Michiko ROLLS THROUGH

Ambience to roll to:

The sun rises on the western point of the moon island as a ship rides through into harbor making anchor. Men gather the goods from inside the ship trying their best not to damage or disturb the goods, the captain grunts from the inside as he picks up the last piece of cargo which is an aged barrel covered in worn parchment seals that seem to wrap around and cover the whole thing some moss and barnacles is also covering the exterior. The captain lifts the barrel curious of its weight but shrugs it off, heading to trade it in to the local collector. The collector puts on a pair of glasses looking closer at the barrel in a little alleyway, “Now let’s see what goodies you have for Jackie! Just gotta undo this wrapping, it’s kind of tight to the barrel.” Jackie starts to slowly peel the ancient parchment and as he does so the lid starts to shake as smoke billows from below the surface. In a panic thinking that there might be something dangerous like an explosive or something inside Jackie pushes the barrel causing it to tumble over sideways as it begins to roll down the downward slope of the alleyway bumping into things and speeding downwards.

From inside the barrel Michiko starts to awaken, groggily she feels herself being tossed around inside the container she’s in as her surroundings spin. For the most part Michiko only sees darkness and layers of dirt twirling around her. Scrunched up in a ball all Michiko can do is scream as her body is spun around like a whirlpool. From outside the barrel people simply see a barrel rolling down the way as bits of the marketplace crowd are screaming and telling people to get out of the way as it continues to gather more speed. In the distance people hear the owner of said merchandise screaming out,“Someone stop that barrel, it is WORTH A FORTUNE!”.

WC: 328

It was a beautiful sunny morning as Junko left her home, heading towards the closest settlement to her home. Junko recently had been tasked with delivering various goods from the settlement close to her home to the docks nearby. She found these requests rather boring and monotonous but she knew that people were afraid to travel so she would accept them anyway. Also it was a good excuse to get out of the home and not linger on any difficult memories that popped up from time to time. Thankfully today the streets were rather empty as she began traveling to the road to the docks. Like most days she wore a simple-looking, but well-made black sundress that hugged her torso and flared out slightly at the waist. Her dark black hair was seemingly perfectly placed to frame her porcelain-skinned face.

As she approached, she could hear the cries of some sort of commotion. Suddenly she saw a barrel, seemingly out of control, speeding in her direction. Without moving out of the way, Junko would whistle the required hand seals for her earth-style wall technique. Just before the barrel made contact with her body a small wall of earth would jet out from below her, rising her up and out of the way from the incoming threat. The wall also acted as a means to stop the barrel from continuing on its reckless path, she didn’t want any of the civilians to get injured after all. Quickly she’d step off the wall, and land beside the barrel, inspecting it slightly.

”Hmm, I wonder who you belong to?”

WC:276

Hasumi was surprised with how far she had managed to go, she had passed by the point her brother had said he had stopped at when escaping the ruins some time ago and yet she felt like she could keep running forever. The young Senju was covered in dirt and sweat, her long black hair clinging to her face and her baggy sweatshirt was starting to get soaked. The outfit had proven to be quite comfortable when Hasumi had been forced to live underground but now, in the tropical sun, she was finding the baggy clothes to be quite cumbersome. She wasn't sure where she could find new clothes however, her creator hadn't given her good directions as to where she should head next.

The grime-covered girl eventually came across the shore of the island and ran alongside it, her shoes getting covered in sand as she slowly made her way down the beach. Eventually, she came across a settlement, and at this point, exhaustion started to creep up upon her. She felt her breath grow heavy, and she was growing quite uncomfortable. Before entering the settlement she decided to take off the filthy sweatshirt she was wearing, pull it off, and toss it to the ground. The t-shirt she wore underneath looked somewhat clean, with the front of it only somewhat dirty.

Walking into the settlement Hasumi would try and keep an open communication with her creator, seeing if he'd be able to give her any information about her location. She quickly learned she was in a harbor, and that people and cargo from different landmasses entered Moon Country through here. As her creator kept explaining the interworkings of such settlements Hasu found herself intrigued, asking him questions about boats and their crews and how they worked. She wasn't sure if she could spend much time on one of those giant things but they looked very interesting to her from a distance.

As Hasumi was looking out towards a boat, asking her creator questions about it through their telepathic link, she failed to notice the screams and cries coming from up the road. Hasu heard a loud noise and turned with a start, noticing a barrel coming down the road. Thankfully it wasn't directly coming at Hasumi, but the girl stumbled and fell backwards as she tried to quickly get out of the way. The young girl winced as she landed on the pavement, though thankfully she didn't land awkwardly enough to cause any sort of serious injury.

