The great Kumo-ichi caper

Goodness. This week has been chock full of new and exciting experiences. With everything going on in the strange village of elves, Team Puppet was excited to see Saya find sleep much earlier than usual. The sugar crash helped alot. While Saya on sugar was an unideal situation, the AI puppet, lovingly named PupAIt, found that strategic control of when she was allowed to consume massive ammounts of candy and cookies helped to ensure her sleeping schedule was somewhat more regular than it had ever been. With a litle luck, She hoped they could finally reset her schedule to one that ensured 8 hours of sleep in a single night instead of over the course of three to four days. Things were looking up for team Puppet. 

Saya found herself in the center of the festival early today. Early being a bit past one PM. Baby steps. As she glanced about all the various games and activities that they could do it became impossible to pick. How could she ever experience all of these things before the gates closed and she was sent back to her home in the land of mist? While she hoped to meet one of her new friends at the entrance, she wasn't totally disappointed to have missed the pair she'd done missions with. That just meant there was an opportunity to meet new exciting people. 

As usual she'd decided to tailor her garb after the godess puppet who was her protector. The fur lined leather armor held in heat better than the thing clothing she was used to wearing, and the thick white snow that blanketed the village meant she needed a little something more than she would normally have. Her hair was pulled back into three distinct braids that met at the center of her neck, Small carved rune stones spread methodically throughout the strands that snaked their way into the tight braids. By each ear, the femar of something or the other hung, the bones cleaned and bleached like the handful of other animal bones that shifted about in her hair as she walked. She looked the spitting image of the tall Goddess who walked directly behind her, though her blonde hair failed to capture the eye like Freyja's own firey red, and she was significantly shorter than the large puppet. Her sister walked beside her, the chakra threads connected to her puppets invisible through the ability of chakra supression. To her other side, The coach puppet floating only inches off the ground. His gym coach outfit failed to protect him from the biting cold, but thankfully it was less of a problem. Puppets couldn't feel cold. Or anything. No nerves. 

"What will be getting into today little sister?" Ai spoke almost uniterestedly, simply making convorsation in hopes that it would help her determine the answer to whatever was on her mind. The response was a simple shrug, followed by the tiny terror's eyes darting to and fro with renewed purpose, searching for anything to catch her attention. 

(TWC 505)

The Kage Summit, an assassination attempt. Safe to say lately things had been quite hectic for Kumogakure's favorite drunk and deputy kage. It was rather ironic, leaving one instance when combat started only to end up in another situation where a second battle took place. What's worse would be the fact everything happened the moment he decided to finally leave the village for once, his travels proving far more intense than the man initially hoped for. Now that Ichigo returned to the Land of Lightning one of the first things on his to-do list was finding out the identity of the person ordering the hit on him, traitors needed to be taken care of after all. 

As he made his way through the village a letter ended up falling into the former blacksmith's son's lap, a message personally directed at him. "What's this?". Going over the content Ichigo noticed a couple of strange tasks that required his help, three missions to be precise. "It seems that whoever this Yoi might be, they need a lot of protection". Cookies, workshop, star. Not exactly things he would pair himself with but oh well. The Drunk put away the letter in one of his side pockets, noticing the scroll it came with. "Eh, might as well" the deputy voiced before breaking it, followed by a sudden darkness taking over him.

When he opened his eyes again Ichigo immediately noticed the cold, figuring he ended up in Moon Country just as the message described. Fortunately the drunk would still be wearing his Darkened Skies armor, effectively protecting him from the harsh temperature. "Standing still won't do me any good" and so the man started walking until finally ending up at what appeared to be a village. Looking around town Ichigo figured it would be the place where those three interesting missions were to happen, something he still wondered about considering he had no clue who this Yoi was and why said individual called for help.

By then the deputy noticed a festival of some sorts was going on, games and activities for each and everyone to enjoy. Finding himself at the center of it all the blacksmith's son wondered where to look first, hoping the place had to offer plenty of drinks, all alcoholic in nature, obviously. 

