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

Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:31 pm

It was generally understood that those who were born within a clan tended to view such status as a point of privilege and status. Saya, however, seemed to be opposite. If anything, she seemed to view it as only a trifle, that such uniqueness was only a passing factor of information rather than a unique element in how she could operate as a ninja. Was that a casual arrogance, or simply the will to define oneself beyond the status of their bloodline purity? Or perhaps something else, perhaps, an innocence tempered via a peaceful village environment? Saya’s happy go lucky attitude made her easy to socialize with, but difficult to determine her ‘inner feelings’ when it came to her personal incidents. She was very open in her sharing of troubles, and yet simultaneously guarded. Which was the real her?

And just like that, the tide of the conversation turned. From a one-sided ‘information dump’ of her companion’s personal feelings and methods of combat to a spotlight now being shone upon her. Was it that Saya was hoping to avoid the conversation? Or was her interest genuine, based upon wanting to know more about her own history? The phrasing of best friend was surprising, and yet somehow there was a part of her that didn’t find it strange whatsoever. Such gesticulations and over-activeness seemed to be qualia she naturally possessed, and a few words weren’t enough for her to cast questions upon her as of the moment.

“To be honest with you Saya, there’s little to know about me. I was born and raised here on these islands, and I’ve never set foot outside the country. I spend most of my days either swimming, hiking, or weaving- or at least, I did before I attended the academy. While I’m a Genin now, the things I used to do aren’t any less of a part of my life. I just added chakra into the mix, you know? To me, ninjutsu is more about practicing a lifestyle in tune with nature rather than practicing the shinobi arts.”

With that being said, she would listen to the Senju’s explanation of the past with a combination of interest, awe, and horror. She might be a person whose hands were unstained by murder, but her hands were far from saintly- the events that lead up to her pirate ship parked by the harbor suddenly turning from a heroic escapade into something far darker. Did she feel regret for what had happened? Or was it simply the past- something that couldn’t be changed, and thus was unworthy to dwell on further? Those thoughts would occupy her for a moment, before she would shake her head. “Well, it’s good to hear that it’s been taken care of- for better or worse. Still, are you sure that you should still be so public with that information considering that you might receive similar visits in the future?”

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[487]
{4677}

Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:54 pm

"See. That's where you're so wrong. That's not boring minutia! I never got to go swimming as a kid. It was all "saya do your lessons. Saya study history, Saya go practice your chakra natures. Like. I had to pay someone to get me a needle and thread cuz I wanted to learn how to sew and I could only do THAT in the wee hours of the night when everyone thought I was asleep. I'd love to go swimming! Omg. I could totally make us cute bathing suits sometimes and we could go swimming. I gotta study up on the latest Kiri swim fashion when I get home. " She stopped for a moment, pondering the best way to get fashion information, then considering Kiku's suggestion of chakra.

"Wait. Tell me more about chakra as a natural thing. So like. For me it was always kinda clinical. They drilled info into my head when I was like six and once I was able to actually learn it it was just "do this, do that" But I'd never considered it more then transactional. Sure I recognize the seven main chakra points and their relationship to the elemental natures and yin or yang, but its always like a means to an end. Thinking about it....." SHe tapped her chin with her pointer finger.

"I bet theres like. meditation techniques that involve chakra points and stuff. This is so interesting!!!"

As she talked about her past and the worries of her blood, It seemed that Kiku was actively trying to take everything in. That was honestly something new for her. She had a habit of trying to gloss over alot of the things she'd want to tell someone because there was a threshold for how long someone could feign attention. Maybe she actually cared?

"Uh. I mean probably. We took care of that whole group. At this point I've got a bunch of new friends so I hope if something gets bad enough that team puppet--thats us. we're team puppet, Can't handle it then I can trust someone to come in and give us a hand. Like theres daiko, He's super cool even if he doesn't really realize his strength yet. And theres Nasu who I went to a battle field with and saw all the death caused by war, and then theres Shikuki--she struggled a bit but seems real nice and is a supah fast learner. Then theres Mister Travin. Dunno what rank he is but I'm pretty sure he's higher then I am. He's got cool blue eyes and he said he uses genjutsu. That was honestly a wierd convorsation. So like he said he used genjutsu then he just created trees like I do, but he's not from my clan. And when I pulsed my chakra the trees went away." She was shifting about as she explained, her arms waving in emphasis of the manerisms of each of the friends she'd made along the way, and then she stopped. Internally her wheels ground to understand the corelation between wood style and genjutsu.

