A Primal Saturnalia [Open]

His two tour guides led the way, with Takeo staying at a reasonable distance from them. The elder of the two gave a vague explanation in response to his own query. Takeo gave a slight nod in response. For a festival such as this many people would take their own meaning to it. It was evident all around. Different people, different methods. It was a day to either mourn or celebrate the passing of others. Nero added on to this by mentioning the drums. Despite his own lack of attachment to this village and it's people Takeo couldn't help but smile at the thought.

The solitary village within the ocean yelling out as one. Announcing it's presence to the world in it's own way. Despite the tragedies and losses it had experienced the people here weren't letting it get to them. Peculiar people. Takeo commented to his other half.

Takeo listened quietly to the younger of the trio while she spoke. The slip up in her wording was not lost to the man. He didn't feel sorry for the girl despite the clear meaning behind the change. Loss was a natural part of life, especially that as a shinobi. Regardless of methods or reasons everyone would experience it in the end.

Nero confirmed Takeo's own thoughts when they arrived at the beach finally. There were several bonfires dotted along the coast. Each like their own beacon in the darkness acting as guides for the civilians. The crowd began to splinter off into their own groups. Families and friends going off to do their own celebrations for the night.

Takeo remained where he was, his eyes on the nearest fire. From the corner of his vision he noted Asami making her way down toward the water. Takeo was unsure of what to do. The beat of the drums was calling to him, trying to draw his mind away from the present. A voice snapped him back for the moment. Takeo snapped his gaze from the fire and to the source. Nero had drawn his attention to the group of shirtless individuals by the bonfire. Light from the bonfire reflected off the sharpened blades that were carried by the group. Instinctively Takeo tensed up. Was this an attack during the festival? It would be a prime location to do so.

It was the lack of true reaction by anyone else around him that put the man at ease, somewhat. Takeo watched the older woman stepped toward the bonfire. He blinked as he watched the little ritual take place. "That's one way of doing it I guess." Takeo commented. Turning his head over toward Nero he observed that he was preparing for his own part of the ritual. When asked about whether he would be joining Takeo gave a small smile. "No thanks, maybe next year."

And with that the two would go their separate ways for now. Nero would make his way toward the bonfire and Takeo toward the water's edge. The warmth of the bonfire faded as Takeo crossed the sand. By the time the small waves lapped against his feet the breeze in the air sent a shiver down his spine. The sky was clearer down toward the shore on this night. Moonlight had begun to shine down upon the isles and there were some stars visible within the darkened sky.

Takeo looked out across the water. The water was clear on the horizon. Hard to believe that beyond that was the storm that protected the islands. Behind him Takeo could hear the sounds of the celebrations, the chanting of the crowd as each group performed their own celebrations. It felt distant though, drowned out by the ever beating drums. With his hands in his jacket pocket Takeo simply stared out into the water for some time.

Finally he sighed. "A good as time as any." The white haired man murmured. He knelt down onto the wet sand. Reaching up to his neck Takeo undid the string that let a hat rest against his shoulder blades. Grasping onto it the man pulled the hat into his lap and looked over it. The symbol etched into the hat was faded. Takeo doubted that most of the people living here would even be able to recognise what it stood for now.

Takeo remained still, simply looking at the hat. A small smile forced its way through. "We had some good times didn't we?" He spoke. "Bet ya thought I was going to end up like the other two huh?" His grip on the hat tightened. "Well..guess you were wrong. I'm still standing despite everything. Suppose I have you to thank for that. Who knows where I'd be if you hadn't of left in the first place right?" The smile faded away, his expression darkening. "I blame you for all of this. All of my actions since then were because you left Den. The village is gone because you didn't come back fast enough for it to simply go back to how it used to be."

More chanting from behind Takeo drew his attention for a second. It was enough to clear his head for a moment to prevent him from going on a tirade. "I.." Takeo hesitated, his eyes boring holes into the hat. "I never got the chance to apologise for everything." Takeo tore his gaze away from the hat. He looked out to the horizon once more. "And now you're gone you bastard. The fuck did you do that for?" Once again he paused. His chakra condensed into his palms and spread out into the hat. For a moment nothing happened, then the hat disintegrated. "I'm sorry about everything Den. Rest well."

As the pieces drifted away in the water Takeo stood and turned his attention back to the bonfire. It seemed the ritual was now done with, as Nero was making his way down toward Asami who stood a little bit further down the beach. Takeo made his way over toward that location as well. While he wasn't very familiar with the two he felt as if he were unofficially part of the group for at least tonight. "It's a good night for this." He would comment as he came within earshot of them. "The atmosphere is incredible. I'm glad I was able to be part of this." Even if I was forced to come.

The chilling grasp of the sea had worked its way bone deep, and finally become too much for the blonde genin at the shore's edge.  As his loose, plain white t-shirt caught a bit of a sea breeze and ruffled losely around his torso, Hayate's mind flickered back to the short trip in the balmy land of fire.  He wouldn't trade living in Kiri for any other village in the world, but some days the boy did wish he could change the climate just a bit.

