Re: The Storm Rages, the mist Endures [Saya]

Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:03 am

And there it was. Or perhaps she was simply imagining things? There were many reasons for which Pinocchio could have decided to relieve himself of the conversation. His abrasive demeanor certainly opened up many roads for him to come to the decision that his presence was no longer needed, and as such there were many ways for him to justify extrication from the situation. Which it was, she did not know. Idly, she noted the coach’s social absence. What was the difference in his ‘character’ from the rest of the puppets?”

As for the brief history on cosplay, Kikuko did her best to absorb the information given to her even as it was surrounded by Sayatria’s own dedications. So she had been influenced from a performer from the Land of Rain? She had heard of the destruction wreaked there, and personally felt surprised that even now the names of people from a place that befell such a fate shone even today. Or perhaps that was the point? That a fallen star is the brightest of all? Still, she couldn’t help but stifle a quiet snicker at the kunoichi’s admission. A stage performance might be the initial intention for ‘Coach’, but it also seemed to exist as a platform to her own sort of ‘performance’ in combat. That certainly would be humiliating to any unsuspecting attackers, she reasoned.

Still, a pirate ship? Those were dangerous, even for ninja. Fighting on open waters was always a dangerous subject, as even ninja would eventually fall to attrition if overboard without a boat to rest upon. The fact that she had been able to both overpower a pirate crew and even take their old vessel for herself spoke to the degree of her skills. Internally, her respect for Saya rose a tiny notch. That was certainly a notable feat, if nothing else.

“I’m glad to know that I’m not the only person you float around.” Kikuko would laugh, before stretching to clear out the lingering tiredness from her previous exertions. “It seems to me that your main thing is floating everyone else around, but you’re quite mobile yourself. Does that mean that you specialize in that sort of thing? High speed movement?”

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[368]
{2674}

Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:42 am

"Yea she kind of does that to everyone who is slower than we are. She has enough threads at current to keep them linked up at all times so that we can pull anyone who might be in danger out. That's kinda of a big thing for Aya. " As Ai spoke, Saya went quiet for a moment. She still saw the landscape of her mission with nasu at night. The fallen bodies and weapons littering a battlefield. The cold smell of death and defeat that hung in the air. The veil of greed haunted her dreams some days.

"Uh. um. Specialty... I don't um. I mean. " she took a moment, closing her eyes to shake the visions from her mind. She'd resolved herself in that space to not continue the cycle, and she hadn't. Those around her had taken lives as they needed but she'd chosen not to, and would continue as long as she was able. It took her a moment, but slowly her vibrant charisma returned, her eyes lighting up and her smile brightening.

"I don't really like. have a specialty I suppose. Like i'm really good at making clothes, singing, woodworking, dancing, using puppetry, and performing ninjutsu. If I had to pick one thing that i'm really good at it would probably be..... MMM EVERYTHING!" There could not be a more saya explaination than that. She as a genius, skilled at nearly everything she touched with the drive to learn about anything that she wasn't already proficient with. Despite her parent's decision to cast her away for not being good enough, once she was able to find people that would push her and help her actually achieve goals, it seemed like the small girl was completely unstoppable.

"Yea. Aya is one of those good at everything you touch types. She has excelent control with her chakra threads, and even learned to do ninjutsu with a single hand in order to be able to control both at the same time. It's kind of amazing."

(2885)

Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:00 pm

Briefly, Kikuko had a vision. Rather than being in the changing room, she was in a grand theatre. Plush seating, gently murmuring guests, low lighting save for a stage brightly shining as a star. Countless musicians poised with their instruments, ready to play, waiting for their conductor’s signal to begin playing. Raising their baton to play, the performance began. From her vantage point, she realized who exactly the conductor was- Saya. The musicians were her puppets, duplicated endlessly. Even the stage itself was simply a giant version of coach.

Saya set the pace. She was a conductor of battle. From her position, she navigated the flow of battle with strings and puppets. To her they weren’t simply machines, but extensions of the self. Simultaneously, however, they were entirely different entities. With that in mind, did she have extreme empathy towards the unliving? Or a lacking amount towards those that did?

Shaken from her sudden daydream, she would watch as a multitude of emotions played across the kunoichi’s face before returning to her usual pep. What secrets lay hidden behind those eyes? What had she witnessed, to make her the person she was today? The questions burned inside her, demanding to be answered. They would be, in time.

Her companion professed herself to be a generalist. Was that true? Or was it the voice of self confidence talking, overwriting reality with perception? Was there a true difference? A positive attitude could be the difference between failure and success- and one thing she had observed was that Saya certainly had such a go-getter mindset in abundance. Regardless, she had no reason to doubt her breadth of abilities. So far, she had proved herself to be the superior ninja of the two. What grounds could she have for denying her knowledge?

