Formal Introductions [P/I]

Kamiko was waiting within the pews of the currently church she called home, those who had been in attendance had already left and no other visitors were to be expected save for one; a young man she had met briefly during and an encounter involving a pickpocket and another woman who she would have to spend some more time alone with at a later date. She had invited the young man to visit her church so that the two may speak more openly about not only her religion and her desire to have him join her Following, but also about the man himself and how Kamiko could guide the lost soul onto the right path - her path.

As she waited for the man to arrive, Kamiko closed her eyes and focused upon the sound of the spirit within her mind, allowing them to speak to her openly as she calmly placed her hands upon her lap in an idle manner:

"He will make a fine Follower." Zyarae commented to Kamiko, who hummed externally while responding internally to the Spirits words. "On that, we agree." She added, a pause following this before she then added. "I feel as if the boy will be grateful to have a home and someone other than himself to call Family; We all deserve that much." She would say, to which Zyarae seemed to half-heartedly agree before leaving the Priestess alone for the time being. It seemed that Zyarae was not feeling particularly talkative today, which was not something that troubled Kamiko too much and instead allowed her to think more freely for once and to more ... lucid in a sense than the spirit allowed her to be.

Opening her eyes again, Kamiko turning her attention out of the window of the church. Her thoughts roamed to her place in this society and how Zyarae and their presence in her mind would affect her purpose in all of this: She hoped that it wouldn't, but deeper down within her heart and mind she knew that after her encounter with Zyarae, she could never be the same as she originally had intended to be. This was no longer simply a way to give herself a home and a Following who she controlled, this had morphed into her becoming a Prophet for a powerful spirit whose intentions she still could not fully understand or perhaps ever hope to.

Frowning, she gazed out at the people wandering the streets of the Marketplace and wished that she could be such as they were; wandering about in search of something greater than themselves. She had found that 'something' and had become its Prisoner, this place of worship and of hope now having become a Prison.

And this was a Prison within which she began to realize there was truly no escape.

[472 WC]

Shigi was again, there. Walking through town, going to Church after having been in an incident involving an incredibly overweight thief who could run incredibly fast for his size. He had never been to a Church, though knew his parents were slightly religious when they had been living the in village of Kumogakure. The religiousness in the family stopped shortly after his father went insane, however. He wasn't quite sure how well he would enjoy this new experience. He knows he can always trust a priest, according to his father anyways. However, religion does seem to have a way of changing people. He recalls his father, once a happy man in an incredibly abusive relationship. After he got out of the relationship, the religion stopped, and hence he became insane. There seemed to be some real correlation there, Shigi figured. Religion seems to make his family go to incredible lengths of insanity, which he wasn't very comfortable in going to at this point in his life.

He decided to go along, anyways. The worst that would happen is he learns not to trust priests, in the best case scenario he has some place to confirm his kill count every time discusses his sins. A better best case scenario would be a life long friend who may or may not know some good raiding routes. Either way however, he was about to find out for himself.

He walked up to he Church as some of the last members of the group was leaving. Looks like he was running a tad bit late to the sermons. How unfortunate, he thought to himself. With a genuine feeling of upsetness in his gut, he went up to the doors and gave two whole hefty knocks. After that, he announced in a shout; "Coming in!" Opening the door, he looked around. The lady who had invited him to the Church sits on the far end near the window, "Ah!" he shouts, in a very excited tone, "Your church looks lovely! Sorry for missing what I assume was the main sermon." Shigi then began to close the door, and walk over to the lady, so he wouldn't have to shout as loud.

[366]

Kamiko was broken out of her thoughts by the voice of the familiar young man she had met earlier that week. She smiled gently at his eager voice and rose an arm up in the air, performing a gesturing motion toward herself and if he were to continue approaching she would then gesture to the pew beside her in a signal for him to take a seat:

"I would prefer that we have the opportunity to speak alone." She would say, the smile remaining softly upon her lips as she waited for him to either accept or decline the seat before continuing further. "I would like to learn more about you, and in turn I would be more than willing to share some things about myself." She added, folding her hands upon her lap as she continued to speak. "As I may have told you before, my name is Kamiko - or Kami-sama as my flock calls me." As she introduced herself, Kamiko would reach up and take off the small headpiece from her head and place it to her chest, giving a little bow of her head in turn as a gesture of respect toward the young man and giving him time to introduce himself properly before continuing on with her speech.

