There Make Be Snakes! [Travin]

An unusual letter has appeared in the Rentei clan's usual mix of bills, family communications, and appeals for donations. It is personal, neatly addressed to Travin Rentei from a name he does not recognize. It bears the navy Kirigakure wax seal indicating that it is village business or has otherwise been sent from the Academy or Missions Office.

Dear Travin Rentei,

The summer heat lingers. How have you been?

It is written vertically in the traditional style, by a steady hand.

My teacher Mr. Arai has spoken very highly of you. He has told me that you have developed the art of summoning animals. I have an interest in learning this skill and I would like to inquire as to whether you could help me find a starting point. 

I look forward to your reply.
Shoko Uchiha

As a substitute for her clan's seal, she affixes her signature with a small calligraphic fan. Mr. Arai, husband of one of Travin's older relatives, teaches world history at the Academy. It is likely frequent that various requests come through the extended family, but not frequently from Mr. Arai himself, who is a fairly serious and no-nonsense man who does not humor frivolous requests.

---

Shoko privately hopes he does not respond.

A summoning contract is an obvious boon. It would be humiliating for her not to be able to find one, and it would severely hurt her chances at the upcoming tournament. Mr. Arai had quickly been able to talk her into sending the letter. Still, the idea of relying on some strange creature unnerves her.

Shoko finds the reply letter in the kitchen under a tangerine.

She picks up her father's gift to idly peel with one hand, the other opening the letter. As before, she still secretly hopes for a rejection, but that is not what she finds. What creatures will she have to work with? Dogs? Birds would not be so bad, she supposes. 

Her eyebrows gently lift at the signature. It seems implausible to her that somebody could be both a shinobi and a CEO. Who could find the time...

---

The bell rings at the expected time. Shoko waits patiently at the gate for the guards to gather her, greeting them when they do and stepping into the compound. It certainly looks like a business magnate's house. She is a little self-conscious of how she's staring at the gardens, but it's clearly meant to be looked at, isn't it? 

The guards lead her to a gazebo on the grounds. A tea table and chairs is set up there in the gentle shade, and Shoko takes a seat, thanking the staff for their time and for the cup of tea one sets before her. She takes a sip as she waits, hoping it soothes her stomach. She's nervous from all the fuss. Should she have worn something nicer than her mission garb? It had seemed like a bad idea to wear a nice dress to a training session...

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Shoko is visibly surprised at his entrance, choking a little on her tea. "Sir," she greets him. Introductions on her end would be redundant, and he continues speaking anyway. While he talks she examines him. He's her age, or a little older, carrying himself with confidence and authority. While she had not been told that he was a businessman, she had certainly been informed of his rank composes herself accordingly.

She nods at his question, taking another sip of her tea while she thinks. In her head, she tries to reframe the situation as though she were talking to just another tutor.

"I've been told I don't always work well with others," she says, sincerely. It had been a headache for her teachers how she was so well-behaved around them but had problems with her peers. "To be honest, animals intimidate me, but Mr. Arai told me it might be good for me to talk to summons. He says they have a different attitude to most people and it could help."

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Shoko blinks at his answer, a bit of a bashful smile threatening to break her mask of polite interest. She agrees with him, but it's in such contrast to what she's been taught thus far that it feels like misbehaving to show it. As such, she doesn't say anything, but her expression falters further enough during that moment of quiet that Travin can surely tell what she's thinking.

She nods, wondering what he is about to show her. Some kind of fish? She's heard the Rentei are all about water. There's another long moment of quiet, this one a little more awkward for Shoko as Travin appears to zone out, and she busies herself taking a sip of her tea.

"Are you talking to him?" she asks, tilting her head subtly at this strange show of communication. Then she sees him, and Shoko takes another sip of her tea, eyes wide behind the rim of the glass as she makes a successful effort not to choke again. Instead, she busies herself with appropriate mental epithets for the gigantic snake that has entered their presence. These are interrupted by a clear voice - somebody else's voice. Shoko looks to Travin, silently asking if he heard that, before looking to Render. It must be... his voice? Was he talking into Travin's mind too?

"Hello," she responds in kind, unsure whether she should be speaking aloud or to be thinking very hard. He may be a gigantic scaly creature, but he is also her teacher's good friend, so she reminds herself to be proper. "It's nice to meet you, Render. I'm Shoko."

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"I understand." Shoko gazes at Render. The snake still carries majesty and power where he reclines, but she finds herself more respectful than fearful. Like the lizards that run around the outer walls of the houses, she enjoys the stillness of him at rest, the shine of his scales.

The anxiety of a potential split loyalty gnaws at her. She knows there is a long history of shinobi working with summoned animals without issue, so she does her best to dismiss this worry.

"Is it alright if I speak with the contract holder before signing?" she asks. She has a growing sense that she is alright with this arrangement, but she had only exchanged a single word with Render and has not learned much about the snakes' dispositions.

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