Stranglehold [P, Ballian]

Wed Apr 29, 2020 10:05 pm

Mino leans over the sedated form of an injured genin. Eyebrows knitted in focus, she gently draws her fingertips away from the girl's throat, watching intently as the angry red seal formulas crisscrossing her throat dissolve. Mino draws back carefully and gingerly turns over the girl's head, looking around the other side to ensure that she has fully broken the seal. The emergency unit is, for the most part, blessedly quiet as she works, the hospital workers around her quietly watching her work and monitoring vitals.

The genin's injuries are rather minor, thanks to the timely intervention of her squad leader, but the winding seal around her throat could have caused severe problems. Mino was woken up at three in the morning to come to break it, immediately after the team's hasty return, but she hardly feels the fatigue.

"That'll do it," Mino says, turning to the emergency physician. "Don't do anything to strain her chakra network. Put that on her chart, won't you?" she gestures to one of the nurses closer to the foot of the bed without looking at him. "I'll be upstairs if you find anything else."

Mino flicks her lighter to life as she steps out on to the garden rooftop of the hospital, squinting up at the half-moon as she lights a cigarette. It's a losing gamble to try and find a moment of solitude up here, but Mino is giving it a shot anyway. Though the shinobi in the hospital below should all, in theory, be in bed, they're always quite good at sneaking out for some fresh air... and there's always the possibility of visitors enjoying the quiet up here, such as herself. It's a pleasant, clear night, the lights of the ring-shaped village gleaming.

The middle-aged woman exhales smoke, running a hand through the waves of her short hair.

Missions have felt so odd, lately. Mino wonders what that girl had thought of hers. For so long, the interests of the village had been tied to the leadership of one man. Now, even with an ostensible new leader, Mino still feels as though she's one feather on a shambling, headless chicken.

[354]

Wed Apr 29, 2020 11:41 pm

"Most people would blame themselves for being irresponsible to make someone suffer the collision of damaging scenarios in combat, but in retrospect of my own being, why would I waste such time being judged for the mistake of an actions of others, is it my fault for not calculating the swift and failed to predicted damage that was bound to happen, I guess you could say so. But, the value of one's opinion is skin deep and I at times, can miscalculate a moment, that genin didn't choose to think about the counter measures of the outcome and that is the fault of theirs, that is probably where I can fix the mistake."

Ballian sat upon the roof top above the door as he was writing inside his small journal notebook. It was something he seen a lack of others do when deciding the factors of the problems and missions in front of their selves. Ballian's handwriting was pretty awful and was fairly legible to read to a point, but when it comes to actually putting the work in, they could decipher 'his code' of awful handwriting. The moonlight that shined down past the soft weak drizzle of rain droplets that rained from the sky above bounced off the bright crystallized hair of his own that could almost resemble the moon itself, it reflected onto the pages he was writing on and at points began to mistakenly write in weird posts at moments and looking like he was capitalizing his letters more often than anything.

Upon getting frustrated at the moment of writing, he began to close the notebook slowly and below him the sound of two pieces of metal sheering away from each other and allowing for the door to open outwards, an older women appeared from the door and began to walk forward into the open top area that was surrounded by delicate but beautiful vegetation and herbs of sorts that could result in chemical compounds to create anything from drugs, to medical ointment, to potentially even eating. He could tell that someone working in the building below used this area as an escape to feel a sigh of relief and it made him smile, but then that moment you seen the flicker of a lighter, it designed a radiation of a chemical reaction for herself, a cigarette. Unfortunate state of a day it must be, this must be the woman who is assisting with the Genin that he brought in.

"You know, that for someone who probably has a very high level of understanding the difference is saving a life and taking one away from someone, you choose to lead yourself way down the path of the latter of two. I can say I am not shocked, but for someone of such caliber and depth of understanding such a thing, you would think. ' Do I want to really sacrifice moments of my life to gain temporary resignation of relief over 30 seconds of simple tobacco?" The moment after finish his sentence, he looked down and glided himself softly down to her level and began to walk up to her slowly with a look on his face that may make him come off as somewhat, agitated, but his tone did not radiate that.

"I am going to assume you are the one looking after the genin I have brought in, I appreciate the work you are putting in."