"As you may have also guessed, I am a Priestess and I serve the Goddess Zyarae; She who seeks to unite all of those who seek a home and a purpose under her banner and my personal guidance." Kamiko said this all in a calm, soft tone that suggested she felt all of this was fairly ordinary and that it all made perfect sense to her, even if it may come off as somewhat delusion to a nation who seemed to be mostly without a diverse faith.

"I have asked you to come here because I believe that you could use a home within my Following." Kamiko would say while reaching out to place a hand upon the young man's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "You have the look about you of someone who deserves so much more than you have and one who needs a proper hand to guide them upon more ... lucrative paths in life." She would add this last half of her sentence with a grin forming upon her lips, hinting that definitely had more than just spiritual enlightenment in mind when she said such. "All I would need of you is a simple oath of allegiance toward myself and Zyarae and, in return: I can give you everything that you have ever needed, wanted, and more - in due time." She would conclude her offer while staring into the man's eyes, as if she were boring them into his very soul.

"And if we are being truthful; When will you ever get an offer like this again, especially around here among thieves and murderers?" Kamiko said after a long pause, her eyes narrowing somewhat as she seemed to be focusing her gaze more intently upon him. "Besides, I am a woman of faith, and as such certainly my words hold more weight than a common criminal, don't they?" Her gaze would then soften once again and she would brush her hair a bit with one hand, before then speaking further. "Ah, I apologize, I suppose that I can be a bit intense sometimes -- If you've any questions for me about my offer or myself, I would me more than willing to answer." She would say with a soft, gentle natured laugh that suggested a more calm state of mind than her intense stare may have let on - nevertheless, the burden was on the young man now to accept or deny the offer, or perhaps ask a few questions before committing either way.


[1,104 Total WC]

As Shigi approached the woman, she gestured for him to have a seat, which he had been eagerly wanting to do for a while now, considering how long he'd been walking for. He took a seat in the first row of pews, as he was already on his way up there. Kamiko had begun speaking, saying that she invited him here to speak alone, and that she wanted to learn about him. She would then introduce herself, taking off her religious priest headpiece in a bow. "I would remove my headband and bow -- but no one would like to see my hair like that!" He would say, in a loud vain attempt at a whisper. Shigi then stood up to take a bow of his own. "My name is Shigi Uzumaki. As you may not have heard, I was born in the village of Kumogakure, and was for a small time trained to be a Shinobi. Though that hadn't worked out too well." He would then take a seat.

She went on to talk about why she had invited Shigi here, about giving people homes and purpose under the banner of Zyarae. He nodded as she spoke, thinking that a place to stay would be nice, but he was thinking this wouldn't be in a literal sense. Unless she were to mean that people were allowed to stay in the Church to use as a sort of resting area, which would actually be great because he wouldn't need to sleep in a tent any longer.

Shigi would allow Kamiko to finish speaking before saying anything, knowing he can be unusually loud. Occasionally he would nod his head, usually on parts he agreed or understood with. His eyes were closed all the while, focusing on listening. When he thought she had finished, he opened his eyes to see her staring into them. It had felt very unusual, and unnerving, at least at first. She then went on to say that he may never get another chance, in what seemed to be a much more sinister way than necessary. Shigi figured that she may simply be slightly odd, and held nothing against her.

After she finished speaking, he would once again close his eyes, for just a moment as he bought his left leg up to rest on his right. "So," he said, in an unusually calm tone of voice than most would be used to from him, "I know I'm a common criminal. I've stolen from people, I may or may not have killed a person. You would still allow me into your religion?"

