The Dusk Settles

Dusk sat on the roof of his house looking idly at the sky above him, the rose colors taking into his own blue eyes. He didn't feel mad at himself nor was he sad. He had fun knowing that he could have pushed himself to such lengths and yet he worried about what would happened next in all honesty. Tugging the white bunny hood back onto his black hair, he leaned down onto the roof and continued to look at the sky in silence.

It had been a moment before the male had heard the footsteps on the roof, his eyes slowly peeking out of the hood before he had seen that it was Shina who had graced him with her presence. Hopping up he glomped the female, wrapping his arms around her with a snuggle," Hey Shina!!," the gloomy mood being dispelled as he smiled. Though the female hugged him back she had came with a message," I am here to escort you to see the Princess. She would like a word with you," at that moment the male had let go slowly, his head tilting to the side as he wondered what he was being called for.

Slow strides were made to the side of the house where he shimmied down the side and landed onto the ground, waiting for Shina to lead the way. It would have seemed that the village was still talking of the events of the fights, his hood being tugged down a little lower just in case. It was weird from another prospective that he just forfeited, but Dusk knew his own limitations and knew his training wasn't enough yet. After a while of walking the two made it to the Royal Palace, where Shina escorted him to the Library.

As the door opened his eyes went to the immense amount of books before they stopped on the form of the princess. Knowing that he should have bowed first, he walked over to the desk and knelt onto his right knee, removing his hood as his scruffy black hair popped out (it still has a blue shine to it) before speaking," You wanted to see me your highness?," the male spoke before Shina (i'm only guessing she would do this) stood to the side of the Princess.

Tehniyat was engaged in a conversation with her personal guard when Shina knocked on the door, probably concerned why Atem wasn't guarding the entrance which was his usual post while the Princess Tehniyat worked. The sharp rap on the library door made the blonde look up, realizing only a moment later that it was probably Shina with the errand she had been assigned following the battle in the arena two days ago. The young ninja moved away at the knock as well, professionalism sliding back unto his features.

"Ser Atem, we will conclude this later."

"Very good, Your Grace." The knight in training moved to open the door, allowing Shina and her visitor entrance and taking his post outside the door as usual. The blonde princess turned her gaze to the young man who accompanied the jounin. He looked a little older than he had from so far away at the arena but no less interesting. What was even more surprising was that he seemed to know how to greet her appropriately, a trait not many shinobi embodied.

"Ser Tachibana," she greeted, a polite smile on her face. His bow demanded Tehniyat rise to her feet which the princess did with full courtesy, her emerald green gown on full display, soft jewels the color of her green eyes glittering on the otherwise gold circlet that rested atop her blonde head. Aside from the gold band, Princess Tehniyat wore no other jewelry or ornament on her person. "I trust you found your journey to the palaces convenient."

Settling gracefully into her seat once more, her posture ramrod straight and her gaze steady, she motioned to Shina. "Thank you Shina, that will be all." Taking her queue, the jounin left, making no noise at all. Once the door shut behind the young man and the princess, Tehniyat's green eyes returned to his.

"Please take a seat. If you would like refreshments of any kind, I can have them brought here. I'm afraid you caught me in the middle of another discussion so if I appear ill prepared to receive guests, you will have to forgive me."

His eyes observed the male and then the princess for a moment until the knight had left, leaving only himself, Shina and the princess in the room. After he had bowed and stood back up followed by Shina leaving, Dusk took the seat that the princess had so generously offered to him, his eyes once again looking to all of the books before resting on her. She had looked pretty though with Dusk's mindset he only meant it as a compliment.

Once she had spoken he smiled and shook his head," I liked the walk to here, it had went past one of my favorite spots of the Palace. I have never actually been inside of the palace before so this is definitely a nice change of pace," titling his head he smiled sincerely before thinking about something.

With that he reset his gaze to her and smiled," Though I am honored to make your acquaintance Milady but may I ask what is it I was summoned here?," he didn't know exactly why...but curious Dusk was curious.

Upon hearing that the young shinobi's path had led him through one of his favorite spots, the princess lifted a perfectly made up golden eyebrow. The thought of having a favorite spot of the palaces had never occurred to her. She supposed if asked, she would simply say the libraries because that was where she spent most of her days. Upon taking charge of the royal treasury, the princess had had very little time to establish places of comfort and preference.