“So you’re a polymath. Is that it? That’s really impressive.” Wringing her hands briefly, she would dart her eyes among each of the puppets before focusing back upon Saya once more. “That must take a considerable amount of effort, focusing on so many crafts at once. Personally, I’m still testing the waters beyond theoretical chakra applications and into actual constructs as well as techniques. I suppose you could call me a greenhorn in that vein.”

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373
{3047}

Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:10 pm

Now listeners. Sayatria is a very bright little noodle, but our dear protagonist does have a bit of a habit of letting her mind wander when not focused on a task. That said, when Kiku asked what should have been a simple question to decipher based on context clues, everyone's favorite puppet master was already shifting her focus back and forth between the convorsation, why Pinochio seemed particularly angry today, and how she could reduce the time between prepping her chakra and the casting of what was now her most powerful ninjutsu technique. With this shift in focus, she failed to catch the contextual evidence suggested, and her face went beet red.

"Wh. I um. I mean. Er. I dunno. I dont really like. Like anyone much less multiple people could you even imagine. I have plenty of time to think about that after I'm famous. Where did that Even come from?!" She'd heard the first part of the word;poly, and her mind filled in the blanks in a way that shifted her from powerful ninja proving her mastery of two specializations to mumbling awkward wreck.

"No Aya. Polymath. Someone who is generally good at everything. Yes. She seems to have the ability to be good at everything she puts her mind to quite quickly. She learned her first chakra nature at seven and it took her less then an afternoon to learn her second and an advanced nature. I'm not gonna lie. She's kind of remarkable." Ai was beaming at her sister as she talked her up. She'd accomplished more then most had accomplished in years in a few short months and that was no small feat.

"Yea, well Ai did the same. To be honest since she's joined the team she's been able to just use any jutsu i've taken the time to learn so like. Who's the real genius here?!" This is where there is a unique dissonance. While Ai and saya were seperate personalities, it was both known and forgotten that Ai was a puppet. With her ability to be the focus point for jutsu She could pass almost perfectly for an actual ninja, but her jutsu casting ability was limited to specifically what her controler

(3275)

Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:28 pm

The feeling that one wasn’t being fully paid attention to was never a very good feeling, regardless of the context. It tended to signify a lack of regard for another, or at least a lack of presence to fully communicate with other individuals. At the same time, she couldn’t fully pass judgement at this moment; seeing that she was still learning about the ‘character’ of Saya, it was fully possible that this was simply a part of her personality. What was happening inside that head of hers? Perhaps an unheard conversation between the puppetmaster and puppets? Or sibling to sibling? Maybe it was simply herself, trapped in her own thoughts and musings.

Still, it was rather difficult for her to muffle her laugh upon the Genin’s beet red reaction. Had she mistaken polymath for polyamory? Kikuko supposed she could see where one might make that accidental identification if they were half paying attention- and it did seem for the moment that her mind was elsewhere. Understanding that, what was there to really say? She wasn’t going to rag on her for her own mistakes, especially when it seemed that ‘she’ was already doing that to herself. “No worries, Saya. That would be a rather strange question to ask so soon, no?”

Frankly, the kunoichi’s love life was her own personal business. If Kikuko would ever have a reason to peer into such a thing, it would be later in their relationship- certainly not at their first meeting. While she might be curious, and a tad invasive from time to time, that didn’t mean that she was a boor.

“Still, I’m surprised to hear that you awoke to chakra so early. And an advanced nature, too? That’s impressive.” Truth be told, she was still doing her own personal research into the natures. What exactly were they? Why was it that only some people could access it, regardless of talent or hard work? There was so much to understand. “I personally only did so in my early teens, as a matter of fact.”

“That being said, who’s to say that both of you aren’t geniuses? Being near each other for so long must have rubbed off on each other. Isn’t that an old saying? Rivalry begetting discovery?”

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[375]
{3422}

Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:49 pm

"Um actually I believe it is Steel sharpens stee--" Pinochio didn't even have a chance. While sometimes Saya allowed him to boast about this understanding of the world around him, mostly because he was the personality who compartmentalized the bulk of her raw intelectual ability, she would draw the line starkly at an um actually. Like what kind of an actual jerk even DOES that?

"Nope. Not doing that. Like hers better. Steel no longer sharpens steel. Quiet now or its the cage for you..." Pinochio took a step back as she suggested such an aweful punishment. She'd regretted it the MOMENT he'd helped her make her coach puppet. That now gave her an out to shove him into the pit of coach's chest where he was forced to look on in frusteration from the space between the slats. He hated the cage very much. They'd allowed her to speak several times before Saya finally responded--well. Before PInochio had finally responded to the last thing she'd said, Saya had stopping him mid sentence, she'd taken some time to actually consider, and then saya had finally responded.