Shortly after Hasumi's fall, another noise vibrated through the marketplace causing her alarm. Hasu slowly got into a sitting position and looked towards the direction the barrel had gone, noticing that somehow the earth had moved to create a barrier in its way. On top of the earthen construct was a woman with black hair. Hasu sent a mental image of her to Hasu's creator and was quickly informed the woman was trustworthy. As Hasu got to her feet her creator gave her a bit of extra information on the woman, that her name was Junko and she was looking to build a ninja village in this country.

Standing up Hasu would walk over to Junko and the barrel, though she'd stop several meters away and watch the barrel with a confusing look as she waited to see what Junko did next.

TWC:561

-20 AP for telepathy
610/630 AP

From within the barrel she felt herself coming to a sudden stop banging against a wall from outside the barrel, a voice coming from outside asking who something belonged to. Peeved over being thrown around like a snowball going down a hill and hitting her head several times, Michiko would attempt to stretch her limbs against the dirt around her as she exerted her strength. Outside the barrel the two outside would watch as the barrel shook slightly and then exploded outwards sending shards of wood from the barrel and dirt flying from within the barrel. A figure would appear from the inside covered in a large amount of dirt and some ancient wrappings that seem to have some sort of seal writing on them. Her arms outstretched in the air as she shook the dirt off of her. The girl appeared to have lime green hair that reached down to her lower back, golden eyes that seemed to radiate a sort of maturity and a soft smile adorning her lips as she stretched out her body. Her clothing appeared odd in nature being a black sleeveless uniform with a white symbol on the chest area along with gold trimmings on the uniform, with white shorts and white and golden heeled boots that go up to her upper thigh.

Her bones creaked as she finished stretching out and looked around realizing her mistake as she looked at the wood splattered about and the spectators currently looking at her she raised one arm to her head and ruffled her hair lightly smiling slightly and laughing nervously, “Oh sorry about the mess, you wouldn’t believe what it’s like being trapped in a barrel for that long, really messes with the bones, I can probably pay for it is the currency still the same these days?” Michiko would take out of the pocket of her shorts a strange golden coin with some light engravings seeming quite different from any currency currently in circulation, “I’m Michiko if you have any other worries just let me know” she would look around her surroundings before getting distracted and approaching the nearest booth looking at the wares in store. She’d turn around only to see people still looking at her. She would then back away trying her best to not garner more attention before looking back at the two that were right by the barrel, a slight smirk on her face but not really paying attention as much as she would proceed to start running away unsure if anyone was following her.

WC: 425
TWC: 753

As she inspected the barrel, it would seemingly burst sending pieces of wood flying. Thankfully she was able to cover her face in time and avoided getting hit with both wood and dirt. She’d be a bit stunned as she examined the woman who had just burst forth from the barrel. The woman had rather bright green hair, similar to her darling Jun, and looked to have been wrapped up in some odd-looking seals. Junko couldn’t make heads or tales of what had just happened in front of her. The earthen wall would sink back into the ground as she quickly dismissed it, disappearing without a trace.

The strange woman would then begin speaking to Junko, apologizing for the mess she had caused. She was also informed that the woman had been trapped in the barrel for what seemed to be a rather long time as she pulled out some currency that was completely unfamiliar to her. Before she could speak, however, Junko was distracted by a man quickly approaching her as he exclaimed that the barrel was in fact his. While she had taken her eyes off of Michiko, the woman had seemingly gotten distracted by the various stalls that peppered the immediate vicinity.

Junko approached the man and explained what had just happened, and the man was seemingly furious as he began to yell at her. Though she was tolerant of much, she wasn’t going to tolerate this. Her happy, carefree demeanor would leave her face and would be replaced by a menacing glare directed towards the man. Quickly she gained control over the situation by informing him that she would be purchasing the barrel, which shut him up immedietly. After discussing how much it was worth to him, she would offer him half of his asking price and would inform him that he wouldn’t be receiving anything if he didn't accept her offer. He would reluctantly agree, and Junko would hand him a small pouch with a bit of Ryo in it.

After the exchange, Junko noticed a similarly dirt-covered girl however she was a bit younger than Michiko. The girl was seemingly standing there confused about what was going on, and Junko couldn’t blame her. If the girl was looking at her, she would offer a friendly wave and motion for her to follow Junko. After peering at a few stalls she would easily be able to find Michiko due to her bright green hair.

Quickly she would walk over to the stall that seemingly was holding her interest. After closing the distance she would attempt to introduce herself Michiko. The air around Junko crackled with positivity as began speaking to her in a welcoming and sweet voice.

