Time For The Main Attraction! (Requesting, Entrance)

[Midori Futotta]

Maru stopped, looking up at the gates to Sunagakure then he smirked. He decided that Suna to be the first place he visited since he was thrown out of his home village. This place was the home of puppetry, not to mention he had encountered a few people from this village back in Tea Country. So why not? The puppet master adjusted his top hat, wiping off sand from his shoulder before he moved forward to head towards the gates. His eyes scanned the area, wondering if the locals would actually allow him to enter this village. He was a mercenary, with a bounty over his head over in leaf and he didn't know if the leaf made it to where he would be chased no matter where he went. Regardless, the puppet master stepped in without a care in the world.

"Hello! I'm a traveler looking forward to seeing around you're villages! Who do I see to get in the sandbox!” Maru shouted. Looking from left to right to see if any Anbu were around. Maru took on the body of a lean man, with slicked-back, grey hair; reaching to the back of his neck, and moderate sized ears. He was dressed a dark suit and tie, a long coat with a fancy looking top hat which kinda reminded you of a magician. His entire face covered by a white mask, yet his honey colored eyes could be seen. He was carrying with him a suitcase that looked like a music box, a case containing his collection of puppets and wooden dolls he was allowed to carry with him.

Maru stepped closer to the gate, singing a haunting song about puppets. "Despite the fall of darkness little kiddies, everyone needs a little song. Human Puppets will give you pain little kiddies, run along little kiddies, run along.” he sung. The mercenary chuckled to himself at the tune of the song…

 

[Ryu Hime]

A few crows decorated the walls staring out into the ever expansive seas of sand. Of coarse no one would think them strange. No one ever expects animals to be spying on them and that is why Hakuren was so good at her job. She was a Yamanaka that had put much of her studies into improving her sensory link ability. Because of this one could hear rumors about here within the village, ‘despite being blind, she can see through the eyes of any animal she comes into contact with.’ She has earned her code name as watcher. She also found out just how far these rumors about her has spread as one tried to assassinate her in Tea. Osagi did warn her to not get known for your gift and that there are people out there who would eliminate her, just to ensure her gifts couldn't be used against them.

The crows watched the mercenary from the top of the gates. Hakuren listen to the foreboding song he sang. A wolf would come walking out of the gates, sniffing at the ground and would then approach the strange man. From Maru’s scent or lack there of, Hakuren could conclude this man was indeed a human puppet. He also carried smells which she recognized. She has met a shinobi of Leaf during her visit in Tea. Though weak the smell of the forest of Leaf clinged to him. A voice would then emanate from within his head as Hakuren spoke to the man telepathically. Papers please: passport, identification, etc. Seeing as Maru would not be able to tell where the voice came from he may believe the wolf was talking to him. Hakuren has heard of Inuzuka dogs may sometimes have such abilities, which is why a wolf was chosen to greet him.

 

[Raizo]

For whatever reason, this village seemed to have a history of spotty gate work. In a time when war had been declared, it was no longer a situation he could leave up to chance. In this regard, the Sennin, especially following the crumbling of Toraono Kuro, had been taking a much more active approach at watching the gates. To further his call for war, he had been doing it without wearing his mask, making a concerted effort to have himself be seen.

Today had been rather quiet until a masked man singing a creepy song would approach the village. Immediately, this individual would not be riding very high up on his list of "oh yea, seems friendly" radar. The man would approach, staying behind the wolf. The wolf would pause, which was either the wolf being a wolf or it was the work of one of the ANBU he had personally inducted into the ranks. Either way, the man had his own thing to say to Mr. Tophat.

"Hello, take off the mask or kindly turn around and leave."