571 WC - TWC 571

Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:09 am

Seeing the silvery jonin here isn't much of a surprise. Though Mino cannot be sure that he is the squad leader of the genin recovering below them, it is her immediate suspicion. Though their village has a reputation for bloodthirstiness and intolerance for weakness, a sense of responsibility for your subordinates naturally lends itself to sentiment. Is that a journal, in his hands? Lately, Mino's been paying more attention to the hobbies and quirks of her colleagues - all the little ways they keep themselves level-headed. The ways that shinobi cope is of interest to her, particularly the way pride keeps it unspoken. Other villages are different in this regard, perhaps, but Mino suspects not too different.

On the note of coping mechanisms, Mino takes another drag of her cigarette as he speaks. Lovely, she adores being judged for her life choices by a squad leader whose subordinate she just saved from likely painful death. She's really feeling the gratitude washing over her. It's such a familiar admonishment, however, that she really doesn't feel the impulse to be snippy about it. Her response just sounds rote and tired.

"The job'll kill me before the smokes do. You know that." Though his sentiment was familiar, she's not quite sure whether she's annoyed or charmed by the obnoxious delivery. She looks at him with dark, sharp eyes, reading his expression. He's stressed out over the situation and trying to play it cool, by Mino's estimation.

"I was able to remove the seals cleanly, and you did good work with her arms. The kid'll be fine." An answer to an unasked question, perhaps. Mino extends her hand towards him in greeting. "Mino Kurokabi. I don't believe we've spoken."

[281]

Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:34 am

Ballian noticed the way the eyes of the medical advisor was glancing around and dancing with the words inside of her head and letting them brew inside her head as he was speaking and it was interesting to not see someone go on the defense on a very critical remark that was made towards her on the behalf of his own, you know someone that actually has no connections to them. His smile gained some traction to his grin when he was finished all his remarks and the replies that rippled off of her tongue one after another was quite amusing in his eyes in a way. But, the funniest thing was how her eyes bounced from his hair to the book in his hand and it gave him quite a dastardly outburst for humor at the same time. "My eyes are up here." The intention of it was as a joke, not to actually meddle any kind of resignation distinguish of agitation that he was trying to provoke out of Mino. When she replied with the job killing her before the cigarettes would wasn't probably far from a lie, seeing as medical ninja were rather resourceful and many would probably take their best shot to avoid having them hanging around long enough in a battle.

"You're right, I'll give you that. But for someone who probably would prefer to having a life full of value and meaning, it is kind of silly to continue with such a habit. The practical tactic would be to find something that doesn't contribute to that lack of extensive phrase known as a prospering and long life values, wouldn't you say?"

Ballian paid rather close attention to the next words she said and it wasn't anything shocking to him, but it was rather more or less a value of well maintained practice and understanding of the job, but he knew something wasn't accurate that he had an overwhelming in-depth level of knowledge, because if it anything realistic to his intelligent, he wouldn't of had to carry and bring her all the way here. She brought up the point about her arms and he shrugs a bit at the thought when it was brought up; it was fairly basic for a shonobi in practice to treat wounds as best as they can before any medical intention was to be implemented to protect a life or secure the value of it, or was that the simple fact he was also a medical-nin much like the lady before him, who knows.

The most interesting part of the conversation came to a striking climax and it was the name, deciphering the name as she began to mention hers and the name bounced around in his head a little, Mino... Not a common name, Kurokabi.... nor was that common to him in a way, but brought upon his curiosity to know more, upon her striking out her hand in the form of a greeting of respectful and gentle nature, he felt like the best course of action would be to match hers by extending his as well for a formal greeting.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mino. My name is Ballian Yuki, I assume the last name was oblvious enough to my clan's obvious traits of indistinguishably unique features that we hold." He said as his hand raised with his book in hand with the index finger extended pointing to his hair and then towards his eyes.

WC: 577 - TWC: 1,148

Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:11 am

Mino gives him a strong handshake. "Mm. No, I didn't make the leap. I couldn't find your eyes, after all." Mino brings her hand back and crosses her gangly arms over her chest, stepping closer to the roof so she can flick the ashes off of it. He must be intentionally trying to get under her skin. Ballian's further comments on her smoking habit are flat-out ignored for the moment. She has nothing to prove to him... and she has bigger fish to fry.

