At the Gala

Mission Info:

Ashitaka's Stats:

Ashitaka's biggest mission to date was... yet another party. He often found himself wondering how the other villages took the one he lived in seriously, but then remembered that they didn't. This one was a Hyuuga affair, a gala, if you will. Which made it a fancy party populated with boring, stuffy people who stood around drinking and argued -sorry, hotly debated- over how great they were by virtue of their proximity to the core bloodline known as the Head Family. However, there was a dress code which had to be adhered to since he was going under the guise of an invited guest and he was expected to make at least a passing effort at looking the part.

For the young Senju, he was certain the most difficult part was getting dressed for the occasion. Not that he ordinarily had any difficulty dressing himself, but for this event he was required to allow his own Clan's maids to do it for him. This difficulty had two primary factors in that he was not accustomed to people reaching for him outside of a fight (the Inuzuka's idea of affection was typically a playful scrap) and the maids were bickering over whether it was more appropriate for him to dress with the regality of Senju royalty or with a stylized menace of his wilderness upbringing. This contrast was as different as night and day from the way he was expected to wear his hair to what shoes were meant to adorn his feet. The entire process was considerably frustrating.

Eventually, he got fed up and took matters into his own hands, donning a pair of white hakama with grass painted on the legs, a bandage wrap, and a white yukata over these. He fastened the under-robe in place with a silk belt and chose a sky blue haori with flowering bamboo shoots on it. He'd brushed his hair so that it at least looked clean, but there was nothing he could do about the volume it insisted on presenting. The white Senju-crested headband he'd opted to wear only served to make him look like a paint brush, as had the standard blue one he'd been issued upon achieving his current rank of Genin. He sighed, deciding that he'd just have to deal with it.

With a curt but polite dismissal of his largely-unwanted servants, he headed toward the door, pausing only to slip on some dress moccasins that he often forgot having. Mercifully, they still fit, and he stood easily before heading further out. He had to arrange most of his gear so that it was hidden among his clothes, and covered the fact that he still carried his bow by registering for the kyudo competition that was a sideshow to the gala. Its ornate case did little to hide the fact that it was a bow, although it was possible there was a musical instrument of similar dimensions, but it did present it as being ceremonial in nature since while it was inside no one could see that the weapon was not nearly pretty enough. He wondered how well he'd fare against the Dojutsu users, which led him to wondering whether or not anyone would really be stupid enough to try and cause trouble amid the clan that specialized in seeing things most could not.

Well, regardless of what he believed, he'd been hired to do a job and do it he shall. Even if that meant dressing like a pampered prince and... riding into... the gala... in a covered carriage comprised largely of Senju Wood with jade accents taking the place of the accompanying greenery. Ashitaka stared at the ostentatious display brought before him and did his best to disguise his disgust and worry. Disgust because the grotesque display of wealth etched into every aspect of the transport's existence felt horrendously wasteful, especially in current times. And worry because said times meant that the carriage made of itself and anyone associated with it huge targets for anyone who was either resentful of the upper class or just desperate to make a quick ryo.

Still, by some miracle they managed to arrive at the scene of the event without incident. Ashitaka disembarked from the transport and did his best to distract himself from cringing by focusing on looking like he belonged here. He did, of course, for multiple reasons. But that didn't mean that he had fully internalized any of them. He was royalty in name and blood, but not upbringing, and he knew full well that the nobles surrounding him could likely smell the deficiency on him whenever he entered the room. Luckily, he was a tall and well-built young man and that combined with his naturally fierce countenance gave him an imposing aura whether his spirit was in it or not.

"NOW PRESENTING... ASHITAKA SENJU, THE YOUNG PRINCE OF THE FOREST!" the herald bellowed as the door was opened for the nin in question. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Hyuuga legitimately had a guest herald. Also, he was pretty sure that what he was doing right now was the exact opposite of how shinobi were supposed to operate. Well, perhaps that was for the best. After all, it was highly unlikely that anyone would be checking the upper class persons for people in his line of work. He could hide in plain sight, the best camouflage of them all.

He strode as regally as he could manage as he entered the foyer and considered looking for someone to talk to before remembering his high-society trainers having told him that unlike normal feasts and festivities, galas were somewhat antisocial events. The very act of approaching someone while there was acknowledging them as your better and thereby granting them social leverage over you. Well that was inconvenient. Having been raised in part by wolves and mostly by the Inuzuka, Ashitaka was the kind of person who liked interacting with people no matter how stupid they were. Sometimes, especially if they were stupid. Smart people were assholes.

He was neither a doctor nor a drinker, so he had no way of knowing if the wines were poisoned... at least, any more than they already were by virtue of being alcoholic. By that same token, he also didn't have the option of passing time until the archery competition that afternoon by standing around sipping on beverages that cost more per glass than the average Chunin made in a year. So for the most part he found himself just watching people for signs that they might try something, or cues as to what he might be expected to do. Luckily, he wasn't the only one tasked with this mission, and apparently scrutinizing people was a hobby of Dojutsu clans, so he doubted much would be made of his own much less intense observations.