He paused, and would wait for her to reply before continuing with his list of questions; "What would 'Zyarae' have me do? I'd be willing to do a lot for anyone offering me a place to stay, considering I've done most things without being offered anything." He said, he was hoping he was pronouncing Kamiko's Godess correctly. The list of crimes Shigi has comited typically involve a lot of violence. He was wondering just how far he would need to go for all of this, considering it wouldn't be too hard for a charismatic individual to orchestrate all of this. It would just be another evil organization binding together under the guise of helping it's servants, however he has no way of knowing that now, he would have to wait and see if this were some sort of scam. He decided he would keep an open mind, depending on Priest Kamiko's answers.

[952 wc]

Kamiko's soft, disarming smile would reappear on her lips after listening to Shigi speak, seeming to be perfectly fine with what she had heard as she would respond in the same gentle tone as she had first used - being careful not to shift into the admittedly unintended sinister tones that Zyarae had induced into her for a moment. She again gave him a reassuring hand on his shoulder along with her speech as she attempted to let herself again into the role of a Priestess as she had been for the short time during her earlier life, before becoming entwined with the entity she now served. Although, she supposed that she still was officially a Priestess, just not one borne of a self-interested and much simpler faith as she had been before:

"If I did not intend to allow you into my Following, I would not have asked you to come here, Shigi." Kamiko would say in what was nearly a whisper, leaning a bit closer to the young man so that she could hear him even with her voice being lowered in volume. "You can be so much more than what you are now, I am certain of it -- I sense the potential for greatness inside of you, all you need is a helping hand to guide you to achieving it." She would continue, leaning back into her original position again as she spoke at a more normal volume now. "I intend to build a home someday, a place where all manner of those who were cast out from contemporary society can call home; A place where those such as You and I will be able to prosper and become strong enough to strike back against the cruel leaders of this world who would sell their own families for the right price and those to whom loyalty is nothing but a word." She would explain her intentions with what seemed to be honesty to the young man, neither her tone nor the look in her wistful eyes as she gazed up to the sky seeming to betray any notion of an ulterior motive.

"To put it quite simply, Shigi, all Zyarae and myself would need from you is to pledge yourself to us and help make this dream of mine into a reality -- In return, I can promise you a home and a family." She would conclude her offer as the smile slowly faded from her lips while awaiting a response from the young man, her gaze focused upon him - however not as intently or eerily as before. She was not attempting to read into him at this moment, instead, she seemed to be complacent in simply letting him speak for himself rather than trying to delve into the mind of a man whose trust she was attempting to gain.

As she waited for the man to respond, the voice of Zyarae would speak up again in Kamiko's mind; ethereal tendrils wrapping around her mind and the deities words slinking through her thoughts like some sort of snake: "He has a head on his shoulders, at least." Zyarae would begin as Kamiko felt the spiritual eyes of the Goddess as they looked upon her and then Shigi. "I like this one -- Loud, but sometimes loud Is what is needed to get the job done." The spirit would say, before the feeling of them within her mind faded somewhat, signaling the Spirit was nearly finished communicating.

"I only hope that you are willing to kill him, too, if the time comes for that." Zyarae concluded with those chilling words as Kamiko felt herself tense up somewhat, yet she did her best to hide any emotion from the encounter on her face -- the last thing she needed was to make the young man worry or become doubtful about the offer, she needed to ensure he joined her Following at all costs -- or else she knew what would come next.

[1,769 total wc]

Shigi would listen. Kamiko would continue to explain that he had been bought here for a reason, she seemed to be building him up. He wasn't all against what she was saying, though he was sure he would need to remain skeptical throughout this entire venture. She would then begin speaking of her intentions, building a home to which Shigi, her, and Zyarae's followers could become strong. Strong enough to stand up to the cruelty of the current world leaders. This doesn't really strike a chord with Shigi, however he can respect her reasoning, and others for choosing to follow due to her intentions. This does seem like something he could agree with for the long run. "Very well then," he says, using a more normal than loud voice. "I agree." He says, simply.

