What a Lo[V]ely Gathering (event)

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke and the company grew larger by one. At will, Nemuri the moth had decided to 'grace' the company of four making it now a party of five. "People kissing. People writing love poetry. I don't see how this is bad."<i></i> The flapping of her wings made things worse. The moth paused for a moment, as did Zero and Kitchy. Fortunately, or unfortunately the female creatures were behind Harupia. Sousuke was elsewhere trying to track down the source of it. As the sight of Harupia, Kitchy's tail began to wang. She let out a long woof. Hearts appeared around Zero's head. Nemuri was growing flustered by the fact that Harupia was a man and not a moth. The three of them eye each other. Who would get to him first? Who would be the first to shower him with this new found sense of adoration? Well, now was not the time for guessing. Now was time for getting at the man.

Zero charged first, she dashed forward stopped before Haru and then proceeded to try and knock him on his back. She she prove successful she would give him a fond lick to the cheek. Kitchy would follow next with the licking but on another side of the face. Last but not least Nemuri would hover above him. "You would look dashing in silk clothing."<i></i> She would say. "Quickly. You must tell me your porportions! Such a handsome man should be covered in the finest of silks!"<i></i>

By this time Sousuke would return. He raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet. Thankfully he had yet to be effected by the gas. It would be a matter of time before his breather would inevitable not be able to vent out the toxic fog. This was ... absurd. "Hey come now. Zero! Zero! No! Bad!"<i></i> Sousuke came to Haru's rescue. The Steward tried pulling his companion off of Haru. "You're invading his personal space. This is not good. Come on."<i></i> Sousuke managed to lift the large female lion up in the air. She proceeded to paw at the air. Her eyes now shifted from Haru to Sousuke. What a human he was. What a good ... well ... Zero never considered Sousuke to be an owner. Maybe she considered him her pet? Maybe. Forget Maximus. Green was good colour on men. After sometime, Sousuke put down Zero only to be knocked on his butt by her. The Lyron licked the faceplate causing his vision to be limited. Sousuke against his better judgment proceeded to pull the helmet off. Doing so allowed himself to become subjected to the pink mist.

Sousuke pinked several times. "Oh Zero. I can't be mad at you."<i></i> He hugged his Lyron and waved at Haru. Sousuke's senses being slightly dulled for a moment. When they came into focus, Haru was in his field of view, along with Zero. "Haru. Have I ever told you, you're my best friend? I don't think I have, but I think you need to know."<i></i>

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

It’s been a long time since he visited the Oasis. Many didn’t find the area that alluring, besides some more picturesque sights. With this being the main source of fresh water, there were many farms and crops scoured through the area. he did enjoy the view. It had a nice image of a simple, rural life to him. Of course, he didn’t quite know much about the life of the farmers here...whether they were here because they were content, or they had no other choice. They all seemed quite content now...love was in the air, wherever you looked

The entourage they moved in was quite interesting. In addition to the canine and the lyron, they were joined by a moth, who as he learned was one of many creatures Sousuke came in...contract with. With a chuckle, he responded to Nemuri's words "It isn’t inherently bad...But one can’t help but wonder why so many decided to drop their work and craft and focus on their affections for each other so suddenly" His voice was slightly muffled, as he took a simple cloth mask, sprayed with clearing herbs and substance to try and negate the effects of any poisonous gases they might have encountered. Of course it would only work to some degree...and probably wasn’t as effective as Sousuke Mask.

He was pulled out of his musing with a sudden attack...well, a pounce at least. He found himself surrounded by two rather large animals, both licking both sides of his face...while the moth above him was musing about him looking well in fine clothing. A nice sentiment all together...though the sudden occurrence was somewhat peculiar.