A private conversation with one of the jonin, particularly one with medical-nin training, should not be wasted on wasteful arguments. Mino's mind returns to her earlier thoughts of decapitated poultry. The village requires direction. If that will not come from the top, then it must come from the bottom. The middle, perhaps, in this case.

"I'm a shinobi. My values are the village's values," she says with an easy shrug, plucking out a piece of Ballian's criticism that she can pivot the conversation with. It's an idealistic statement bordering on an outright lie, of course, but not one that indicates disloyalty to the village. It's the lie they all tell themselves and one another. If there's one thing Mino believes, it's that the ultimate driving force behind most shinobi is ideology. They're all trying to sell you something, and Mino is no different. What's Ballian trying to sell? "I couldn't tell you what those are, at the moment, so who knows how much time I would need to live up to them."

[254]

Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:51 am

The grasp of a medical student or a medical personal that lived in the village should never catch him off guard, but the strength behind the grasp of Mino’s handshake was certainly interesting, most people don’t pay attention to somethings unless it comes behind the showcase of a specific type of deal that is brought between two that matter, this was a simple greeting and introduction of two people getting to know each other on a first name premise. He saw the way that she released her hand and took a step towards the ledge more and began to flick the ash off her cigarette and attempted to avoid the remark that came from Ballian and it caught him enough to raise an eyebrow in the thought of it, it wasn’t from the way she dodged the question or remark, it was the fact that she said she was a shinobi and a small sigh came out of him that got him to raise his thumb up to his face and rub the top left side of his lip a little bit to resonate on the thought of words that came out.

“You say your values are of the villages, hmm… Why is that? What makes you value the village above anyone else at this moment, what makes you look over this ledge and say, I can do better than others? What drives this ambitious thought that exists in yourself? Do you believe that you can connect the two by working through the hospital itself? DO you have a goal that feeds you to thrive in a place of bloodshed is the ultimate goal? WHERE do you stand in the process of elimination is validation!?” His voice began to extend into a stronger tone and carried meaning and relentless thought of what he believed in himself, it wasn’t the climax of war or battle that stroke his heart in getting to a high point that could establish fortitude or bridge the gap of reality and daydreaming as most would, it was the fact that people like himself that made him believe that at the end of an idea, there is promise and belief that there is a resolution to these escalating problems that begin to exist heavily more and more.

“I do not believe that we need to know the answers to questions we cannot answer at the moment, but we must find and always drive forward to excel the question to a resolution of proper protocol to not only make the people safer, but allow our jobs to be a shining pillar of understanding, a beacon of reliability that in the darkest of times, we can coil and spring into action with value, virtue and vigor that can be seen through the eyes of even the common man of this country. Do I know if our Mizukage has all this, I truly do not know… and do I wish to know? I do… Seeing as he doesn’t have an advisor, I question things, a lot of people speak rumors about him and state imprudent things I do not know are true, but I eliminate the thought, because the base facts they are trying to paint him as potentially weak because of the previous vilified acts that plague the rest of several other countries over the past years.”

The words that were spoken were accurate and true to Ballian’s ideology and something that may catch Mino off guard, he didn’t see a point in lying about such a feeling to another person, but to actually assist them in the understanding of his choice of thought, it allowed him to also possibly enlighten others on the belief that there is a possibility to think on a different level than your own. The Mizukage was one, he wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do to understand it from the distance he was and considered it an idea to actually attempt to meet him, not in your normal manner, but in an actual conversational manner.

“Have you met the Mizukage in conversation before? I don’t mean over a mission, or paying dues, or the latter of issues that may exist. I mean an actual conversation as we are right now?”

WC: 706 / TWC: 1,854

Thu Apr 30, 2020 2:40 am

Mino follows along with his tirade with gently-raised eyebrows, an expression of muted surprise in how much passion she has brought out of him in so few words. It's validating. The village's frustration and confusion runs hot through all of them, and finally Mino gets to see one of the inevitable eruptions.