"I will work for you -- for Zyarae in exchange for an eventual home. I believe that this is a noble cause, that I will help strive for." As he continues speaking, his tone progressively becomes louder, and his grin slowly starts to return. The one that can almost never seem to leave his face, unless he's being very serious. "So, do I have to sign up somewhere?"

He would wait for Kamiko to reply before continuing to talk, not wanting to be rude to the first priest he's seen in years, as that could be very bad luck. "Also, is there anything else you needed? I was probably going to finally do some actual shinobi training -- though that's pretty hard without anyone to actually teach you anything..." He began speaking, though it quickly changed to mumbling shortly after he had announced what he was planning to do after this.

[1235]

"I am very glad to hear that." Kamiko would say genuinely after Shigi had agreed to help her in her cause, something she had been definitely counting on but not certain as to whether or not it would happen. It was, in her eyes, meant to be after all and now she could begin to see her Following once again begin to grow as it had in the past. Things were about to change for the better and whether the world approved of it or not, Kamiko was going to be the head of the most distinctive and influential religious movement that the Shinobi world had ever seen. She just needed more time, and more importantly, to hone her own skills -- which brought her back to the present moment, where Shigi had mentioned in a mumbling voice about training and having no one to teach him:

"Why don't we train together?" She suggested with a smile, a grin of her own forming upon the lips of the Priestess as she elaborated upon her suggestion. "I may not have much in the way of things to teach myself, but I am versed in some abilities that you may find at the very least interesting; and of course it never hurts to simply have another person at your side to make the training less of a chore." Kamiko added with a nod to herself that suggested she was fairly set on the idea of training with Shigi even though she had hardly trained herself since she had arrived from her old village.

She figured that this training session, if the young man accepted, would serve not only as a way to finally begin to put some more work into the body she had neglected for the past several years when it came to learning the Ninja arts; but it would also be a rather simple way of seeing what Shigi was currently capable of and in what direction she needed to push him in order to train a man who would be capable of providing the sort of assistance she was most certain would be required once her Following began to grow and resistance against their righteous cause began to do so in turn. It was only a matter of time, and she needed to be prepared to defend her flock when the time did eventually come.

If the young man accepted her offer, she would begin leading him away from the church and to an isolated area just outside of the marketplace and the small collective of buildings therein where the two could train uninterrupted for at least a decent length of time. She would then tilt her head slightly to the side, speaking a question soon after doing so:

"How would you like to begin?" She asked him in a manner that suggested she intended for him to propose the starting activity for their session, her gaze focused on the young man in a neutral manner as she awaited a response, Zyarae doing so in kind with a hungry eagerness to see the mans talent if he possessed any. Kamiko was aware of the latter due to the familiar ethereal gripping against her very mind that she felt whenever Zyarae was watching through her eyes; it was something which disturbed her, but she did her best at all times to repress any sort of external visual that may give away her internal struggle with the deity and its invasion of her very mind and body.

[2,355 Total WC]

She first began to respond by saying that she was glad that Shigi had made the decision to aide her cause. He couldn't help too much though. He didn't tell her that, of course. But he wasn't very strong, fast, and didn't know any jutsu on top of all that. The best he can do is point a knife at someone and say, 'hey you, gimme your money!' but, that is not gonna help out much when it comes to this, he feels. He decided he'll have to train harder before they need anything real from him, but at the same time, he doesn't know how he can help. From what he was taught back in his village, he knows a few incredibly basic taijutsu moves, and a little bit about Medical Ninjutsu, knowing enough to where he wanted to where his interests in it makes him want to pursue that knowledge.

She spoke up again, not too long after. She suggested the two of them train together, but that she couldn't teach much of anything. He began to think that she had limited knowledge just as he had, which inspired some hope there. Perhaps he wasn't the only one starting from scratch. "Hey! That's a great idea actually!" He said, shouting once again with a huge grin on his face. He didn't think she was interested all that much when it came down to anything involving Shinobi related business, though if she is around here she is probably strong enough to take care of herself.