The Steward came to his aid, picking up the large lioness, and Haru sat up, petting Kitchy, though trying to steer away from more licks, his face already slobbered up a bit as he said "Calm down Kitchy, its really good to see you again, hehe". He managed to keep his cloth on his face, though just barely. In the meantime, he saw Sousuke snuggle up with his large pet, which was...an unusual sight. After he spoke to him, Haru felt a bit flustered again. Not by the fact Sousuke saw him as a good friend but...just by the statement. He wasn’t usual someone to talk about his feelings much. Still, he smiled underneath the cloth, moving towards him and placing his hand on is shoulder "You never needed to tell me if you didn’t feel like it. But I am happy to hear that, and know that I am honored to be your friend, and to have you as one...ehh, whatever this mist is, it smell's rather sweet..." he mused finally, the mists managing to slowly penetrate the defense he had...though still not fully taking effect.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The husky wagged her tail. Yes! It was good to see Haru. Very good. How very good it was! The canine backed away and barked a bit. Hearts flourished and blossomed about her head. Haru was even better than Number Seven who ignored her for the longest time when she was a machine. Haru never ignored her. Not once. The canine made her way up to Haru and rubbed his cheek with her nose. Nemuri the moth continued to flutter about. "Hey now. You can't have him all to yourself. He has to socialize with me you know. Don't be a hog sister."<i></i> The moth was pouting. Haru was such an excellent human. Excellent indeed. Maybe in the top five percent of humans. The moth's pout grew deeper as Haru socialized with Sousuke instead of her it was not fair. Wait. No it was more than socializing now. He was touching him. Well! She would have to wait her turn it seemed.

"That is the case, but sometimes ... words can go along way. Spoken word that is."<i></i> Sousuke sniffed the air. Yes. Yes it was sweet. "Yes! You're quite right it does seem sweet. Nothing wrong with that at all. Although it's not as sweet as the time we're going to have. We should ..."<i></i> Sousuke paused for a moment. What would they do with their time? "We should go ... have a coffee or something. I've never had Soon's coffee beans before. I'm told their exquisite. Let me make the purchase. Then we'll ... socialize and enjoy good company!"<i></i> Sousuke wrapped his arms around Zero's neck and gave her a hug. The Lyron returned the hug, sort of by tilting her head and leaning into Sousuke's hug. It was delightful. It was so delightful that the Lyron let out a purr. The Steward worked himself to stand up. He looked about. A slight frown appear on his face. "Finding a coffee shop may ... be difficult. Considering if people stopped working but ... I'm certain I could try brewing the coffee. It cannot be that difficult can it?"<i></i> He inquired to himself really. The Lyron let out a small growl. "Yes Zero, you'll get something too. Maybe a nice drink of ... water?"<i></i> The Lyron let out a dreamily purr as that sounded absolutely delightful.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

As Sousuke spoke Haru found himself absentmindedly petting Kitchy. Her fur was indeed soft...he remembered the animatronic canine she once was...and now she stood here, in the flesh, quite literary. Sousuke always had amazing things happen close to him...There was many amazing qualities to the men, though he might have trouble projecting them towards others...though he had been much more talkative now then he had been in the past. Whatever happened, something did change the Steward...so far it seemed, for the better. At the same time he noticed the moth companion of Sousuke flutter around him...for such a small insect, she seemed to be quite...majestic.

As Sousuke mentioned the coffee he would say "Well, it’s one thing to just brew a bit of coffee Sousuke, but doing it well...now that might be a challenge! But I’m sure with my artistry and you scientific prowess we'll brew a magnificent drink. And perhaps I can catch up with you lovely friend fluttering so soothingly around my head" he concluded with a chuckle, glancing at Nemuri for a second. As he did, he did see more of the pink mist enveloping he area as he said "Still...as much as coffee sounds tempting...we still need to figure out why everyone decide to abandoned their posts, don’t we?"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"I do have a questionable ... history with cooking, but brewing coffee might be something different... but! Like you said I'm sure between the two of us, we can certainly make some superior coffee."<i></i> It would seem though that their coffee break was going to be put on hold. Harupia reminded Sousuke of the original reason why they were dispatched here in the first place ... but ... coffee. "Quite right Harupia."<i></i> The Steward stood up and placed his helmet back on. He was already afflicted by the pink mist. "I suspect it might have to do with this pink gas. How curious. We should try and get a sample for the lab. Pity that Keystone was destroyed."<i></i> Sousuke folded his arms. He was thinking about the topic heavily. There was chemistry to be had here, but there was chemistry to also be had with his friend Harupia. How truly marvelous it was that he would be able to solve this enigma with his assistance, his tact, and his charm.