He would remain there, standing behind the wolf, with a rather nonchalant look on his face. He wasn't being hostile, his tone was how he would normally talk to people. The fact that this man thought concealing his identity to enter a village, or that someone in a village that was in a declared war would overlook such a thing, was almost comical. But he would wait to see what the man would do before leaving the wolf to his job.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Stepping towards the gate, the mercenary stopped to see a… dog approaching him. He gazed down at the dog, stopping in his tracks as he was halted. Then he heard a voice, seemingly out of nowhere ask him for papers. Passport, identity, the usual… The problem was that he didn't have any papers with him, he was pretty much thrown in the world and told he was labelled as a mercenary. Never to come back to his village but of course he didn't have to tell this dog that. "Well… I didn't bring papers with me.” He said honestly, raising his hand. "You see, my papers got burned when my home in Crater City burned down unfortunately. But, I can tell you who I am. Names Maru! Also known as Maru Of Darkness or The Princess Of Heart, Protector Of Love. I'm a puppet master looking to seek entrance in your village since this place his the home of puppetry.” he said, removing his top hat with one hand and removing his head with the other. Putting the hand that held his head to his shoulder he bowed respectfully. Heedless body and all.

Then he heard another voice, one asking him to remove his mask. Honestly there wasn't much of a point in removing his mask since he regularly switched puppet bodies, the mask was pretty much for show but he kindly reattached his head then chuckled. "Oh, how rude of me! I'll gladly remove my mask.” He said, reaching his white gloved hand to his face he popped his mask from his face since the mask was actually “connected” to his body to reveal his face…. His real face behind the mask was a skull with glass eyes, which are too big for his sockets. His plastic looking jaw moved from side to side as he spoke.

"Sorry, didn't put much thought in creating a actual face. I'm pretty much running out of creative ideas so I left the face unfinished.” The mercenary chuckled, his mouth clicked with each word. His glass eyes peering down at the dog again before putting his Top Hat back on.

 

[Ryu Hime]

From within the gates an anbu gives a deep sigh. So the man had no proper paperwork, which probably means he was either missing or kicked out. Hakuren was not buying the burnt papers bit and all those titles he gave to her also sounded like lies. heart and love? Please, Hakuren could tell that was a load of horse manure. Hakuren was quite thankful that Roku decided to meet the stranger as well. Personally Hakuren has had enough and was more than willing to pass the baton to another. The wolf then just walks back into the village and the voice would speak to Maru again as it did so. Call for me when you've taken off your mask. The one not on your face. The human puppet was still keeping a part of his identity hidden. Deceit will not get him entry into these walls or at least not by her. If he wanted Hakuren to listen he needs to be upfront and honest, but perhaps he would have better luck with Roku. She will continue to watch through the eyes of her birds in the meantime.

 

[Raizo]

He would watch as the wolf would seemingly give up on the interaction with the ‘man’ and would start to make its way back to the village.

“Seems the pup doesn’t like you.”

He would need to remark to the head or the creepy face. All of it seemed like the antics of a child.

“Very sorry to hear that about your house. As I’m sure you are aware places like this tend to appreciate having paperwork before letting people in. I mean we have an office that takes care of all of our stuff, little old man runs the thing...I think he might live there.”

Seemed like an odd little tangent.

“Oh yea, why didn’t you go to a place like that to get new paperwork made before traveling?”

Curiosity, questions and creepy faces. What an eventful little moment he was having.

 

[Midori Futotta]

He chuckled a bit, hearing the words of the little pup kinda tickled him since she saw through his deception. Looks like telling the half truth wasn't going to go well, but his house did burned down.. That part wasn't a lie. "Well.. You see I'm not very liked around my old village.” He said, placing a hand on his chest. "You see, I was pretty much kicked out of my own village for pretty much petty crimes or at least petty as in there hasn't been no blood on my hands. Guess you can say childish pranks gone wrong? Wanting to be a rebel to gain respect? Well needless to say my village got fed up with it and gave me the boot.” The mercenary said, giving a slight shrug.

"But my home did burn down, because I burnt it down because I didn't want my research on a certain puppet getting into the wrong hands… Namely a puppet that has the Temporal Stride ability to travel back and forth in time and other ideas for puppets..” He said, then through his head back and laughed to himself before continuing. “Guess you can say my research along with my papers got burnt. That's pretty much my story.. A famed troublemaker who pushed people a bit too far, got thrown out of the village, then went from a rebellious academy student to a mercenary trying to find a village to hang out in.” To be honest, he didn't see his whole backstory on how he became a mercenary as really that bad as people would think. He didn't slaughter thousands of people, he wasn't plotting a revolution, hell he wasn't even feared. He was pretty much an annoyance around the village, a puppet who simply stepped on people's feet one to many times.