”Michiko, what a lovely name. I’m Junko, it’s a pleasure to meet you. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you come from? It’s not every day that somebody bursts out of a dirt-filled barrel, so I apologize if this is coming off as a little forward.”

If the young woman decided to approach Junko would greet her with a wave and introduce herself to her as well.

WC: 524
Total WC: 800

Hasumi was thankful she had waited a few meters away, watching as the barrel exploded. The splinters and such flew far but not quite her distance of several meters. Hasumi was sure such a thing would harm her quite a bit, but the woman Junko seemed to just raise an arm to defend her eyes. Between her fearlessness and the earth wall, Hasumi wondered if this woman was perhaps stronger than her creator. He hadn't managed to protect her during their incident in the ruins, Hasumi wondered if she might be safer if she managed to convince this woman into the village she was making. She'd have to make sure she was strong first though, Hasumi needed to find people who could protect her. At least until she figured out how to become strong herself.

Hasumi pondered as the green-haired girl and Junko interacted, though she listened well enough to catch Michiko's name. She was so engrossed in the conversation and her thoughts though that she didn't notice the man walking behind her, and was knocked to the side once again as he pushed Hasumi out of the way. The young girl stumbled a bit but thankfully didn't trip, throwing a spiteful look at the man as he made his way toward Junko and began to yell at her. Hasumi watched the woman quickly handle the man, offering to pay for the barrel and sending him off. She seems more socially competent than my creator, at least...

Junko looked over at Hasumi as she finished her transaction with the man, and this caused the artificial girl to freeze for a moment. The woman's crimson eyes captivated her. Were it not for the woman's friendly demeanor Hasumi might have been struck with fear, but instead she felt almost excited when Junko motioned for the young girl to follow her. Hasumi smiled and quickly made her way over. She didn't know what to say to the woman, she felt it would be weird to introduce herself without an explanation but she didn't even know where to begin. She ended up not saying anything now, anxious that Junko might bring her full attention to her.

Hasumi was still somewhat grime-covered as she followed after Junko. Her baggy pants were covered in dirt from her sleeping and sitting around in the tunnels within the Tenga ruins and her gray shirt fared little better. She had often brought her legs into her sweatshirt as a comfort mechanism and the front of her shirt betrayed that, with a light coating of dirt on it as well. If the green woman hadn't just made an appearance Hasumi might have been the one drawing stares, but she didn't stand out as much as Michiko it seemed.

The blue-eyed girl followed after Junko, pulling her back hair away from her face and trying to make herself look somewhat presentable. She didn't want to gross out Junko so she followed her 2 meters behind, not wanting the woman to notice if Hasumi smelled gross or anything like that. Hasumi wondered if the green-haired woman felt the same way at all or if she simply didn't care what other people thought. If it was the latter then Hasumi envied her.

It didn't take long for Junko to spot Michiko, Hasumi following right behind the woman as she went after the green-haired woman. They met up with Michiko at a stall where Junko began to introduce herself. Hasumi simply observed, looking between the two women curiously as she tried to learn from their interaction. She absent-mindedly rubbed her arms as she listened, still feeling self-conscious about being covered in sweat and dirt.

If Michiko continued with her previous actions and smirked at the two of them, Hasumi would nervously smile back at the woman. She'd patiently wait to see the encounter played out. If Michiko would respond to Junko or run away. If Michiko did stay then Hasumi's nervous smile would remain but if the woman did run then it would falter as she wondered if she did something to upset the woman.

WC:681
TWC:1,242

Michiko had settled at one stand covered with various types of fish and barbecued meat sitting down among the perturbed customers currently surrounding the stall. She would be approached by a woman as Michiko poked at a fish playing with it a bit before hearing the woman introduce herself as Junko and asking her where she came from. In response Michiko would smirk a bit before laughing a bit and saying “Yeah, typically I wouldn’t introduce myself to people like that as to where I came from it was just a small little temple probably long since faded away, not really from anywhere you could say.” she would laugh slightly nervously before continuing “Regardless, nice to meet you Junko always nice to meet another possible friend, nothing is too far to ask really though I would ask you in turn where I am exactly? Didn’t really have time to acclimate to my surroundings.” she would then wait for Junko’s response before continuing the conversation.