At the mention of getting caught up with Nemuri, the moth chuckles, and commented 'oh you'. Sousuke looked about. There was definitely a focal point here from where this mist was coming from. "There's an origins point to this. I have to assume, naturally, that the closer we get to it, the desire to drop all work becomes much more desired. Luckily ... people aren't exhibiting violence. If that were the case, then I'd offer you a suit of armour and a riot shield."<i></i> The Steward really didn't want to solve this riddle. He just really wanted to catch up with Harupia, show Zero some more adoration and attention-- NO. There was a job to be done here... but he could multitask though. That is what he would do. Sousuke found himself petting Zero all the same. "This certainly isn't the work of the Cabal. This isn't there style of shock and awe ... or just violence for the sake of a lesson."<i></i> While the usual thought of the Cabal made Sousuke ... unhappy, he found himself not capable of being unhappy towards them. Neutral would be a good word for it. It was most unbecoming as the thought of them usually soured him.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Harupia chuckled a bit along with Nemuri, admiring the insect. He usually had a very bad image of moths in his mind, but this one looked quite...majestic. Sousuke did mention his contract with other various insects, but these one must have been the greatest o them all. As Sousuke spoke, Harupia extended his hand slightly, offering the moth a place to land on. After all, all this flying around had to be tiresome.

He did of course keep in mind that the Steward talked about, even if he himself was more distracted at he month. Samples for the lab...he was sure Sousuke had another lab, perhaps not as great as the keystone...but such a wise man would surely be prepared for anything. And it was indeed quite lucky that whatever was happening didn’t cause the people to grow violent. Violence...he had seen too much of that...All the bodies, the destruction, the pointlessness of their attack... Even with the pink mist surrounding them, the mere thought of them had made the Shinobi's blood boil, his body shaking just slightly, while the sand around him kicked up, as if to defend from something. With a deep, calming breath he said "Right...this probably isn’t their doing. Maybe one of them had been caught in the pink daze? I would just love to see one of them here..." he said in a weird tone, a mix of anger and anticipation.

Shaking his head a bit he would say "Pink gas...samples...we probably should get a bit closer to see the source...tough it could be even stronger the closer you are...But trying to spread it with wind Jutsu might make the problem more serious...Perhaps we could find a connection to some cave to try and divert the fumes? The sooner we deal with it, the sooner we can have that coffee of ours, hehe" he mused, mellowing down a bit as he spoke. It seemed his feelings for the Cabal helped him focus just a bit, but the mist seemed to be quite potent still.

Mft, Wc= 339

 

[Takahashi Aki]

One of the Cabal caught in this pink haze? What an awkward situation that would be. The Steward pictured Kaito at the center of this puffing away on his cigarette. Pink smoke coming out of the lit cancer stick. The leader of the Cabal with this goofy grin on his face. His eyebrows would then raise and then drop. A chuckle of herr herr would folow. Yes. This was an awkward image. Sousuke watched as Harupia reacted with ... a response. It was the kind of response that was ... not becoming of the usual Harupia. Sousuke opened his mouth, and then he closed his mouth. He was not sure how to help his friend. "I'm sure ... some ... clobbering time is in order, if one of them is responsible with this. It's not like they've acquired a taste for beatings from our ends, unless they're masochistic in nature ... which dreadfully could be entirely possible."<i></i> Clobbering time? Really?