(WC: 383)

There are a great many unfortunate situations one can get themselves in. Tripping on a rock to find yourself hurtling towards the ground. Closing your finger in the car door. There are however none as devastating as leaving a teenage menace alone hyped up on sugar in a fairgrounds. In the time it took Ichi to find his way into the village and into the central area where the carnival was happening, Saya had found more than adequate time to utilize her own major edition to the festivities. She wasn't sure at the time WHY they would need a full sized performance stage. If she were being honest, she just liked the idea of making a stage more than putting up boring booths or carrying equipment, but here, standing in the center with her microphone, she understood why she'd done everything up to this point.

When he approached, the speakers would feedback for a moment, and then a wall of sound assaulted the entire area.

"WHAT DO WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
WHAT DO WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
WHAT DO WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR

EARLIE IN THE MOR-NIN!

From Tortuga's port we put to sea and sailed for sixteen days
in the biggest storm i'd ever seen we almost lost our way

When a call came form a deckhand boy's I think she's goin down
but don't you fear there's enough rum here to DRINK UNTIL WE DROWN!

WHAT DO WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
WHAT DO WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
WHAT DO WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
EAR-LIE IN THE MOR-NIN!"



She was fully garbed to look the part, With a set of card board staging that made it look impressively like a real sailing ship. Granted she could have just used mokuton to create the stage and turn the stage into the topside of a ship, but she also could have used mokuton to make the stage instead of putting the nails in one by one by hand. She wasn't exactly the best at planning most of the time. The large brimmed hat dipped past her eyes as she spun in a vibrant black and purple pirate captain dress with SO many belts. Most of them had no purpose other than aesthetic. There were even three on her knee length black leather boots. Why were there so many belts?

SHe would continue until all verses of the song were finished, and then take a bow, noticing the new entrant we hope had enjoyed the show. Something about his constant refferences to being a drunk make this particular song feel perfect for the occasion.

"Thank you Thank you! I'm Sayatria, The Cosplay Queen of Kirikagure! i'll be her until... I suppose until I randomly get teleported back home so don't forget to check me out! I'd be delighted to come to a village near you--and by village near you I mean your village. Otherwise it would be silly. Please see my agent for booking.

At the front of the stage, the Coach puppet, who looked a wooden construct in every concievably way stood in front of a table with a large sign reading 'merch' There were t-shirts, fliers with her information, and a huge stack of otter stickers.

(TWC 1053)

Still finding himself at the center of the village where the festival was taking place Ichigo was busy looking around, witnessing plenty of spectacles happening in the surrounding area. Whereas most people were enjoying all types of different shows the Drunk would be busy going from one stall to the other in order to test and taste all kind of drinks. "Owner, your best sake please!", safe to say it was a sentence the deputy would repeat a couple of times over until he had a chance to try most of them. After all, he had Kumogakure's reputation to uphold.

Continuing to make his way through the streets Ichigo was no longer able to count the amount of bottles he consumed but the Drunk had no trouble standing on both feet. "I'm just built different" the man voiced out loud as he arrived at yet another stall that served alcohol. During his travels to the Land of Tea where he only stayed for a day the former blacksmith's son wasn't able to try the fine cuisine the country had to offer, all the more reason to take advantage of this second chance that got thrown into his lap. "Whatever happens in Vegas, no wait, Moon Country, stays in Moon Country". And down another bottle of sake went.

As a couple of minutes had passed, he didn't need more than that to empty a handful of bottles, Ichigo found himself returning to the center of the village, curious what else he could run into. And for that answer the deputy didn't need to wait too long. The sudden sound of music almost as if a major concert was starting, an unfamiliar song playing and filling the surrounding area. "We pour him another one!" would be his reply to the repeated lines of the chorus. "Apologies, carry on". The singing continued and so did the drinking, Ichigo moving to the left and right, swinging his hips which didn't lie on the beat of the music.

The private concert finally came to an end, the young woman introducing herself to be the Cosplay Queen of Kirigakure as she went over her merch. "Bravo, bravo" his heavy voice, distorted due to the helmet of Kumogakure's Darkened Skies armor, called out to the young woman, clapping his hands to applaud her performance. "Land of Mist eh? I had the pleasure of meeting your Mizukage not that long ago" the drunk would say as he approached the kunoichi. Ichigo, now standing about 15 meters from the woman looked around, checking out the T-shirts, flyers and stickers. 