"Soooo...." He made finger guns, pointing at the man infront of him. "Is that good enough for ya?"

 

[Ryu Hime]

Finally the mask is lifted and we see the boy underneath and yet Hakuren still finds herself warily. If his tales were to be believed that would mean he experimented with the forbidden arts at a young age. Turning himself into a literal weapon made him both powerful and dangerous. The village of Leaf kicked him out while still in the academy was actually more believable than anything else he had said this morning. To let a shinobi leave the village with all its secrets seems like folly and a village would execute the shinobi over exile, but this was a student and thus the risks was not as great. Still the boy lacked honor and discipline; should he chose to join the village Hakuren would fervently against it. This Maru was unfit to be a sand shinobi, but would she have a say should the time come. Perhaps it is better to get rid of him now, have him walk to some other village and be their problem to deal with.

There has been other mercenaries that has come to the village. She had swore loyalty to one and joined his clan. He now lives in sand as a permanent home, but is not an official sand shinobi. Akkuma was always interested in people that showed talent and if the two of them were to meet, she would imainee he would accept Maru into the clan. Hakuren might be able to voice enough complaint to prevent this human puppet from joining the village, however she is not sure if she could prevent a long term stay. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to send him away, but she would leave the decision to her betters.

 

[Raizo]

He would listen as it seemed the traveler had decided to be a bit more truthful with his overall story. After all, honesty was the best policy, was it not? Letting the ‘man’ get it all out there would still be a necessary follow up question that would almost be neglectful not to ask.

“Getting kicked out seems rather serious, what were your petty pranks that led to such a decision?”

Was honesty still going to be the prerogative now...

Ooc: sorry about the short post. Have had a day full of mother’s day related things so wanted to get something in to keep this moving along

 

[Midori Futotta]

The skeletal puppet chuckled at the response, tipping his hat to the man. “Ah so what exactly did I do? Well it's a pretty long list of petty things that was mention in my little trail. Here's what I can remember….” He said, putting a finger on his puppet chin he looked up into space at the moment as he thought of some of the things that lead to him being a disgraced ninja within the leaf. “Well some that weren't serious were that had been brought up are; disrespecting Peers and Tutors, antagonising fellow Shinobi to Fight, Refusing to work with others, Mentally Scarring academy Students, cussing out some shinobi from the cloud village, provoking a Sennin in front of a mercenary and there was the time where I helped an academy student get revenge on a ANBU captain by helping her break into his house to leave horse shit in his bed.” He said, you would think he was done but the list of some of his more serious crimes was about to be laid out in front of the man.


“But some of the things that I see that was bad enough for would probably be destruction of ANBU property in which I was blamed for since some kid decided to blow up a room in the complex after I showed him a evil version of himself, Looting in Tea country, Arson in tea country, Destruction of property in tea, Fighting in tea country, robbing the graves, Looting once more in Tea, and there was one attempted murder because I wanted to end a certain rival I had in leaf.” Pretty much all he did. Of course some he saw was pretty pranks but the robbery and the crimes he committed in tea were pretty serious. He noted that the man was being a bit more… nicer than how the other person he met had been acting. Perhaps one playing good cop to get the info from him while the bad cop is ear hustling already not one of Maru's biggest fan. But it seems like the best way to get in would be through this guy… probably.

“But!.... That's pretty much all I did that lead to my removal out of the village. And the reason why I'm standing here with no papers.” He said, honestly not sure with how the man would react at this point.

[Ooc: =) It's cool bro!]

 

[Raizo]

Once more he would take on the role of the person listening. This was literally one of the few encounters were he had not done the majority of the talking, but in an effort to better manage the entrance of the village he felt this was needed. It would have been easy to just make a snap reaction on a person but where was the fairness in that? It also seemed that the 'man' had dropped the semblance of mixing in a facade and truths to quickly just being truthful. He wanted to honor this person's stories before he ultimately made up his mind.

"I see..."

There would be a moment of internal thought before he would finally toss out what he assumed would be his last question that he would more than likely need to ask.

"How old are you? Sorry, when talking to a person that can detach their head I realize that your appearance alone is probably the worst possible way of ascertaining that answer, so figured it would be easier to just ask you outright."