He went to kick off the soggy twig that had floated onto his feat and rejoin the other festival goer's in the warmth of the fire.  But the twig wouldn't move.  He shook his foot again, then looked down at a long orange limb resting across it.

Oh no.  Not you again.

A tentacle from a foot long squid lay across his lake, the thief he had encountered a few days before.  Two black orbs it used as eyes looked up at him, making a mix between a sucking and squeaking noise, and then made a lurch inland.  It looked back up at him expectantly.

"I dont have any music now."  He felt rediculous whispering down to a squid, and hoped no one could see him.  "Really I dont, just let me go."  Hayate looked around quickly to see if anyone was looking.  A man letting dust fly out to over the water, and a bit beyond him, a short girl in the shadows, but no one wondering why this boy had lost his mind.

The squid nodded as if it understood and that was obvious, but repeated its gesture and noise.  It... wanted to go inland?  He didn't look as graceful on land as he had when Hayate had decided to call him Hiko Yume (flying dream) as he glided through the water.  Could it be asking for help?

Fuck it.  This was a night of weird things, of individuality expressed as a group.  The damn thing was just as much Kiri as he was.  Maybe it was some reincarnated soul.  "Fine."  He let out an exasperated sigh.  He held open a large pocket on his cargo pants.  "I'm definitely loosing my mind.  Get in if you're coming."  Hiko crawled up his leg, suckers and attaching and loosening skillfully as it chittered to itself in a satisfactory manner.  It had clearly gotten its desired result.  The squid plopped down into the pocket, its loose jelly like body conforming to the new container and creating a bulge.  Hayate instantly regretted the decision, as the wet squid created a pool of water in the pocket, trailing down the pant leg and ensuring the chill would continue long after he left the sea.

He turned to make his way back up the beach, only to encounter the backlit figure of Nero walking down to the shores edge.  He paused to make sure the shadowy features of the tall man were Nero - the hair was shorter and ragged, his face was painted red, and a few splotches of blood were begining to show on the taller ninja's shirt.  But it definitely was the unconventional ninja he was familiar with. So he was one of the cutters.  

"Nero?"  Hayate shivered a bit, the cold water dripping down his leg adding to his discomfort.  He really wanted to get closer to the fire.   "You alright?  You probably shouldn't wander off alone right after you take part in... that."

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wc579 twc1389

Asami inhaled the salty air as a soft breeze blew inland.

Somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, and beneath the inky blackness of sea lay her parents. She liked to think they died together, but the cynical part of her refused to believe it. The sea was merciless in how it took lives; sharks, dehydration, drowning, and the list went on. It was unlikely the pair died together; the sea was merciless and the life was cruel—if the kunoichi had learned anything in the past few months it was this simple fact.

She took another breath and the wind calmed leaving only the rising scent of smoke.

A voice brought the girl back to reality, Nero's voice. She glanced over at the bloodied man unsurprised but looking as if she had just woken from a dream. The festival had some rather strange quirks that only the bravest indulged in. That said, she wasn't certain if Nero was brave or crazy. I guess in the end it doesn't matter much, she thought to herself nodding in agreement with Takeo before responding to the madman's question.

"Oh, I don't know," her voice wavered. "We could go a bit closer to the docks."

She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the mess of wood and metal.

"I heard they're cooking up fish over there."

She hadn't just heard it, she knew it. Every year her father had been one of the fishermen who offered up his latest catch to the village during this festival. He would spend hours by the fires cooking each fillet to perfection and then handing them out to the masses. It was a labor of love for the late Kenchi and this season was meant to be the season he allowed Asami to help him. And now? Well, now it would never be.

"Come on."

Her gaze flicked across the three other figures lingering half a second longer on Hayate before she dashed off through the sand and towards the dock. She felt the familiar tug at the corners of her eyes and a few tears fell down her cheeks and into the sand. Her parents, Hayate, this whole village; they had all changed.

By no means reaching anywhere near her top speed, the young girl arrived at the docks a couple of minutes later where she was greeted by a smaller group of people gathered around a single fire. She stopped, wiped the tears from her eyes, and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

This was, in her opinion, where the real festival was to be had, among friends.

Kiri was a REALLY small town. The only reoccurring people in it seemed to be Asami and Hayate. Nero looked over to Takeo, wondering if he was in here to stay, or another passerby. "Nice to see you're enjoying this, Takeo. You know, there are competitions and games everywhere, I'm sure we can find something you'd like. Just tell me what you're looking for.". He then turned back to Hayate to answer him. "No, don't worry. We washed it over with sanitizers, and the cuts weren't deep in the first place. I'm not bleeding that hard.". 

Asami was as much a closed box as always. Hey, maybe Takeo would have been one to get along with her. Even he seemed a bit more cheerful though. "Fish does sound wonderful. Oh! There's probably a fishing competition somewhere. You guys wanna catch our meal instead?". Nero voiced his suggestion with less interest than a suggestion regularly had. "I mean, I'm fine with either, I just want you three to enjoy some event in this festival. There are things everywhere.".