"yea. Right. Sorry. I uh. I have a bad habit of thinking about a whole bunch of things at the same time and missing something that completely screws everything up. That would be a super wierd question to ask someone randomly!" She laughed it off a bit too long causing Ai to take a step forward, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder to ease her mind.

"The second element and advanced were done a month or two ago, but she was quite quick to pick them up. Also she's found brilliant ways to craft puppets that do some pretty interesting things. The plates on my palms for instance allow me to cast ninjutsu. She's modified chakra conductive plates to several parts of my body that transfer the energy from the threads to these focus points and thats how I was able to use the jutsu you saw me using during the evactuation. I can't like. Actually use ninjutsu of course. She has to do the hand seals, but I can be a focus point for any jutsu up to a certain point. Anything higher then A rank and it will overload the plates and break them. We're still working through that small issue. " As she explained she offered Kikuki a look at the plates in her palm. While they were inset and tinted the same color as her skin to make them hard to notice generally, there were small squares in the center of each of her hands that glowed with a warm blue light as she explained them.

"She's just being humble. Ai is a super awesome ninjutsu user! One of the best I've ever seen!!!" Saya turned up the energy as Ai was giving her detailed description. While Ai was fully aware that she was both a personification of Saya's mind and a puppet used to protect the user, Saya was often too deep to realize the difference.

"Also the only other ninjutsu user you've ever seen. Kinda left that part out." She slammed a hand against where Pinochio was peeding out from Coach's chest as he commented, silencing him again.

(TWC 3815)

Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:29 am

Saya argued with herself, Kikuko realized. Where as most people would do it internally, via their own self-doubt and subconscious mind, she externalized it- utilizing the personalities she instilled into each puppet in order to formalize her thoughts. In that sense she could be stated to be a person who lacked a filter, but that was false. Rather, she was a person who had a filter, but the filtration process happened right before the viewer’s eyes. Did that count? The answer to such situations were often nuanced.

In a motion of placation, she would raise her arms before motioning for them to settle down, a sheepish expression on her face. “Now now, I’m sure that phrase is also said! It could be that they’re the same thing, even- just regional dialects changing the exact wording. And no worries! You’re not the only one in the whole world who misses things from time to time.”

Once again, she would tilt her head to face Ai as she took the lead. The sister puppet appeared to be representative of Saya’s more mature, serious side. Stepping in when her pauses became too awkward, covering for her personality quirks, committing to mediation when Saya and Pinnochio began to grate on each other. In that sense, she was a sort of old sister to her- perhaps even retaining some innate motherly traits as well.

What grabbed her attention, moreover, was her self awareness. Ai, for the moment, seemed aware of her status as a puppet and her inability to operate as a being without the assistance of Sayatria. Was that to say, by assuming many things, that Saya herself was suppressing that information within her mind? While she held no doubt that Ai’s lover for her sister was genuine, the implication that only one was aware of her true status as puppet and master put things into a decidedly more complicated format. Much like a spider’s web, the dynamics in the trio appeared to grow ever more complex. Staring at the plates in Ai’s palms, she would make a mental note to do some brief research on the topic at a later date.

“Regardless of how many you two have seen, I’d say that you’re both decent practitioners!” She would affirm. “Certainly better than myself, at least. If you all hadn’t come around when you did, I’m not sure I would have been able to complete the mission by myself."

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[405]
{3827}

Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:52 am

Pinochio decided it was best not to respond when Kiku spoke up to ease the tension. While it was unlikely that something like this would have landed him in coach jail, that was actually a tactic the pupet master was using more often since she realized that it would work, and he really hated being stuck inside another puppet. It was degrading.

"Sorry for Pinochio. He was all saya had for a long time. Origionally he was one of those tiny wooden dolls that artists use to study human form. yanno the ones with the wire that makes them posable? She learned ventriloquism with that as the focus point and then she realized she could use chakra to create threads and went to work learning the art of puppet crafting. Now he has a body, and he took on the role of teacher and protector. Then she created me. While he holds the bulk of her actual knowlege he's a bit abrasive and has a tendency to push her too hard. I'm a creature born of empathy who uses a softer reassuring touch. He recognizes the points when that's important but hates it none the less." As Ai finished spoking she let of a soft laughter. her lips curled at the sides and her cheeks raised in the gesture. It was remarkable just how well thought out the hyper realistic Ai puppet was. Through intricate mechanisms hidden within the puppet every part of her anatomy that should be movable via musculature was able to give that same facsimile of life.

"If there's anything you need to learn I could totally teach you! I know lots of ninjutsu. Theres water style, and earth style, and then if you mix them together you ge--" She was cut off again by the pinochio puppet, but instead of being threated Saya just gave him a glare.

"Nope. Not talking about that one."