"You're shouting, Ballian," Mino says. Their words have not quite passed into treasonous, but it always pays to be cautious, and shinobi have a way of taking matters into their own hands. Who knows who could be listening. Mino takes another drag of her cigarette, chewing on his words, brows wrinkling in concentration as she mulls them over.

Mino finishes her cigarette, snuffing it against the railing and walking to a trash bin to dispose of it, gesticulating with her hands along with her words as she walks. "Kirigakure died and drowned," she says. "But here we are." Mino casts her hand out towards the peaceful lights of the village. "It emerged from the island village's corpse newborn, clutched underarm by one man who has now abandoned us. This village is headless and defenseless, protected only by the fact that - miraculously - nobody's figured out that Lord Mizukage is gone. But we're running out of time." The last word is a spat hiss of frustration. Her voice is a harsh, low whisper, quickly building in emotion but not volume.

"Idiotic. What kind of organization is built to be thrown into total disarray without one man? Men are more fragile than they think! Us medics of all people know that. Do our colleagues think that our new leader is weak? Good. We will not survive another cult of personality." Mino's dark, tired eyes hold a fire now to match Ballian's own. "You want my ideal, Ballian? It's not a very exciting one. It's not pride, ego, or glory. It's simple fucking long-term planning. No, I haven't met him. I'd like to. I would quite like to know what our new leader is planning because if it's not something impressive enough to deal with every nation clamoring for our blood, this village is fucked and we're all going to die."

Mino exhales, curling her fingers against her brow. "Apologies for the language. I think we've all been holding in quite a lot of frustration."

[379]
[TWC - 1268]

Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:29 pm

“Shouting? I consider that the opposite of what occasion of what I am bringing up. Being narrow minded and discreet is for the weak and ill minded that cannot strive to understand that the future doesn’t rely on ‘letting life go forward and living each day as it is the end.’ That is foolish and child’s play, I believe that no matter what, we must always stand by what we say and even if it is spoken in harsher words than what most would accumulate as appropriate, it will not change my opinion or my stance in the subject at hand, no matter the person in power. But yet again, I wouldn’t have this conversation or said such a thing to such a incompetent individual; or Children.”

Ballian retaliated as he always would when he was speaking in a tone that is more over the top and stronger in vocal communication to make his point more rounded, it wasn’t to say he was trying to persuade her that this is the correct actions or methods in his belief. “Died and Drowned” those words didn’t sit or resonate with him very well especially with the following words that came in suit after what she had just said.

“In the belief of one’s opinion is to be the reason of reasoning, as such saying that it died and drowned is a false sense of belief in reality. You yourself made it clear to look upon the lights that dance upon the village and are expressed through the many and indifferent living styles of many that co-exist among us. Just because they do not have lineage of the past or are of a different country or were outlawed potentially, doesn’t mean that Kirigakure died, recreated and emerged as a new island village by someone who ‘abandoned’ us. That is just speaking as if we are already giving up on any hope that could exist between the facts that we are missing our mizukage. If you truly are a shinobi. You would know that in any considerable condition, we must always look forward and not currently. It allows us to be just and unruly in sequence if we must.”

He knew what he said may cause an uproar if it was announced as a dictator, but it was the point that he was speaking to someone else who clearly hasn’t had someone of a level headed mentality that would express his opinion in the values of their home and pursue an actual chance at recreating the glory and satisfaction of the village and countries’ history; even if it was in a storm of chaos as it always was. The words she spoke up and recalled through memory of the books that he had read during his time of growing up about the surreal attributes of what truly was dictatorship, did that apply realistically in the mounting of what the position was of the precluded Mizukage?

“You make a point, but the point is also moot. Why are they in disarray? What is causing the issues of a rippling effect that causes a storm into a basic level of chaos that begins to grow because of a missing dictatorship that doesn’t govern our country? The real facts you ask are all needing to be answered by the current leader we have at the moment. It is his intentions to fix these problems, does he have a resolving personality that doesn’t pursuit the ideology of murder is the banner of victory? In the trials and error of resolution, we must become the outcome.”