Harupia spoke of how using a wind jutsu would only make it worse. That much was true. The Steward stopped to think about their next course of action. "We could contain it. It would certainly be stronger at the center of it... containing it might be a little difficult."<i></i> He suggested. He folded his arms as he thought of it. His thoughts drifting from time to time to having a lovely coffee with his trusted companions. His mind snapped back as Harupia mentioned it once more. "I could construct a massive structure to contain this section of the haze. It would perhaps cause the haze to become more concentrated as it doesn't have a place to escape."<i></i> He added to his suggestion from earlier. This was not a win-win scenario. Limiting the area of this pink haze would be good, but then there was the fact that they were endangering their endgame which was to put an end to the source of this. Sousuke finally made his decision. He formed some hand seals and began his construction. Great earth walls began to rise up, once the walls were erected they could shift on an angle slightly so as to direct the pink haze upward and skyward.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Sousuke tried his best to calm him after his outburst. Though the exact words he used made Harupia feel even more somber…masochistic…he knew too well at least one of the Cabal members was just that…the memoires of that encounter still sickened him…though he wasn’t sure what about it sickened him more. As Harupia mulled about Sosuke suggestions, he had seen the Seward was already attempting to take some action. Massive walls of earth started to form, creating a sort of slope, directing more of the mist out of the area…it would elevate the problem a little bit, but they still needed to find out just what was causing this in the first place.

Harupia sighed gently, rubbing his forehead. He needed to calm himself, he couldn’t let thoughts of what he witnessed make him so…irate. He needed to focus on other things…there was so much wonderful things around them. The Oasis, his good friend Sousuke, and the lovely companion of his. A truly magnificent specimen. Turning to Nemuri again he said “Soo, Nemuri chan…you mentioned something about my measurements. Are you capable of crafting clothing out of silk? I must say, for someone of your stature to be willing and able to create accessories for someone human sized sounds most impressive…and I’m sure the clothing you make is of top notch quality…” While still under the pink haze he had bouts of logic as he continued to speak, somewhat to Nemuri and somewhat to Sousuke “Something came to my mind…you aren’t the only being contracted with Sousuke san, are you Nemuri-chan? Could perhaps one of you siblings try and spot out the source of the smoke? Actually…if I were to rise up into the sky myself…I guess some recon from the sky would have been in order from the start” he added sheepishly before saying “Would you like to join me Sousuke, or would you prefer to stay on the ground for the time being?”

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Nemuri fluttered about at the mention of clothes. She nodded her head. "Too simple really. I'm not thhhhaaat tiny you know."<i></i> She once again pitched on Harupia's arm. It wasa nice spot to be, and more importantly it gave her beautiful wings a rest. "Tell me you like my wings. They are gorgeous aren't that? Like you, if you were in some fine silk threads."<i></i> Despite being afflicted by the pink mist, Nemuri's vanity was still very much a thing to be present. The moth would open her wings up to show case them in their full glory. The moth was just as in love with herself as she was with the males around her.

Nemuri and Sousuke swapped glances. The moth made an expression that was ... at best was hesitant. "I could summon Ken, but he might cause a scare. He is ... was ... taller than the Kazekage tower. He's quite friendly, but people might mistaken him for a monster attack, and that would be very ... problematic to explain."<i></i> The other option was Joou, but the Queen Wasp did not enjoy being summoned for trivial matters... which she would totally argue what this would be. Then Harupia suggested he raised himself into the sky with his sands. "That would certainly cause less of a panic."<i></i> Then came the offer of going up with Harupia to do the recon and intel intake. "There is that saying... you can't see a forest for the trees. A different view on things lend... perspective. "<i></i>

At this mention Kitchy let out a whine, and Zero emitted a low growl. Sousuke turned to regard both female feline and canine. "I don't know if Harupia can support all our weights. It's not like he can carry all of us... it could be quite the strain on him."<i></i> Once Sousuke had said that both of his female animal companions glanced at Harupia and then him. Zero let out a growl and simply hit the floor lazily. She waved her paw as if to say 'make it snappy' being that out of all the members present she was probably the heaviest there was.

(MFT 359)

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Haru let out a small chuckle as Nemuri perched on him, presenting her wings as he said „They are indeed magnificent…I shall need to make a drawing of them once this ordeal is taken care of”. He then heard Sousuke talk about their options. He did not realize his other partner was such a…huge specimen. Yes, summoning him would be a bit of an issue. Still, the offer of an aerial recon was met with approval, though it left two animals grounded for a while. Harupia said “Well try to make it quick, cant waste too much time now can we?” he said matter of factly, stepping closer to Sousuke and summoning the sand cloud rising them as high into the air as he could so they could observe the area from the air.

Mft 2, Wc= 134