"And which spot might that be?" she asked, her curiosity unfurling slowly in her green gaze. She wondered if this ninja was a native of Haven. She hadn't heard that name before but she wasn't as popular with the commonfolks as Lady Akihana. Tehniyat faced no challenges addressing her own weaknesses, only strove to bridge the exiting gap as a logician would. "nd why is is your favourite spot?"

The answer intrigued the young princess, more than she would care to display.

When asked why he was here, the princess composed herself once again, her amused expression melting away to give way to seriousness. "I had you brought here because I was... curious to know why you walked out of the chunin advancement battle two days ago. I was there presiding as judge over the competition, and while your two peers kept going on for a long time in a hard fought battle, you left. Why would you disrespect your fellow shinobi in such a way?"

A smile slowly crept on his face as he was asked what his favorite spot was, of course it was only one place in the Royal Palace that was open to the people and where he also shared his fondest memories," It would definitely be the Water Gardens," when he was asked why he tapped his fingers on his leg and closed his eyes," Because the water there is beautiful and peaceful...And its also where I met my first friend and teacher, Miss Akihana. She taught me many things that i've used to continue to push myself and I use her as an example to push myself forward," maybe his answer was a little too long, but it had definitely answered the question.

Her question caused his smile to wane slightly or maybe it was due to the way it had been worded.He had no intention of disrespecting his fellow shinobi, but he knew that it would only be a hindrance at his level. Taking in a deep breath he tugged on his pants a bit as he began to explain himself," I had not intention of disrespecting my fellow ninja and my friends, but staying would have been more disrespectful in my opinion. I may have trained my mind and body to become prepared for that day, but both Kenshin and Shiro had did so much more."

"I knew that even if I had stayed, I would not have been able to truly show what it was that could have made me eligible for chuunin and that would have been more disrespectful to them. Through my lessons with both Miss Akihana and Den-san, I saw different ways of accomplishing feats that were out of my reach, not through my strength but through my own intuition and ...out of the box thinking," a small smile crept on his face as he continued," It is my goal to continue to pursue intuitive ways to push myself further. I told Miss Akihana that I would become as strong as her, and I still want to do that," he didn't know where his teacher had been, but he would still hold on to his dream.

the water gardens, his answer interested the princess more and more. If she was honest with herself, she had never really spent any significant time in the water gardens, only on royal events where she was required by duty to be present. She supposed the place had a charm but to hear Dusk speak of it... Tehniyat wondered if she should visit the place once more. "I'm afraid I've never really seen the Water Gardens properly in my fifteen years in the city blessed by the stars. Who would you recommend as the best tour guide?" she asked, green eyes sparkling in amusement at the boy in front of her. How better to learn to appreciate a place then through someone who loved it already.

As their conversation turned serious, the princess noted how earnest the young ninja in front of her was. He too did not see his backing from the competition as an insult to his peers, a line of thinking she had only presented to see if he would react aggressively. The same tactic had been tried with Lucian Nazar and he was proving a chunin worth his weight in gold. Perhaps Lady Akihana and Lord Denkiteki were on to soemthing here.

"And how do you plan to become strong, if you don't fight and do missions?" she asked, her tone more curious than hostile. His answer was satisfactory and there was no aggression in the boy. Overall he seemed to be a rather peasant individual, one who's company the princess would normally enjoy. But he was a shinobi and she had to see if he lived up to that. "And what do you plan to do with that strength once you attain it, Ser Tachibana?"

He was surprised that she has never actually been able to enjoy the water gardens at its fullest and a small frown appeared on his face as he thought of a way to fix that. When she asked who would be the best tour guide for the gardens his chest puffed out rather comically as he pointed to himself," Well none other than the Water Gardens expert and lover , Dusk Tachibana your highness. I promise to show you all of the wonderful spots of the garden and just for the price of one hug," nodding very sagely he smiled returning to his usual self.

Upon her first question he tugged on the bottom of his hoodie and looked down," I plan on using my strengths and broadening my horizons. Miss Akihana taught me through her own example that even the peaceful will have to fight one day and for that I will continue to train, becoming a ninja of both intelligence and strength. I will still do missions because they have helped me get to know the people of our beautiful village and also have given me new friends ," though her last question did not throw him off in the slightest.