Why did it matter? For whatever reason, it was something he was wanting to know. Much like the rest of the conversation, his question was not asked with any condescending or negative tone. Just more genuine intrigue.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Hmmmmmmmm….” So how old was he? Since he was synthetic and age didn't really apply to him he had to think on a proper way to explain his age. After all he was an academy student when he decided to weaponize himself, but he knew what is age was supposed to be. “Well, I guess in your time I should be 18 or 19 by now. But since I don't age, the best way to explain my age would be that I am a ghost of a 16 year old academy student.” He said, probably hard to understand what he meant by he was a ghost so he decided to explain a little more on that.

“You see, I asked a Dark Sage to transfer my soul into a cylinder because I wanted to master all of the puppet arts. So that Dark Sage killed that body and sealed my soul in a cylinder. Guess you can say, I wanted to be a human puppet at a early age to retain my youth.” The best explanation for how old he was that he could think of. Seeming how he came in contact with another human puppet at the beginning of his shinobi career, naturally he would want to experiment with himself in turning himself into a puppet. Besides, he hated bleeding which was a big problem with him before. Especially he wanted to counter internal bleeding and broken limbs if he chose to… And with his Hitokugustu, he's also found a way around genjustu which was a problem in itself since illusionary damage targets the mind and his fake body couldn't withstand large portions of mental damage.

Regardless, it would seem that his age was pretty much the last question that the man would ask before drawing to his decision. Of course, Maru couldn't really tell if he would be turned away or would he be let in. Back in leaf he saw a couple missing nins running around the village, one threatened to paint his parents walls with his blood. But he didn't really see himself as that much of a danger to the village, but whether he convinced the man that he wasn't here to cause a ruckus was yet to be seen.

 

[Raizo]

Once the 'man' would finish he would nod, a simple nod that would indicate that was all he was needing to hear. There was a lot to take in even though the conversation had not been that long of one. Within the conversation, there was a lot to discern, decipher and ultimately digest. The 'man' was young but not entirely. He had a tragic story but did not seem to hold it as tragic. He was forced out of his home but did not either seem to understand the fullness of that outcome or was simply trying to move past it. There was a lot more to this person than just the creepy persona they were trying to convey originally.

"You've been honest, thanks for that, and now I am going to be honest. We are currently in a dire situation that is already compounded by troublemakers that have found their way into the village. Your history, while nothing village threatening, comes with some serious crimes. We don't have the time or energy to waste on making sure a prankster with a streak of escalation is kept in check."

That was the hard facts of the matter.

"This isn't an indictment of you overall. You just carry a lot of red flags, which I am sure isn't super surprising to hear, right? I, however, think your original home gave up on you too early. I think you are trying to figure out what you want to be, and right now you seem to have a lot of rebelliousness you want to get out of your system. I think getting kicked out of your home isn't going to help that, so us being your first stopping spot after such a sudden change, I can't see you just coming into the village and being quiet and helpful. If I am wrong with that, feel free to correct me. However, you aren't banned from the village. You could easily come back later on in the near future, make a request and get let in. I think it is unfortunate that I was the one... well the second one... you met with at the gates. I kind of am on a path of cleaning up things around here, and your potential to start small fires... just isn't going to aid me in my work."

That would be that.

"You being honest, however, is something I really do respect and which is why I am going to tell you this; If you want in this village, go out into Wind Country, do something to show you are more than just some hooligan that is treading the line of criminal and then come back and be let in without a worry."

He was sincere. There was much to this 'man' in front of him. Some of it was bad, undoubtedly, but there was also some possibility of good. He was still young and had just been given up on by his home, it was not easy for him to also tell the boy no, but if he took this moment and chose to react poorly then it merely reinforces his decision. For the village, in his mind, this was the only decision he could make with the information provided. Sad story aside, this person was undocumented, exiled from another land, with an admitted history of various criminal to semi-harmless incidents. Why willingly open the door to such an issue. But his honesty meant that there was a chance he was more than just those reasons that got him kicked out.