"Pinoch. She saw it during the mission. It's not like I could hide Ai making a bunch of giant wooden puppy statues burst out from the ground so we could get the villgers to safety. Plus i'm pretty sure that within the village is a safe place. If anyone wanted to hunt me because i hold one of the old bloodlines, they would have attacked already. And I woulda beat them up with my foo puppy head statues just like I did Yagami. " At no point had saya considered that the fact that she'd been target for assasination within the very walls of the village was a bit of information that she should hold. It was just a part of her story, and she'd gained a new friend because of it.

"Aya had a bit of a run in with an assassin who was sent to kill her. Her teacher travin showed up just before and well. Saya beat the daylights out of her with wood style, took her back to our house before it was destroyed, and helped her heal. She stays with us now and helps make puppets and clothes. She's gotten really good at it."

(TWC 4332)

Wed Jun 16, 2021 3:12 am

And so it was that the pieces were slowly falling together. Pinnochio was the first- the vessel of knowledge, experience. He acted as a sort of stabilizing component to Saya’s inherent go-getter attitude, stopping her from becoming too airheaded or brash. At the same time, that left her vulnerable to mental assault from said personality, which lead to the creation of Ai to balance them all out. With each one being given a ‘body’, they were able to act out their mental dance in the same way that one speaks to their inner self- albeit more visible. The system felt unwieldy, but the fact that Saya seemed alive and well showed just how well it could function given the chance. People made from wood and gears, familial love emanating from and towards the self. There was a found family, and then there was this: something altogether different.

Listening to her offer of tutelage, she would listen onwards before pausing at the mention of the wood technique. While she hadn’t thought of it in the moment, that was somewhat strange- as far as she was aware, wood was not a classical element that any old shinobi could. In that case, it was a bloodline limit: a powerful blood-borne ability that only the few and the lucky could use due to the circumstances of their birth. Kikuko, for example, had nothing to her name to distinguish herself from any ninja with greatness in their literal veins. “So you have clan ancestry? I honestly hadn’t thought of it at the time, but I suppose that makes sense looking back at it. Still, I can imagine that can give you all sorts of problems at times.”

And problems it did seem to bring her. Listening to Ai’s explanation, internally she grappled with the idea of a ninja so young already having to deal with attempts on their life purely because of the circumstances of their birth. It was terrible. Unfair. Quite frankly, it gave her the heebie-jeebies.

“Not to cast doubt on you, but are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m sure that she’s reformed since, but sharing a house with a would-be murderer feels...dangerous.”

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[363]
{4190}

Wed Jun 16, 2021 9:23 pm

"yea, I'm part of a clan or whatever. Dad started the creation process and then kinda dipped so I found out a few months ago from Pinoch that I had special blood that can combine two chakra natures into a new one or whatever. But i'm not supposed to give alot of details cuz 'if the wrong people found out you were a senju it could be very dangerous. even in the village tria' and i'm like i know Pinoch, but I don't think anyone is gonna actually try to hurt me here--well anyone but Yagami. Plus the Mizu kage would totally like. not let that happen I think. I'm gonna meet him one day yanno. My teacher said he was gonna tell powerful people about how strong i am and help me get in good with the people I need to become famous. It's gonna be AWESOME!" While she didn't use pinochio's voice when she quoted him, half because it didn't make sense to her mind outside of the contect of him actually using it to talk, she did adopt his vocal manerisms, making it clear who she was trying to speak as.

Ai interupted after this portion of the convorsation. She respectfully raised a hand at her side to indicate that she wanted to enter the conversation, head low in respect for breaking up the flow of what they had going on but intent on her statement.

"Um. Aya. You've forgotten an important part of conversation love. Kikuko, we'd love to hear about you also. I'm sorry my little sister has dominated the discussion, but her mind often moves too fast to say all that she thinks and she's very interested in learning about her new best friend. her words not mine." They would give her the time to respond to the inquiry, and possibly even to react to the surprise that Saya had already named her a best friend before they finally responded to the last question.

"Oh. Don't worry. She had alot of thinking time and we had lots of talking time before it could have been dangerous. I kinda broke almost every single bone in her body. Took her back to my place and set her up to heal and she explained what happened. Apparently, she was stuck as a part of an assassin group that she was kinda like. sold to? So basically if she didn't kill me they would have killed her supah bad. Like torture and stuff. So i made sure i beat her to within an inch of her life so they thought she was dead, then I helped nurse her back to health, and then i found the pirate group that housed the assasins and i beat them up real good and then my teacher did this thing with his snakes where they bit their whole necks off. It was kinda gross but no more worries that she won't be safe and thats good. " The way that she went through such a detailed history without weighing the weight of what she was explaining was interesting. The past for saya was a line that lead to the person she was today, and the weight and pain of it was removed completely.

(TWC 4872)