"Aya. Sweetie. The trees were a genjutsu illusion. That's why they went away when you activated genjutsu release."

(TWC 5402)

Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:54 pm

And wasn’t that interesting? The way she approached her everyday life, as though it was something exceptional rather than the same process repeated across a hundred different families. Or perhaps that was the point? That because it was ultimately a life grounded in ‘ordinariness’ that it looped around to becoming something worthy of study and appraisal? Kikuko couldn’t imagine living a life in the same vein of Saya’s described childhood- she would have been miserable, denied the beauty and comforts of the natural world around her. While being able to study freely and having early knowledge of chakra might have sped her natural development of ability, the inability to actually experience the world around her most undoubtedly would have crippled her ability to apply it in real world situations.

“Swimming? Well, I suppose it’s been a while since I’d gone to the shore with a friend.” Usually she would go wading for ‘exercise’, sometimes bringing one of her father’s harpoons if she was looking to fish. However, that was rarely a social experience- passing acquaintances usually wouldn’t have the lung capacity she did or the patience to last that long at spearfishing. “I’m afraid I’m behind on the seasonal fashions myself, so I’ll be of little help.”

But her additional comment sent the little flame in her ablaze again- mind racing to give her an appropriate answer. This was a delicate subject, one which could only be truly probed by oneself. Still, if she was to give an answer, it would need to be something thought out. Something real. “Chakra is...something that needs to be experienced, rather than learned. Everyone has chakra within them, as a part of their life. Their soul. For most people they use it to connect the mind and the body to create power- to create Ninjutsu. And then there are others. Loving the world, learning about each other. Speaking, communicating. Before there is Ninjutsu, there is Ninshu.”

And so she would listen further. Letting Saya tell her about her comrades one after another. Daiko, Nasu, Shikuki, Travin. Would she come across those names, one day? Or were they meant to be passing ships- close, but never meeting? The world of a ninja was large and varied, with little room for meeting at each juncture. She would close her eyes, humming to herself. Making a decision.

“Saya. Would you stay still for a moment?” She would ask of her. Were she to accept, she would step forward. Her hands would buzz for a moment with chakra. Warm, soft, delicate. They aren’t hands for fighting. They aren’t hands for violence. For Ninjutsu. Suddenly, she would see a vision.

A Vision:

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[478]

Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:17 am

"Yes please!!! I've been out on the water a bunch, but it's usually on my ship and if I have to go in the water most of the time I just ride on coach's back because my clothes are custom made and kinda expensive to create. But dont worry. I just need your measurements and I can craft something that's absolutely stunning!! I made mine and Ai's outfits. They're a new look for me becoming more powerful. At first I just wore my old Academy uniform, but Then we did a bunch of stuff and I guess it was time to upgrade. " The way she could turn a single sentence into paragraphs was astounding. Ai watched as her sister spoke on and on about clothing, and while she loved her sister dearly and would never consider stifling her creativity, she was grateful to be watching the conversation instead of an active participant.

"Ninshu. I... I'm not gonna lie. I've never heard of that. This sounds really neat though. I guess I experience chakra when I first learn a jutsu but Heck. I've stream lined the process pretty effectively now. It's all about pouring lots or very little and controling the flow precisely. SHe was confused when Kiku asked her to stay still. I would be lying dear listeners if I didn't point out that every fiber of our dear protagonist's being failed to understand the concept of rest. Her nights were spent toiling on this or that until she was so physically tired that she lost consciousness unless one of her family actively poked and prodded for her into laying down. Only then would weariness take her suddenly, and sleep follow close behind.

When Kiku stepped forward there was no fear in the small girl's eyes. She trusted this new friend, and stood confindently, trying her best not to fidget. Instead her fingertips twitched to and fro, and Ai could be seen pawing at her dress from her position a few feet away. Her eyes held a strength and confidence that was unrivaled and the softness of trust that could only come from her own unique mentality. Then she felt pressure on her temples.