Another person had joined the trio. Takeo hadn't seen them before, not uncommon when it came to members of Kirigakure. His mood had taken a turn. Originally the idea of staying together with others to learn about the festival had seemed like a good idea. However now that he had said what he had to say, there wasn't much else for the man to do. While the others seemed keen on continuing with the festival, Takeo had changed his priorities. "I regret to say that I will be taking my leave." Takeo spoke during a lull in the conversation. "Thank you for serving as my guides for this evening. While I'd like to stick around I have plans to meet my family soon."

Takeo gave a small wave to the group as they would move on, towards the docks from what he had caught in their conversation. The man himself would turn and make his way back to the Tadashi complex.

Kirigakure was quite an interesting place turns out.

[Exit]

2475 words.

1500 to Union to learn it.

975 toward Seventh Plague bringing it to 1878/3750

Approved

After hearing Nero address someone else first, the voice of asami from behind him startled Hayate a bit, just a small twitch/jump, but noticeable none the less.  He had assumed Nero was here alone.  The man just seemed to throw himself into everything without reservation, so seeing the reserved Asami together with him seemed quite the dichotomy.  

The blonde boy turned his head to see Asami, and caught sight of another man as well.  The man who had let the dust drift off across the waved.  He shifted his feet to open the two person conversation into a group.  The motion caused a few droplets of water to fall from his pants, wet up to the lower thigh, and darken the sand even more so.

Neros affirmation he was OK put the matter to rest for Hayate - he'd leave the genin's health to his own determination, it wasn't really Hayate's concern.  As asami mentioned fish, the creature in his combat pants side pocket wiggled slightly, though he hoped the movement was obscured by the shadows.  The man -seeming perfectly normal by all accounts- politely excused himself and left, leaving just the familiar three. 

Asami did her quick flickering gaze, and Hayate thought it was a trick of the night they looked like the mist of kiri itself had taken them over, a bit more clouded and hazy with water, before she averted her eyes and asked them to follow.

"I'll catch right up.  I've got something to do."  He assured them, and headed instead toward the closest bonfire, not far away.  He was at least going to see this crazy night through.

As he approached the roaring fire, the flickering flame making shadows dance even more wildly behind already wild dancers, a welcome wave of heat washed over and enveloped him.  He could stay next to the fire all night.  But first, he unclasped his pocket.  HikoYume at first shied away from the heat as it finally hit him, but peeked his head out.  The tiny squid then retreated back into the pocket and produced a small shell from .... somewhere.  It reached out with just one tentacle, putting the shell in Hayate's hand, then pointing over to the fire.  Understanding, Hayate gave the object a small underhanded toss, as Hikoyume peeked out of the pocket once again.  Once the shell reached the fire, the squid seemed to go limp in relief.  Hayate didn't understand, but he didn't understand much about this night, excepted that everyone had their own part.  The squids part done, Hayate went to go down to the water, but Hikoyume made a quick suckering sound in annoyance.  The orange creature indicated toward the retreating figures of Asami and Nero.  Had the greedy thing understood them when they were talking about fish?


"Oh no, we're done."  Hayate went to reach and pull the creature out, but it suckered tight and began admonishing him in its own weird sounds.  He continued the struggle for a moment before remembering the debacle on the boat and gave in.  "I can't believe I'm being pushed around by THIS thing."  He let the squid nestle in again, as it somehow exuding an unbearable smugness at the same time, and started his way across the beach toward the others.

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WC 546 twc 2049 (note my previous TWC was messed up because i put the wrong WC on my second post, this is the new correct one)

Possible exit if both others exit (if they dont exit, dont approve me, I'll keep going with em)
5 stats Hayate
5 Stats HikoYume
HikoYume claims Genjutsu Release (500wc) and Substitution jutsu (500wc)
Hayate uses 1049 WC towards B rank Split second (1652-> 2701)/3000

And so the night went how one might expect such a night to go. Song and dance slowly devolved into quiet whispers as the mob dispersed into smaller groups. Soon even the feral yells became less and less frequent until at last the night was silent save for the crackling of fires. A few figures kept a silent vigil over the dying fires, but Asami took it upon herself to brave the dark path home. It had been a bittersweet night filled with old memories, but now all she wanted to do was sleep.

Unfortunately, sleep would not come...

[Exit, TWC: 1811, 221 words towards first Cosmic Sibling, 1000/1000 words towards a second Cosmic Sibling, 590 words towards A-rank Soul Resonance, and +9 stats (5 strength & 4 health)]

Well, the festival was kind of slowing down at that point. Asami and Takeo didn't seem to be interested in continuing participation. The night slowly ended. What was Hayate doing all this time? Nero wasn't sure. He could never have guessed he was busy hanging out with a squid. In fact even if he was told, he probably wouldn't have believed it. It was far too absurd for the ice-controlling white haired boy whose best friend and most hated rival was a young adult miniature polar bear. 

Nero peaced out as well. It was kind of his thing.

[EXIT. WC: 2004. Claiming;

10 Stats. 
645 words towards Ice Release: Ice Ball  (1713+218+101+307+1016+645 = 4000/4000)
1000 words towards Soul Expulsion upgrading it from C to B
359 word towards upgrading Ice Release: Weapons from C to B (359/1000)]

Approved.