 

[Midori Futotta]

After listening to what he had to say it looks like he was about to get his answer. Sure enough, it seems like his reputation however wasn't as bad as most people in his situation was still bad enough for him to be seen as a problem. Honestly he couldn't quite blame them given his record, not to mention he gave off a few red flags so there was no fighting that. “I see..” Maru said, stroking his chin as he thought for a moment what his options were. He wasn't exactly banned from entering the village, but it looked like he won't be entering but what struck him was the part about being quiet and helpful. Also that he could go off to wind country.

“Well, the thing is… how am I going to be helpful though? I mean off the top of my head I can't really come up with anything that I could do that'll do much good for the village. Not to say all I can do is cause trouble, but I am a little clueless on what you have available that I could do.” He said, shrugging. He would accept a job if he was given one since he wasn't exactly employed, but he could at least go off to wind country at least so he reattached his smiley mask then pointed behind him. “Also do ya happen to know where wind country is? Haven't done a lot of traveling and I might get lost trying to find wherever I need to go.” He said, pretty curious on where exactly he needed to head off to, perhaps he could find some more materials for another puppet body and restock on some weapons since he'll be on the road again.

Perhaps he could find a nice place to relax if he was lucky so he could figure out what was next.

 

[Ryu Hime]

[occ: Dives in with quick post before thread ends. "I'm still here guys"]

Hakuren listens as the two went back and forth without any interference from her, until we reached a facepalm moment. You’re in Wind Country you idiot! Hakuren was shouting into Maru’s mind at full volume. It would be like she was yelling right into his ear with a megaphone.

Hakuren would then speak to Roku telepathically. I am sure you are already aware of my presence as you saw my wolf. I do hope you forgive me leaving the decision up to you. His dishonesty was unbecoming and I had a bad feeling about him, sir. If you were wondering why he suddenly making excuses for lack of paperwork, that would be his answer to my request. Should I keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t stir up trouble in the local areas and possibly keep him from getting lost.

 

[Raizo]

How could he help?

"This country is currently in a rebuilding phase, but also in the midst of a war. There was once a terrible storm that made the bulk of the land uninhabitable; my assumption is that you are probably a shinobi, right? A shinobi cast out from their village could find work being a mercenary. I understand there is a deplorable connotation to that word, but honestly the actions you carry out with such a title will determine your character..."

He would pause for a moment as he would ask how to get to Wind Country. It would be like the area between the two of them would grow completely dead silent, except for a passing breeze. The extended pause would almost be comical.

"You were able to find this village but not even realize the country you were walking around in!?"

He would let out a sigh before a brief chuckle.

"No worries, I haven't done much traveling myself, so aside from the drastic terrain changes, so I assume getting a little mixed up is normal. But yea, you are in Wind Country right now. Pretty much if it is desert space, you are in this country. Oh!"

The idea would snap to him suddenly.

"You know, there is actually a way to put your 'past' to use without it being inherently 'bad'. You might have to follow me a bit on this, but we have a location, kind of a city-state, that serves as the merchant capital of this country. This location is called Soon's Haven and it is run by a group of incredibly wealthy and powerful people known as the Merchant Lords. Some of them, not all of them, use their influence negatively. There is also human trafficking galore. Free some people is all I would look for from that; but what happens to their captures, I do not have a personal investment in and our prison is kind of running out of room."

There would be some required reading between the lines.

"What I am getting at, is that I'm not necessarily asking you to completely change your character and become some sweet and innocent soul. I am merely asking you to use your own personal talents to make a positive impact. You show us you can be a relied upon partner then I will do more than just welcome you into the village. I will make it financially beneficial for you."

Before he had been completely enveloped in this war setting, he would have never asked a stranger to take these sort of matters into their own hands. Whether it was a pride or a different perspective of the world, he now saw this as an opportunity. This was not an effort to manipulate the individual, he was very sincere in looking to see the worth of this man. Again, someone else would have definitely had a different interact with this person, whether it was allowing them in or also declining them. Most would not think to make the most of this situations for both involved. And he honestly thought this request was not just for the village's benefit but for this 'man's' benefit. He still needed to determine whether he was going to go completely into darkness or if he was going to flirt with the darkness while still maintaining some semblance of honor that most shinobi toe. This to him, was a win-win.

