the Sennin Games Deliberation meeting. The note indicated that the Kazekage's life was in danger.

That man is too stubborn to die, even in some nefarious plot...

Still, she would be failing her duty, tasked by Raizo's own father, if she did not follow through with assessing this accusation.

As she continued her way toward the outskirt of the district, she would notice a dress shop. Her eyes would catch a glimpse of her reflection imposed over one of the fancy dresses within the shop. She found herself pausing and admiring the sight.

Is that me...

OOC:
NPC: Yukina

 

[Sand Council]

"An awfully fancy dress, Ms. Bodyguard."

The voice would come from someone walking past Yukina heading in the opposite direction of where she had been originally heading. The figure was tall, with long hair, and eyes that someone in his life once referred to as "sharp". He would prefer the usage of "piercing" but ultimately it fits the same description. The figure would continue walking before stopping at a store just past the one Yukina had stopped at. This one specialized in jewelry, he would begin to do some window shopping himself.

"Maybe you are in the mood for jewelry? I'd recommend coming into this shop if that happened to be the case."

He would continue to not look at her while talking to her. To those passing by it would be hard to determine just who he was talking to, or even really care or pay much attention to it. After a moment of pausing he would enter the shop and begin to browse around the items while keeping watch in his peripheral vision to see if a certain female with reddish hair was also going to enter the shop.

EVENT NPC: ????

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OOC: This thread is open for those who wish to either interfere or just cause things to not go off as planned

 

[Raizo]

The voice would send a tickle up her spine as she would quickly turn to the direction of the figure passingby. Before she could do what she immediately wanted, grab and tackle them to the ground, she would notice her sudden reaction had caught the attention of some of the civilians. Her face would go blank as she would take a moment to recalibrate. She would smile and wave at those who had noticed her while also keeping her focus on the figure. The face was not one she had not seen before.

This man was at the meeting? Well that narrows it down to someone wearing a mask... unless this is a disguise. I'll have to get closer.

Watching the man enter the jewelry store, she would pause at first, before walking past the store front. Her eyes would do a quick scan as she passed but she would not stop. Instead she would approach a street vendor and get a drink and a snack cake.

I was unprepared. This individual is using the "hide out in the open" approach. I was expecting something more straightforward. Clearly, my skills are dropping. I will transition to playing the part of a shopper.

She would, with snack and drink in hand, enter the shop. She would start out away from the figure, before finally making her way to the same display case. Standing at a distances to him, but keeping her eyes on the jewelry before her, she would raise up the drink to her mouth. Instead of drinking, she would begin talking directly to the man.

"This better not be some wild goose chase. What is this threat? Who are you?"

She would then take an actual drink.

OOC:
NPC: Yukina

I was

 

[Shingetsu Sora]

Utterly lost, Suigetsu was certain that he had followed the directions exactly as he had been told concerning making his way to the Silver Crystal District. Though he wasn't exactly made of money, what with the meager earnings that Sora earned as a Genin, the Ancient had managed to hear word of a restaurant that just so happened to have a delicacy that he hadn't had the pleasure of enjoying in quite literally a lifetime. Still not exactly sure how he had ended up in the state of being Sora, while there was still a lot for him to figure out, he was determined to make up for lost time by splurging a bit on himself and enjoying the finer things of life...on Sora's dime of course. Unfortunately for him however, one wrong turn and he found himself in the Golden Crystal District instead of the Silver Crystal District and if that wasn't bad enough, he was very much in danger of missing out on a reservation that he had made far in advance. Perhaps he'd get his money back if he asked, or maybe they'd be willing to try and fit him in elsewhere. Whatever he planned on doing, it was very clear that he was going to have to figure something out quickly and get some help. A month's worth of salary was on the line! Up ahead, was a jewelry store, perhaps someone in there would be so kind as to help a very well dressed young man, or maybe not, there was really only one way of knowing.