Internally she could feel the cold water gliding across her body as she swam in Kiku's vision. It was remakrable. Was this what she was missing? She'd thought so many times of slipping off the side of her galleon and into the dark waters below even for a moment. What Kiku would recieve was decidedly less joy filled.

In an instant, the calm of the training center would fade away and Kiku would be thrust into the center of a dissonant sphere. Saya's gift to the girl for their connection was a wet muddy patch of woods. Before her was a ninja with hatred in his eyes brandishing a katana that sung with lightning, but the sounds of the battle were missing. Instead, The scene played out over an echoing of voices pushing and prodding for her to protect herself, The intense worry of Ai, the resolve of Pinochio, and something else. Behind the lightning style ninja a faint outline of a woman could be seen wearing a gleaming necklace of red gems. Her body was obscured by a cloak that seemed to be made entirely of feathers, and for a moment she closed her eyes, nodding to Kiku behind Saya's eyes. Then it was all gone, leaving a single name. Freyja.

(TWC 5978)

Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:41 am

Her measurements? Well, there was no harm in that. She was still a growing woman after all, and as of late she had noticed her clothes beginning to fit her ever so tightly. Usually that would mean a few alterations would fix the issue, but there did come a point where she would simply need to ‘upgrade’ to a new wardrobe. Perhaps she could use those sizes to create a new outfit? From Saya’s words, it was possible the two could even collaborate. What would her stitching look like, she wondered? Childlike? Fastidious? There were so many ways it could go. A person’s stitching reflected their personality, their patience.

Waiting for the moment of Saya’s ‘stillness’, she would reach out with tentative hands. Exploring the bridge between souls had been something she had done her entire life, but was only beginning to understand now. Utilizing chakra as a form of communication rather than self-improvement was a terribly vulnerable thing- it left one exposed to others in a way that words couldn’t accomplish. Even in fleeting, uncontrolled bursts, it could often reveal parts of the self that one usually would refuse to admit. At the same time, it was that unfiltered nature that made it unique. It was not simply a person to person communication, but soul to soul. In that moment, their ‘selves’ touch.

So where was this fleeting moment in time? This battlefield of violence that Saya had witnessed, long ago? What had led her to that moment where her heart murmured so desperately in her chest? The whispers of Ai, Pinocchio, and another. A figure who she herself could fully fathom- for as inexperienced as she was in that art of Ninshu, she could only ‘perceive’ so much before being brought adrift on a surge of experiences. So many voices, sensations, emotions. And just as quickly, she’s back to reality. The same her, yet not. Changed from the experience. Ninshu communicates both ways. ‘Freyja’. The name dies silently on her lips.

“I’m so, so sorry.” She attempts to gather her wits, something stunned. “If I had known it would have shown something like...that, I wouldn’t have attempted to make the link. My inexperience is almost certainly to blame.”

======

[371]
{5526}

Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 am

Saya looked to her new friend with confusion when she appologized. She could feel the two points in time crossing over in her mindscape as she tried to understand what exactly had brought her to feeling appologetic.

"What? Oh. No its okay. That was my first mission. At the time it was kind of scary because I didn't have much in the way of defense, and I hadn't gotten a puppet yet but I figured it out. Honestly, funny story. So I've met that ninja again on almost every mission I've been on. except the last one we just did of course. The other meetings were not quite so scary. Now any time he sees me in the village our out in the borders where I'm sent to do this or that he kind of freaks out, curses, and then runs away as quickly as he can." Even as she spoke she tried to separate the two visions into their respective parts. Something felt very off about the entire situation but she couldn't put her finger on it. Why had the woman in her dreams showed up? She hadn't been there that day. Was she someone who Kiku had seen too? Was it in her new friends vision that the woman had been seen? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the overlap between the rain and the ocean. THe more she concentrated the more odd the scenes looked, An angry ninja standing on slick ground well beneath the sea? Why were there people swimming around him? How was he there?