"Maru... yea, not going to say your titles or nicknames, kind weird... but Maru, my name is Roku and I make my promise here and now that this village is whatever you need from it if you can show that you are the type that can be trusted. I look forward to seeing what you do within the confines of this country, and if you decide to leave and continue exploring I wish you the best. I assume I will be seeing you back here sooner or later, but trust that as long as you are in this country I will be watching and listening. Perks of my job after all."

With that he would give a wave to Maru before turning his back to head into the village once more.

"No, my apologies for stepping on your toes... paws? Also, this whole talking straight into my mind... not sure how I feel about this, but I imagine this is why you were tasked with such a role; very useful ability. Anyways, I agree with your concern. Keep an eye on him for a bit while I get some things arranged with some other ANBU I know. I don't want him constantly surveyed, but I would like to know how he reacts immediately after this. He will either leave and from their stay within Wind or leave altogether or he will hang around and make another attempt at entering in hopes of catching a less vigilante duo of shinobi. There is also the fact that a man who can take his own head off could easily change his story and sneak back in here. So yes, keep an eye on him for the time being."

The mental conversation would end and his day would, hopefully, start to wind back down until the next task appeared.


OOC: TLUS; Maru Denied Entry for the time being

 

[Midori Futotta]

It seemed that there were ways that he could help around the village, he could work as a actual mercenary to find some work if he was needed. Honestly he was ready to head off to Wind Country already… But then there was suddenly a awkward pause when the puppet master asked where exactly was Wind country. A wind passed by, then he reached his white gloved hand to scratch his head before he heard someone out of nowhere scream into his head extremely loudly which made the mercenary's eyes bulge out a bit. While he used his finger to clean his ear, the man explained in a more polite tone that he was already in Wind Country which made Maru feel slightly embarrassed. “Well shit, I honestly thought this place goes by sand country or something like that. My mistake.” He said, still recovering from whomever shouted at him in his head.

Aside from the really short tempered screaming… Lady? Dog? Whatever. The man was pretty pleasant to talk to. Even offered him a interesting mission which sounds like something he could do. Maru began to think on this task.. If he was to accept he was to save a couple people, eliminate the captures, and with any luck he might will get a interesting puppet to add to his collection. Looks like a Win-Win situation if he gets a interesting puppet out of this little deal. “Sounds like a plan! Since it is a take-no-prisoner kinda deal, I could only assume that you don't care what happens to the bodies. I would hate to waste good material.” He said, rubbing his hands together and giggled to himself. “Neeee Hee-Hee. But consider it done.”

After the man said his name, Maru said his little title. "Maru Princess of Heart, Protector of Love to be exact.” He said before letting the man continue. He was allowed to hang around in this country so he could prove that he could be trusted but he wasn't allowed within the walls which was alright with him. He'll probably just hang around the outer village until things were set up for him to do his little mission, but he decided to linger a bit to see if there were anything else that the little voice in his head wanted to ask before he began heading towards the outer village area. Hopefully, it used a more inside voice since it was speaking to him through his mind.

 

[Ryu Hime]

The puppet master still stood there even after being told what he should do. Was he waiting for some sort of response from her? One of her crows lands on his shoulder and gives a loud caw as to tell him to leave already. Hakuren on the other hand pulls out a pendant that was a gift from her older sister. This piece of jewelry consisted of a gemstone on a long chain and was normally used for scrying. Unscrolling a map on the table before her she cast an emerald emitter jutsu with the crystal. Holding the pendant above the map it would then point to Maru’s current location. So if he decides to go off and come back with a different face to try again, she would know.

(Left Topic)

 

[Midori Futotta]

After the crow flew to his shoulder and cawed loudly he took the hint. He tipped his hat to Roku, then he spun on his heels then began walking heading towards his destination for Soon’s Haven! If it was as the man said it was, this place would probably have a lot of money and riches free for the taking if he was to politely… rob these said people who were using their positions negatively. To him, this was a Win-Win-Win scenario! He could kill the captures, take their bodies for his collection, and rob them blind without punishment. However, since he would most likely be watched he had to do at least some good so he could be allowed in the village walls. Whether he'd be let in when he came back or not… He had to say this little adventure would be one hell of a time!

[Left topic!]