(WC: 430, TWC: 813)

"Thank you thank you! Sorry gang, I cannot do an encore today! Please make sure to visit the Merch shop and pick up your one of a kind cosplay queen and puppet princess shirts! The Otter stickers have been going super fast so don't miss out on those and remember: For a low low price you too could have a performance from the Cosplay Queen of Kiri in your village!!!" She flipped her flowing blonde hair over her shoulders as she stepped down off the stage, lifting the edge of the well tailored Pink and grey full length dress to reveal the black boots beneath. One she got off the stage, she would give one last spin, the velcrow holding her pirate performance costume tightly to her body releasing. Beneath, Her Viking outfit sat comfortably, The previous dress planned perfectly to go with the outfit beneath and hide it from view. 

"You shouldn't pour drink for a sailor at work you know. The whole song is actually a parody look into the hardship of whaling ships and the need to self medicate to survive the impossible life of the sea! You'll find alot of the old shanties take a humorous stance on the horrors of sea life. Impossible hours with little susinence and if you're really lucky water, but even that had to be muddled with alcohol to kill plantlife that spawned in the barrels. " This  man never asked for a history lesson. Saya would never have considered that fact, but we onlookers must wonder if there are times when she's just too smart for her own good. 

"Oh? I adore Lady s--Uh. Murata. Lady Mizukage. Her. She's hecka awesome. Did you catch her on one of her recent trips?! I think I  remember her saying she was off to go do something. My money was on securing friendship treaties with all the other villages. She seems the type to definitely want to make friends and spread kindness throughout the world." She hadn't really spent much time with the Mizukage. There was a single day in which she was treated as a worrisome child, which suited her just fine. It showed a sense of care towards her villagers that despite the chaos Saya and her friends often got themselves into, She was able to show kindness and find a path to encourage Saya into doing better instead of simply reprimanding her. It was way better than the town guards methods. 

She considered this for a moment, Realizing she'd not actually gotten into trouble with the elves yet. That would have to change. The Ai puppet offered the girl a large skin bag with a cork sticking from the front of it, which the opened and sipped from as she spoke with this newcomer. Was he a ninja? He kind of looked like one she supposed. She hadn't really met any non ninja--unless you count Niko. She didn't. He was a ninja and then retired. That wasn't the same thing right? 

"I never caught your name sir. Sayatria Lenoria Senju, and yourself?" 

(TWC 1564)

As the self-proclaimed Cosplay Queen AKA Puppet Princess stepped off the stage Ichigo removed the helmet, revealing his face full of scars and tattoos, his voice no longer distorted by the respiratory mask. In the meantime the Drunk had already checked out all the different merchandise, going from the otter stickers to the personalized shirts. "A performance in our village? Pretty sure Kaito wouldn't like that" he spoke under his breath only for those close to him to hear. The Deputy did remember how the Raikage mentioned a big feast was in order so perhaps he might be able to be convinced after all.

With a final spin the young woman would show off her outfit one last time, a pirate costume tightly around her body. As she got down from the stage the kunoichi decided to give the Kumogakure shinobi a little history lesson on the song and its origin, something Ichigo didn't ask for but did not mind either. It made him think back to the times where he would simply sit down at his father's blacksmith shop with a guitar in hand and playing all the worries away. He wasn't blessed with the voice of an angel nor the looks but he could still handle a couple of tunes. 

As their conversation progressed the cosplay queen picked up on Ichigo's mention of the Mizukage, curious about where the two of them met all the while bringing up the fact how awesome she was. "Lady Murata, indeed". A smile appeared on the man's face upon witnessing the woman's struggle with finding the best way to describe the Kage of the Mist, almost calling her by her full name only to decide on simply going with Lady Mizukage. "Yes, you would be correct. I had the pleasure of meeting Lady Murata at a meeting". That would be all he'd say about the summit, figuring the Mizukage was most likely going to bring her shinobi up to speed herself.

Even though they had been talking for a couple of minutes neither of them had given their name as they had yet to introduce themselves to one another. "Ichigo Sato, nice to meet you Sayatria Lenoria Senju. I assume your friends simply call you Saya?". It was a wild guess but one that made the most sense. Now that the performance ended the Drunk wondered how to spend the rest of his time in Moon Country, assuming there was still time left before someone decided to teleport him back to Kumogakure. "Any wild plans now that you're free to wander around town? If you don't mind, allow me to accompany you, it's a strange place after all". Depending on the kunoichi's answer Ichigo would then simply follow as Saya began to lead the way.