It had been months before she started having the dreams. It started in a deep forrest. She walked endlessly, night after night until she first heard the voice whose name they now knew, though Saya couldn't say for sure if it was hers or some hint towards a dialect long forgotten in time. How had she been there? SHe could imagine the face of the woman as she pictured herself swimming beneath the water's surface and--The look in his eyes as his lightning style threatened her--Cold clear water. The voices of people playing and frantic personalities begging her to hold on blended together.

"Have you seen her too? The woman with the falcon feather cloak. She wasn't in what Aya gave you, so she must have come to you also yes?" Ai tried her best to make heads or tails of what was happening. If she could get this single answer it could clear the muddled visions saya tried so desperately to decipher. What were the chances that they would meet by accident on a mission to protect the village, both having witnessed visions of the same etherial being? It didn't seem very possible to her, but here they stood.

(TWC 6441)

Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:15 am

Perspective was a tricky Mistress, Kikuko realized. What exactly had it been that Saya had seen when their minds had touched? Certainly not something as graphic or stressful as what she had witnessed. Visions of water, of the sea. Perhaps of her early childhood? It didn’t matter. Right now, she was focused upon Saya’s shared experience. Even then, would she register it for what it ‘truly was’? Saya’s innocence, she was learning, was both a help to her and a hindrance when it came to emotionally empathizing with others when it came to situations generally considered to be unpleasant or otherwise associated with trauma. For people people, she imagined, that battle would likely leave unpleasant memories and scars for considerable periods of time. And yet, for the kunoichi in front of her, it was water off of the proverbial duck’s back. In many ways, it caused her to feel incredulous.

Rather than it being a ‘scary experience’, it was something that she could joke about. The man who had attempted to take her life was now a curious bystander in her life, one she could poke fun at and laugh about. Was it her proficiency in the ninja arts that let her deal with such a concept with such confidence, or simply her mental state of being? To live without fear despite what she was beginning to understand to be a significant influx of people attempting to end her life required either an iron will or a mind unaware of troubles. Perhaps, in this case, it was a combination of both statuses.

Water falling into rain falling into ocean. Flipping and turning until the two worlds merge together. No, she wouldn’t let that happen. As much as they had shared intimately, they were two different people. It was disconcerting, and left her feeling somewhat nauseous, but she would manage to prevail all the same. Who had that woman been- the person who had appeared yet not? She wasn’t part of the memory, she surmised. Instead, it had been as though a sticker placed upon film. An image superimposed upon an image, forcefully placing itself into that shared reality. For a being to drift between the boundaries of real and unreal, one must be an existence that belonged in both. The same could be said of Saya’s many personalities. In that case, the answer was simple. It was a nascent side of Saya herself.

“I did see her, yes.” She finally responds with an affirmative nod. “Although I wasn’t able to ‘see’ her too clearly in the moment. There was too much to take in.” Rubbing her hands together for warmth, she would look at Saya with an appraising eye. Three personalities, and a potential fourth budding one. Just how many times would she fragment, and why? “Something tells me that she’s far more interested in you than myself, however.”

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[479]
{6005}

Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:29 am

Instead of puting more focus on unraveling the two visions, saya took a moment to just allow them to sit in her mind together. If she thought about it, it was far more pleasant this way. It was a perfect metaphor for her existence. She'd seen more than a sixteen year old's share of pain and sorrow so far, but the memories that would scar most floated across her mind. Yes. She decided she did in fact like this better. Ai was less enthusiastic.

"So she was there in the sea when you were swimming? We thought we were the only ones who'd seen her. Does she come to you in dreams also? While the experience of swimming was quite joyous I have to admit that seeing her face there left us both with a bit of confusion that I couldn't settle. Do you know.. Freyja. Is it a name? A place? We haven't devoted the time that we could have to trying to understand what it means, but what little free time we did pour into study brought absolutely no information on what it could mean. All I know is that our dreams for some time now have been filled with moments of this strange woman with the cloak of feathers. Every morning Aya wakes up and understands a bit more--but not about her or about this Freyja. It's like theres a creation in the back of her mind that was made long ago, and day after day she gets more pieces of exactly how it was made until we reach a finished product. " In the bag at Ai's side was the head of a puppet that would bear the same face they'd seen in their visions.