“Now, I understand that it may not come out as simple and understanding as everything else we are discussing, but the value and fixation of ‘death’ in the eyes of everyone because we do not have this ‘fearless’ mentality that was once in an era of power; but in any nations belief it is known that they follow a path leading forward, on the end of that all it is simply the fact that myself can match that of the caliber of our fortitude, now what I say may not be as strongly believed as much as I do… However, I plan to bring a form of revolutionary values to a country that may lack in this current landscape of misery as one probably views… Death is not the future, at least in my eyes.”

Ballian was tailing softly behind Mino as he was speaking and his words were rather spoken in a poetic form to allow her to understand that he isn’t afraid of the future or what it could entail for the nation, it was the point that if bloodshed was coming, no matter what as once it had already happened, he would not stop at the idea of keeping everything going forward at all costs.

WC: 806 / TWC: 2,660

Thu Apr 30, 2020 4:55 pm

He's hopelessly naive. Mino can work with that.

She chews on his points. They disagree fundamentally on some points about the nature of the village, which is fine. Time will see who's right.

"I present the cynic's view. I hope you are correct." Mino looks out over the familiar lights of the village. The rain had ceased by now, leaving the night cool and clear. "If this time of change leaves Kirigakure destroyed or unrecognizable, I will be vindicated. I don't really want to be vindicated. Kirigakure is an idea, Ballian. The physical village that shaped our way of life is rotting at the bottom of the sea." She, of course, means this in a literal sense - the ruins of Old Kirigakure upon which the ideals of this current village were built, sunken years ago. "The idea of Kirigakure persists, the ideology, but I fear its survival is parasitic, and it became too inexorably tied to Lord Mizukage to survive without him." She pauses and decides to throw his revolutionary ideals a bone. "Whether that idea deserves to survive, in its current form, is up for debate."

Will he remain her ally, after she's achieved her short-term goal with this conversation? It's difficult to say. An 'ideology of murder' is necessary for their village to survive. How else will they have the steel and resolve to fight when the time comes? These words go unspoken, however. Harmony of ideology can wait for when this time of secrets and hiding has been cast aside and light can flood into the Kage's chambers once more.

At his final words, Mino only lets out a tired sigh.

"Death is always the future. Still, we can do our best."

She turns to him, crossing her arms once more. It's time to get down to business.

"What do you intend to do?"

[300]

Thu Apr 30, 2020 7:18 pm

Ballian listening to spew out the words of this is a cynic's view, made him chuckle to a point, realizing no matter what in good or bad scenarios, someone can easily become so easily distraught by the ideals of others and if they do not seem to be succeeding, but that is purely the opposite here and now. All the plans to make sure that Kirigakure actually had a home for its people, even if it wasn’t the whole intention in the previous mizukage’s views, it was enough to strengthen the bond of the people to unite for a time being and a period; even if it is as short as it is right now. The belief that the potential of being the vindicated one in this whole scenario made him feel more skeptical on her choice of hindsight on the values of what can actually be waiting to be aligned, even if this entire area was raised from the depths it just means that the value of unique and tranquility for the people is a possibility, they just need able minds and bodies.

“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.”

His eyes lasered right through her and let out a smile on the thought process of the ideology that she spoke of and Ballian will not sure what he can also continue to digest and spit back up at people this point, his reliability would heavily hold his hand along this conquest would be more than just himself, especially since the views of his current leader may not align with his, but the confidence and values that he paints, is very much able to be done for such a person who is ‘new’ to the lifestyle. Ballian stopped for a moment and looked towards the sky and thoughts began to wonder and spew out.

“What do you think about conquests? Do you believe it is the narrative to exist in a world meant so heavily to influence the value of bloodshed? Do you believe that anything can be resolved without the cost of a life in exchange for a sky filled with clarity as the beacon of light? We live in a surreal moment that if we can help others understand that there is a path that doesn’t mean the sky has to be red, but it can stay blue; A peace is of the nature of a conquest; for then both parties nobly are subdued, and neither party loses.”

Ballian’s hands and notebook disappeared into this clothing to tuck away the book and keep his hands behind his back to hold a more solid posture that can be to the ache of his back at moments, wasn’t something that could easily be fixed, those silly beliefs of fake pains painted inside your mind.

WC: 600 / TWC:3,260

Stranglehold [P, Ballian]

Stranglehold [P, Ballian]

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