Letting to of his hoodie he looked up to her with affirmation a smile on his face as he would give an answer almost similar to the one he gave Akihana," I'm going to use it to remove the burdens and chains from both my teachers and help love my home with the same love they give. I want to be one who can...stand and eventually pass the ones i look up to," his smile never waned as he spoke his words, every one leaving his mouth with certainty.

"A... hug?" the princess repeated, unsure if the young ninja was being cheeky in her presence or if he really meant it. Hugs - and most signs of affection - were foreign to Tehnyat, a by product of growing up with a mother far too in tune with court life to pay attention to a four year old left to be raised by governess and maesters. The only person who had truly hugged her was her little cousin, The Princess Kanzaki, and that too had been less of a sign of affection and more desperate clinging of a child to the last part of her life that remained stable. To imagine people exchanging hugs on a daily basis made the royal treasurer both uncomfortable and curious. "I fear I can't quite understand what that would accomplish...."

For someone so fresh of face, Dusk seemed to have some grand plans for the future. He believed in his success and his ability to achieve his goals, something Tehniyat herself felt she lacked most days. This... was new to the blonde. Whether he was a native of Haven or - like many - had emigrated to find a better home, there was no doubt he loved the City Blessed by the Stars, something they had in common.

Deicing the test the young ninja a bit more, Tehniyat continued. "Tell me, if I were to bring to your attention that right now, we have people in this country who want members of the royal family to perish. I'm sure you know it's treason to plot against the throne but people are people. We cannot control their hearts and their minds so plot they do." The blonde paused, her sharp green eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"If we find and hurt these people, we lose subjects, and a Queen is nothing without her subjects. But if we let these people be, then we run the risk of there being no Queen. Tell me, young ninja, how does one solve a problem like that?" It was a conundrum she herself had few answers to and she wasn't expecting anything extraordinary from the boy. If he did provide her with a decent solution though, she would have emerged from this conversation richer than she had been before.

"Yes hugs!!! They are the best form of currency. Able to heal any emotional wound and are super warm....Does no one hug you princess?," he tilted his head curiously as he awaited her answer. If she had responded with no he would have stood up from his seat and wobbled over to the princess, hugging her softly and lovingly as he armed his hugging lasers to love!!!

After a moment he went back to his seat and day down, his smile still present on his face. The problem she had given him was indeed a hard on but it reminded him of a similar problem Akihana had given him. After thinking on it for a moment he finally spoke up," I was once given a problem like this one to solve where both situations seemed almost impossible to choose from. One one hand yes hunting them down would indeed cause a few of the villages followers to drop it also decreases the chances of the rebellion happening and the same effect to happen. Though those people chose this path of their own mind, it is essential that a village and a home have a pillar that they can look into. Without the queen the people of this village have no leader and the rebellion would spread to other planes until the village would be in an internal war. But on the other hand quelling the fire before it burns hit hotter saves not only the queen but also the village from going down a darker path," his answer was quite long but that has been what he believed.

The green eyed royal raised a skeptical eyebrow at Dusk'a declaration that hugs were the finest form of currency. Being a treasurer, Tehniyat had always held stock in gold and bonds, land and livestock, and most of all, leverage. Nowhere in her old accounting scrolls were hugs listed as a form of valid currency. The closest comparison the princess could draw was the production of heirs which proved an asset to both parties. And even that didn't require as much affection as it did determination as far as she was aware.

When asked if anyone hugged her, the princess was too stunned to do anything but shake her head in an honest no. While her young cousin may have shown affection towards her, Tehniyat was uncertain if it was classified as a hug. The young woman almost jumped out of her chair however when Dusk demonstrated what a hug was, reaching over and softly wrapping his small arms around her.

The princess tensed, unsure whether to call for her guards or remain still until he was done. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to ponder long. The dark haired ninja released her almost immoderately, a big, infectious smile on his face.

"That was... unusual," the princess declared, resetting her posture to ramrod straight. "Not unpleasant, simply unusual," she added, hoping not to alarm the boy. "Do you get hugged often?" she asked in return. Perhaps he could tell her more. To his answer of her riddle, she merely kept silent, turning it over in her head. Perhaps this young ninja was ready for a task? Or perhaps he wasn't. She would have to see how he conducted himself throughout the rest of their meeting.