After talking for quite a little bit she would look around for anything else the pair could do before noticing the person behind Junko. The person seemed rather muck covered, similar to how Michiko had been a bit covered in dirt. She would smirk towards her as well and approach her curious and a bit hopeful of making a new friend, “Hi there I’m Michiko! You got any story? Well, regardless nice to meet you, your hair and eyes are rather nice, very regal.” Michiko would start chewing on a bit of meat she had picked out talking with her mouth slightly full, noticing she was nervous and slightly anxious “Anyways sit down if you want let’s all just hang out and make joy together, however I would be remiss if I didn’t ask what your name is,  take a bite though nothing makes anyone more comfortable than a bit of food in their belly!”  she would gesture over to the booth food where she had paid with more of the strange currency, the shopkeeper rather confused but accepting it regardless.  

Finishing up her food and responding to whatever conversation she could regarding each other she would get up and give a satisfied sigh speaking out loud, “Now that really hit the spot, let’s all go and have some more fun why don’t we? Is there anything fun to do around here or more to this place? Maybe some games I don’t know it’s all up to you all. I would like to get to know you both some more!” She would wait for their response if they decided to show her around. She would continue following their lead to wherever they went next, otherwise she would look slightly hurt and more solemn as she wandered the area.

WC: 462
TWC: 1185

Junko would offer Michiko a happy smile as she listened to her explain a bit of her origins. After asking where she now found herself, Junko nodded and proceeded to speak up once she was finished.

”You’re in Moon country, have you heard of it? It’s lovely to meet you, Michiko, I honestly think you’d get along great with the rest of my group!”

She would continue speaking for a few moments about the island, giving her some details of the surrounding area. However, Junko would hear footsteps approaching them and she’d turn her attention towards the sound. Standing before them was the young woman she had beckoned to follow her a few moments ago and Junko gave a small wave as Michiko approached her. Once she stopped speaking Junko would offer the young woman a slight bow before talking once more.

”And it’s lovely to meet you as well dear, would you mind telling me your name? If you haven’t heard me before, my name is Junko.” She’d offer a warm smile as she examined the young woman’s attire. Junko wondered if maybe she was homeless, or somebody who had been brought here unwillingly. As Michiko invited them to sit and eat with her, Junko would contemplate how to approach this situation. She shouldn’t flat out ask the poor girl what was wrong with her seeing as that could be taken as rude or prying. Junko would accept the offer to sit and eat for a little bit while they all got to know each other a bit. She explained to the girls that she was going to be setting up a village soon, and would invite them to join her once it had been completed.

While eating Junko would turn her attention to the young woman before speaking once more. ”How long have you been on the island for dear? Do you have parents here or a place you can stay? If not I’d be more than willing to allow you to stay at my home for the time being until we can find something more to your liking. Michiko that goes for you as well, though you may have to share a room if you don't mind!”

She’d then take a small bite of food as she looked between the two others, attempting to guage their response. Whatever they decided to do Junko accepted their decision and would continue on engaging in the conversation they were having. After some time they would finish eating, and she would leave a handful of Ryo on the table for a tip. Michiko would then suggest a change of scenery to which Junko agreed. Thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to show them where they would be staying if they accepted her offer, she exited the booth and stood up once more before speaking to the two of them.

”If you’d like to, I can show you the way to my house! It’s not that far of a walk, and the views are to die for I assure you.”

Should they agree Junko would then begin leading the two women to her home. She’d honestly answer any questions they asked and ensured to engage with both of them equally. Occasionally she’d take them off the beaten path to show them some of the stunning views, however, they would quickly return to the original path and continue moving towards her home. As they walked Junko maintained a pleasant conversation, though she wouldn’t push them if they seemed uninterested.

After walking about 3 miles they’d arrive at her home, Junko would open the front door and beckon them inside. She’d give them a quick tour of the place before showing them to their room, they’d see two newly purchased twin-sized beds pushed up against the wall on opposite sides of the bedroom. After telling them a bit about their housemates, and some of the frequent visitors Junko would collect a few necessary items like towels, bed sheets, and a handful of various things then distribute the items to them. Since so many people had been staying in her home she had put together what looked to be a small care package of things to help people adjust easier to their new home.

Once they were settled in Junko would turn her attention to them and would speak up once again.

”Please make yourselves at home, anything in the refrigerator is fair game! I will need to excuse myself for a few hours, I have some paperwork that I need to complete and send out by the end of the day. Feel free to explore the home and the surrounding area if you’re feeling adventurous. If you need anything, my bedroom is the one at the end of the hall! I should return in a few hours if you’d like to play some games or just chat like you had mentioned earlier Michiko. See you both soon!”

Junko would offer them a quick wave as she stepped out of their room and began heading to hers for the next few hours.
(EXIT)

WC:863
Total WC: 1663

WC Claims: (25% reduction from max stats)
750/750 Summoning Technique
913/3750 Creation Rebirth: Strength of One Hundred Skill

Hasumi listened intently as Junko and Michiko talked, finding out that the green haired woman was from some long lost temple. A lot of what the woman said made Hasumi curious, but she found herself to anxious to speak up and interrupt the two woman as they had their conversation. The two seemed to hit it off rather nicely.