OOC: Why not, lol

 

[Sand Council]

He would smirk as she talked. Something would catch his eye, from his peripheral, and would cause his demeanor to change slightly. Pulling a book from his side satchel he would quickly scribble in the front of it before passing it along to Yukina.

"I know this isn't a book store but I trust you will find this reading insightful. Big fan, by the way, Yukina-shi."

The man would then bow before hastily making his way out of the store. Before exiting, he would purposefully alter his path to put him nearly running into someone who was just entering.

"Oh, terribly sorry, I was in a rush--hey, you are one of the upcoming competitors for the Sennin Games! Best of luck!"

His face would be coated with a smile and his tone would be pleasant as he would bow to Sora. The competitors, thanks to the persistence of the Commerce Directors and their drive to ramp up the economic opportunity presented with these games, were becoming more and more known around the village and country. Him being aware of Sora, especially if Sora believed him to be a shinobi as well, would already make it to where it would be believable of an interaction. Thanks to the Games, it was even more believable. Why did he choose to have this encounter? Well, he liked to keep track of things and people, especially of those he hadn't already been watching.

As swiftly and undeterred as he could, he would move past the shinobi and onward into the larger crowd of people. Eventually, he would disappear entirely...

The Book Yukina Received

Spoiler

The cover would not have any words. On the first page it would merely say, in a hushed scribble of handwriting:

The rest of the book had scribblings detailing various observations but would seem random and unrelated... but was it?

[Topic left] - Sorry Umashi, had to pivot out of here instead of trying to really get you caught up in shenanigans like I was planning.

 

[Raizo]

Everything would happen suddenly. The book was passed to her as the man wouldn't even break a stride. Her mind was racing, it was conflicted.

Should I stop him or should I see what he left me? He was writing quickly... what if this was a distraction...

It wasn't like her. She had been trained from a young age that she, above anyone else, could not make a mistake, could not hesitate. It wasn't for her own good, but it was more so her hesitancy could cost her lord his prized possession; his son Raizo.

You were built better than this Yukina. Has this village weakened you that much...

She could hear his words clearly, the disappointed words of her Konungr, Ryuzaki Oga. She knew it was impossible for him to be here now and to see this failure, but for some reason, she couldn't shake the very real sensation that he did know. That her failure was clearly broadcasted no matter where Oga was. It only furthered the hesitancy.

In a brief moment of realization, or maybe it was merely an instinct kicking in, she would open the book. Before looking at the first page she would peer up at the man as he was almost out of the door. It was at that time she knew she had to remain committed to the book she had been given.

She would quickly read the handwritten first page, and the sensation that was already mounting within her would only increase in volume. Was this a warning or was this a threat? Ultimately, did it matter if both scenarios led to a trap? She would quickly start to flip through the remaining pages, pages the man had to have completed prior to her running into him tonight. There were various musings, descriptions, locations, and people, but all of it seemed random. This could have partially been due to her scanning hastily. Either way, no clear connection or significance was being noticed by her in this rush.

Looking back up she would see a brief exchange between the exiting man and Sora. For some reason, seeing him caused a moment of clarity to sink in for her as she would quickly rip the corner from the first page, a corner depicting a strange symbol drawn by the mystery man, and would grab a red colored lipstick from one of the shelves containing such products. She would quickly scribble down something in red and would begin to make her way to Sora and the man. By this time, however, the man would have disappeared. Yukina would not give up her pursuit but felt a calling to do one thing, one thing that could have been a random act of a panicked person.

She would quickly place her hand, holding the torn paper piece, on the chest of Sora. In her other hand, if he wasn't too distracted by all of the sudden happenings, he might notice the book she was clutching with a tight enough grip that it would be noticeable the pressure she was applying to the book.

Spoiler: The piece of paper

"Shingetsu Sora, I apologize but I need you to handle something for me. Keep it quiet and report back to me in a week, no matter what you find. I am sorry I must go now."