Shigi would begin to follow her out to a more isolated area outside of the small town. Looking around, there was pretty much no one here. He realized he didn't have much to do training wise, he's never actually taken it seriously prior to this, never had the chance to. He was taken out from his thoughts when she asked what he would like to do for the training session, which would cause him to speak up with "I don't really know uh, when I train all I usually do is just.." He would stop, look for the largest rock he would carry on his back, and point to it. "I'd normally just carry a huge rock across the town, until I was too tired. Never really had to take any of this too seriously, as all I was ever doing was mugging and running." He stopped his talk-shout and began to think, "We could try just simply sparring?" He asked, since he didn't know what else he could do.

[1661]

When Shigi made the suggestion for them to spar, Kamiko would raise a brow in curiosity as a smile formed upon her lips; It was true that she had neglected her physical training over the several-year-long period since becoming a Missing Ninja, however, she had been training fervently in the arts gifted to her by her Clan and as a result had begun to gain a passable understanding of Paper Release and some of the techniques that came along with it. More interesting to her and Zyarae, however, was Kamiko's growing knowledge of the Genjutsu arts; which allowed for the young woman to alter the perceptions and mental state of an individual -- something that most certainly came in handy when dealing with those who were less inclined to willingly partake in her sermons. These techniques allowed for her, to a degree, exert control over her congregation and make her words and faith all the more believable:

"I would be honored to spar with you, Shigi." She would say after a moment of silence, smiling as she took up a position a few arm lengths away from the young man. "Whenever you are ready, you make strike the first blow." She would then add with her expression becoming a more neutral one as she allowed herself to enter a slightly more serious demeanor and expression while preparing herself into a battle stance at the same time; with her arms raised in front of herself slightly and fists clenched into what appeared to be your typical boxing stance.

At the same time, she kept her eyes focused intently upon Shigi while waiting for him to make the first move -- this would be a test for the both of them and she was curious to see how well he fared against her.

Internally, Zyarae would once again creep into Kamiko's mind and invade her vision; sizing the young man up as they let out a soft laugh of amusement at the scenario. "He may not appear all that threatening, but the boy certainly has the heart of someone who could thrive in our little 'home' as you called it." Zyarae would say, before then adding in a curious tone. "Though -- I wonder what he would think if he knew just what he has truly resigned himself to?" Zyarae proposed, eliciting an imperceptible shake of Kamiko's head in response as the Priestess responded to the Spirit internally. "We will know when the time comes, now is not the time for worry -- Allow me to test the boy by my own merits, your time will come, Goddess." She would respond coldly toward the Spirit who simply seemed to fade from the woman's mind with a simple: "As you wish."

With that, Kamiko would return fully into the moment after what was no more than a few seconds of internal conversation as her conversation with Zyarae had been rapid-fire within her mind. Her gaze was focused still upon Shigi and her body prepared to fight as she continued to wait for him to make the first move.

[2,866 Total WC]

Shigi, after Kamiko had agreed to the spar, would spend a moment trying to calm himself. Being too excited mid combat wouldn't do anything other than lead to a quick defeat. That's what his mother had taught him in the past, anyways. However, he always had trouble doing so, back then and even now. Keeping calm has never been something he had been good at. Even now, his heart beats slightly faster due to excitement. He took one last calming breath, exhaling through his mouth, however it hadn't worked. A grin grew on his face, he knew this wouldn't be a long fight if she had any sort of combat abilities. Even after being taught in the past, his eagerness for fighting is what prevented him from actually learning.

Without managing to calm down, he would put up a simple battle pose - feat spread out, his arms raised to his chest, and he would charge at about half speed. He wasn't very far away at that moment, only ten feet, but he was incredibly slow. He was taught a little bit of Taijutsu in the past, but nothing fancy. Nothing he could pull out in an actual fight against anyone who knew what they were doing. The only thing he could really do was throw a punch towards Kamiko's face, and see what would happen next.

[1887]