As they finished their introduction they turned to Hasumi. The grime covered girl stopped rubbing her arms and froze for a moment, it'd likely be immediately obvious to the woman that Hasu was a bit of a nervous wreck right now. She hadn't really talked to many people at all since being created, and had been captured by mole men until just recently. She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do in a situation like this.

Michiko approached Hasumi and asked her name, pondering what the young girls story was. Hasumi wasn't sure how to answer that, or how much she even wanted to mention. She might have spiraled into a crying mess had she been allowed to think on that for a few more moments, but thankfully Michiko pulled Hasu away from her dark thoughts with a sudden compliment. The artificial girl reached up and grabbed a strand of her own hair as she looked towards the green haired woman, blushing nervously as she struggled to figure out a way to respond. She was barely able to process the woman's offer of food, taking a moment to register the offer before turning to look at the food she was gesturing at.

Almost taking a second to remember how to move, Hasu gingerly made her way over to the booth to grab some of the food. She had been trying to ignore her feelings of hunger for some time, she hadn't eaten much while captured by the mole men. Part of her wanted to reach out and start stuffing her face but Hasu felt so gross already that she couldn't bring herself to do something so uncouth. As she turned back to the two women the one named Junko asked her what her name was as well. Looking between both women, Hasu would take a deep breath and try to speak. At first her voice was barely a whisper, but as she continued it rose in volume until reaching a normal level.

"Um.. my name's Hasumi. I'm sorry for following you both... I just don't know where to go. I saw you guys with the barrel and the wall and everything an... I don't know you both just look so cool and I'm really lost." The poor girl probably sounded a bit crazy, but she was quite flustered and her brain was all over the place when she attempted to respond to the two women. As she finished speaking it wouldn't be difficult to detect a slight strain in her voice, Hasumi was barely able to keep it together and was struggling not to start crying and begging for help. Now that she was finally starting to settle down and engage in a normal encounter with people her brain was exiting survival mode and it was starting to become difficult to block out how terrified she had felt while trapped within Tengakure. Thankfully the two women were both kind and good conversationalists, unless they pried into Hasumi's mental state the young girl managed to stay afloat by listening to the two older women as they talked.

As they were getting closed to finished with their meal Junko turned to Hasu and asked her some more questions. Feeling a bit better after some food and being around the women for a bit, Hasu sounded a bit less afraid when she spoke this time. There would be a hint of confusion however, as unfortunately the artificial girl wasn't sure how to respond to some of the questions.

"I.. I guess I have a father. I think he's homeless though.. or maybe he just doesn't like his home." Hasumi looked away from Junko and squinted off into the distance as she tried to concentrate, seeing if she could discern anything about her creator from the memory link. In the end she ended up having to make a telepathic link with her creator, asking him what she should do. "I don't think I have anywhere to stay.. if you really would be willing to let me stay with you, I'd be very grateful. I'm not really good at anything yet but I'm a fast learner I promise. If you need me to clean or something I will figure it out!"

After they finished eating Hasu followed Junko to her home, anxious to get there and finally have a place to stay. Apparently her creator would be nearby, though Hasumi wasn't sure how to feel about that. She still felt that she wasn't much of a fan of the man, given how incompetent he had seemed when she got captured.

Once they arrived at the home Hasumi became ecstatic once she noticed one thing, the towels and the promise of getting clean. Turning back to Junko, Hasumi listened as the woman explained where to find her and that she could eat anything in the refrigerator if she wanted. Taking a deep, gracious bow, Hasu had to stop herself from crying again as she said, "Thank you so much Junko, you have to be the most amazing person ever! I promise I'll do whatever I can to pay you back for this kindness."

As she finished that, she would turn to Michiko and give her a bow as well. "I'm glad to have met you as well Michiko, you seem like a really cool person. I really like your green hair, I've never seen anything like it before! A..and your eyes look awesome too! I think 'm going to go try and figure out how the bath works, but we can hang out after!"

Hasumi felt she had blundered a bit there, but really wanted to repay the compliment that MIchiko had given her earlier. Realizing that it was probably a cheap trick to try and send the same compliment back to someone, Hasu resolved that she would have to try and find a better way to repay the woman's kindness. Giving her own small wave to Michiko, Hasu grabbed the towel provided for her and rushed off to the bathroom, ready to scrub all of the grim off of herself.

[EXIT]

WC1075
TWC:2,317