And with that she would release the paper, either allowing it to drift down to the ground or to be caught by Sora. No matter what happened, she would continue out of the shop in pursuit of the man.

OOC: TOPIC LEFT, Paper given to Sora.
NPC: Yukina

 

[Shingetsu Sora]

While the typical decorum for this part of Sunagakure was better than most, even these busy streets proved to be the sort where a person could quite literally run into another while in a rush. Suigetsu swore that he had moved with just enough thought to get out of the way but try as he might, he still bumped into the stranger. Being one fully aware of their space and the occupation of it, Suigetsu only stilled his words because he realized that he was supposed to be Sora, and not himself. "Oh, terribly sorry, I was in a rush--hey, you are one of the upcoming competitors for the Sennin Games! Best of luck!" The words despite being innocent fully confirmed for Suigetsu that this was in fact not a mistake and that there were definitely eyes everywhere. "I...uhh...yes. Yes I am!" Shocked as he was, Suigetsu took a moment to admire the individual that had ran into him. Presenting an almost beautifully rugged form of masculinity, the Ancient appreciated the art that was the specimen, and he was especially fond of the perfectly controlled mess of hair. In a word, he was somewhat star struck despite knowing very little about the man other than the fact that they had managed to occupy the same space at the same time. Completing the task of responding to a good cheer, Suigetsu bowed in return as was customary. "Thank you, I hope that I make Suna proud!" Perhaps the ending was a bit much, but Suigetsu always found it worthwhile to go above and beyond when he was presenting as Sora.

Before anymore could be said, the man was gone with the wind itself, and Suigetsu found himself facing the woman of Sora's errant young dreams, Yukina of the Pink. Perhaps it was just a feeling or maybe it was some sort of genetic anomaly that needed to be purged from him system, but for some inexplicable reason, everything about the woman presented in such a way that there was no other way to describe her than to mention the color of...her. Call it an aura or the manifestation of something else entirely, but for as much as the woman pulled on the heart strings of Sora, the feelings were such that Suigetsu could hardly ignore. With subtly soft yet firm features and a bone structure that implied a good lineage, Suigetsu could see the allure of her, but for an Ancient such as himself, she could only be described as shockingly pedestrian. Yes, the beauty was there, but for one who had lived the equivalent of many lifetimes, what he found in a suitable life partner was something that he had yet to recognize in her. He would enter the dance for Sora, but his feelings were far from involved in the transactional happenstance. Somewhat feigning shock, Suigetsu paused in the entryway. "Oh! Fancy seeing you he-" Before Suigetsu could finish, the Yukina was upon him with her hand on his chest, and while Suigetsu would replay the moment over and over again in the receses of his mind to figure out just how exactly, in the moment that contact between the two of them registered, something happened to his consciousness. In the briefest of moments, everything truly stopped for him and Sora took back over, shunting the Ancient back into his cage.

So enamored by her beauty that her touch was enough to free him from the grasps of the Ancient, Sora didn't hesitate a second longer and clutched the paper to his his chest and just barely brushed her fingers against his own. Had it not been for all of his training her might have fainted in that very moment, but he held his composure. "Shingetsu Sora, I apologize but I need you to handle something for me. Keep it quiet and report back to me in a week, no matter what you find. I am sorry I must go now." She knew his name. Which, of course she did, she worked for the Kazekage! But, again, she knew, his name. It wasn't just some letters scribbled in a book somewhere. His mind, his heart and his pulse a mess, Sora stammered out something barely recognizable as intelligible speech. "Yeg, yeaaw...Yes!" And then she was gone, like a passing ship in the night and a dream carried away by the storm. Sora stood in complete silence for at least a minute, stunned, before he finally looked down to see what the paper actually read. Doing a double take because his mind could hardly believe what it was reading, Suigetsu didn't need to fight as the boy was mid fainting spell when the Ancient once again assumed control. His dinner plans might have been ruined but an even greater mystery was afoot for him and his ward.

OOC: Paper received and topic left unless stopped.