(WC: 463, TWC: 1276)

"AH! That's so exciting! She's so cool! I can't wait to get back to the village and hopefully do some more missions for her. " She unintentionally left the statement vague. Most would assume she meant ninja mission, but lets be real. This is Saya. Her idea of missions for the mizukage involved much more fun things than ninja tools and ninjutsu. She aspired towards great scans of fabric and a night sewing, Great performances, and maybe some more decoration. you know, the important things. 

"What kind of meeting were you at? I bet it was super import--Wait. Are you like a super important person in the village?! Wait. Start at the begining. What village are you from, and THEN are you a super important person in the village. " She considered his name for several moments after it was given. Long enough that it would almost seem like she hadn't heard his assumption of her nickname. Where had she heard Ichigo Sato before? It was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't quite place it. Searching her photographic memory took a moment, but finally, her eyes lit up with realization. She HADN'T! This was her first time hearing the name. That made her feel much better. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Ichigo Sato! I assume your friends simply call you Igo? " A nod at the end of her statement confirmed that she was generally called Saya, though that wasn't right. Her friends usually called her Saya, but her sister called her Aya. Her Freyja puppet and Ragnar used her whole first name for some reason, and Pino had always called her Tria. It was like everyone who'd known her forever just kind of chose a portion of her name and claimed it as her own. 

"Well. I believe I have to head back to the hotel and check in on my sister after her mission, but you can accompany me to the hotel if you'd like! And if you ever find yourself in Kiri I'll be there! Also I suppose if I ever make it to...wherever you're from.... You can find me there too. Or if we happen to visit the same place, but that would be quite a feat. " With a nod, if he agreed, She would head towards the hotel. She listened and nodded at his responses to her previous comments, grinning with delight at the realization that once again her musical skill had netted her a new friend. WHen they finally got to the palce she was staying, Her smile beamed more brightly. While she hated to say goodbye to her new friend, she DID want tofu and Ai had promised her mappo tofu for dinner as a congradulation for having tried several new foods in the past few weeks. Honestly, it wasn't much of a reward. Had she not tried them she'd just be having mappo tofu anyway, but she took it anyway. 

"Have a great day Ichigo Sato! If you're in Kiri, we should get mappo tofu and I'll show ya around" WIth that, she was gone. Through the door and upstairs to pack her stuff for the trip home, and what a long impossibly tiring trip. 

(TWC 2100 exit unless impeeded!

putting 1545 towards earth flow spears(1850/1850)previous training
555 towards pup amp (555/1850) )

Going by her rambling it appeared the kunoichi would be similar to the fellow Kirigakure shinobi Ichigo met earlier, his talking making up for the boy's lack of height. "I suppose you could say that, but no one is more important than the village" the Drunk would say in response to Saya's question pertaining the man's status. He never considered himself to be above any others, treating everyone the same unless they made themselves an enemy of Kumogakure, in which case they were dealth with mercilessly. Land of Lightning's deputy decided not to share any details regarding the meeting, the Kage Summit not something to be talked about carelessly.

By then the young woman indirectly confirmed to be called Saya by her friends, a guess proven to be right. "I'm afraid my fellow Kumogakure shinobi aren't as good at coming up with nicknames as you are" he replied, the titles of Lord and Doctor one of the names he'd go by back in the village. Even the Raikage himself simply called him by his name, Ichigo. A name which meant strawberry and although the drunk was a fan of all types of fruits he'd prefer the other meaning of the word, one guardian. To protect and serve, such would be the fate of the Deputy Kage. 

Being the gentleman he was Ichigo agreed to accompany Saya to the hotel she was staying, walking her back as the two of them continued their conversation about all sort of things. As they made it safely to the place and arrived at the final destination of the day it was time for them to say their goodbyes, each going their separate ways once they ran out of time in Moon Country. "It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Saya. Perhaps we'll meet again and hang out once more". With a friendly smile Ichigo watched as she got inside before leaving the place himself. 

It was time to go home.

(Exit)

(TWC: 1603)
Claims:
- 1034 to finish Desolation (previously trained here and here)
- 569 towards Starch Syrup Capturing Field
- 32 AP

Approved