FIne silver sat on her kitchen table, forged and crafted into a flowing necklace ready to have stones set as an offering, but to what she couldn't say. She'd seen so many snippets of a life she couldn't comprehend, of a time long ago, of A great boar and a chariot drawn by many cats. To say it was concerning was an understatement she would not dane to chance.

"No. Wait. " Saya interupted Ai's thought. Having allowed her mindscape to play the visions over and over for a minute without trying to understand how she could have even known what vision was given to her new friend she'd finally come to a conclusion not based on unraveling the information before her, but instead in living with the complexity of it's enigama.

"Today was the first time you've seen her right? Was she in MY vision, despite it having been months later that I saw her for the first time? " That didn't make sense. Even with the power of shared experience granted by the skill Kiku had used on her, how could it even be possible that whatever this woman meant would impose its own existence on a memory from before she'd even been around? It didn't matter. Taking it for what it was, the truth was that unless she was wrong it had. She had.

(TWC 6954)

Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:47 am

Ah. It appeared that she had misspoken. Or rather had what she said been misinterpreted? No matter what the case was, it was best if she explained it here and now before the situation grew too out of hand for her to handle. She would do her best to explain her thoughts and experience the best she could, even as it eluded her in a temporal fashion.

“I...no.” She would shake her head resolutely. “She was certainly not there when I was fishing. I would have remembered that. And I’ve never seen her figure until now. When we touched, there must have been some sort of reaction. A connection being established. As for the name...I’ve never heard it before. Perhaps it has a cultural meaning, or it could be a word originating from one of the other countries. In that vein, a foreigner might know much more than I. ” Unless she originates from no land or place. Unless her point of origin is Saya herself.

Imagination, memory, folklore, figures in the dark. Lurking at the recesses of the young Kunoichi’s mind. And now, for a moment, invading her own. Were she a more whimsical person, she would declare Sayatria to be the type to be considered a ‘main character’. Too many strange and incredible things appeared to happen around her to label her as anything else.

“It’s possible that she wasn’t in your vision to begin with. Rather, she was ‘within’ the vision. Or perhaps ‘on top of it’.” She attempts to reason. “Should she be a separate entity, or not from any memory, she may have invaded it. Perhaps as a third spectator. Or maybe even like an edit to an old drawing, inserting herself to a picture long since completed and put away? Regardless, I have no clue as to her true origin.”

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[307]
{6312}

Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:00 am

"ok. That's what I thought. It was a beautiful memory that you offered though. I'm sure that the next week will be nothing but Aya begging us to let her skip out on training in order to go swiming at the beach. " That didn't set well with Ai. She hadn't heard of it either, but she'd experienced this strange phenomenon through saya. There were so many questions to be asked, and the only answers came in cryptic dreams. What does a boar even have to do with the village hidden in the mist? Were there boards in the mist village? The last bit of information she offered was fruitful though. With the volume of people passing in and out of the village, and Saya having weekly guard duty to get a bit of extra ryo in her pocket it wouldn't take much to add a couple question into the entrance requirements to test if any newcomers to the village had heard of something like that.

The problem with all of this was that too many people already looked at saya as if she was one turn away from a loose screw. Being honest with themselves, Ai thought that the bulk of people she'd met thought that she already had something loose and rattling around, but she wouldn't entertain that idea for fear of the mental repercussions. This need to feel like a rational response to negative stimuli in her environment or they risked a schism that could leave her woefully unprepared to deal with the trauma that would result.

When Kiku said the words 'when we touched' Saya's eyes shifted for barelly a moment before she began to hum what absolutely no one in the ninja world would probably recognize as the hit cascada song every time we touch. Her head bounced back and forth as she hummed a few lines, her eyes drifting off into her own mind scape before returning to the here and now.

"I am not a fan of someone invading our memories. I mean. You're fine because you asked, and honestly I can't believe that we didn't get the better end of that deal. Her head can be quite loud when experienced at full intensity. Each of us only actually experiences our own share, so the overlapping thought paterns I'd imagine are quite chaotic. Hopefully we'll get more answers when she finishes this puppet. She decided the moment the visions started happening that just just had to create what she'd seen, and the visions seem to point her towards that being a good idea. With any luck our friend Ita is putting the finishing touches on it as we speak, and maybe we can finish putting everything together before our next mission.

(TWC 7411)