A Solemn Meeting [Junko]

Masume found Junko's house, though she barely remembered the directions. As she approached the door, her stomach dropped. What if she was still upset about before?

In all reality she shouldn't be nervous... though she had made her way there immediately after helping a different man than the two had helped a while ago, recover from poisoning. It was all a lot to bear.

She had sent a letter a couple days ago requesting a visit, but recieved nothing back yet. Perhaps she was just busy? Yet Masume's stomach turned uneasily.

The letter read as follows:

"Junko,

There is something with which I need to discuss with you. I am concerned about my letter being intercepted. It's best we meet in person. I will arrive within a week to converse about this topic. You may invite anyone you deem trustworthy to talk as well. Given you have a good repor with the locals here and because there is very scattered government amongst them, I am coming to you with this first.

Masume"

Masume hadn't given an exact time just so that if someone untoward would happen upon the letter and want to eavesdrop, they would not know the date and time. And should they need a more discreet place to talk, she's sure Junko would know of one.

She had planned to inform the girl of what she had observed during the autopsies and was going to mention that some the bodies were poisoned as well, with the same poison used on the elder that the pair had helped the last time they had met up.

Masume remained on guard as she waited for an answer from the door, looking around nervously and remaining hypervigilant. She very well could be the next victim of a poisoning. So she stood, arms crossed uncomfortably, shifting her weight back and forth between her legs.

When Junko would answer the door, she would cough into her hand slightly and give her a serious look. "Is there someplace safe for us to talk?" She would ask.

Perhaps she was a little paranoid, but she would rather be safe than sorry in this instance. She didn't know what the culprit was capable of.

[ WC: 367 ]
[ TWC: 367 ]

Junko had been rather busy recently with the village preparations, she very easily found herself swarmed with paperwork and consumed by various requests. Originally she had made her clones to deal with such tasks, but recently they had begun to mingle with the others in the home and take up missions themselves. A bit of her felt like a proud parent as she witnessed them develop into their own people and branch out from her personal style. However, due to the overwhelming amount of paperwork, things easily were misplaced or forgotten about. Thankfully she recently had gotten a letter from the young woman named Masume that she had encountered a bit ago.

They had left off on a rather sour note so Junko was happy that she decided to reach out. Her letter informed her that she would be arriving in a week and wished to discuss something important with her. This concerned Junko slightly as she was unsure of what else may have happened since their previous encounter. She wondered if this had to do with the man who had assaulted the village leader previously. After reading the letter Junko would place it amongst her piles of paperwork as she intended to respond. However as she was beginning to write, Jun would walk into her room and inform her that somebody in the village needed her assistance. Upon her arrival, she found that somebody had dropped off letters for her on her desk, and was unable to now find Masume’s.

A few days passed as she continued to pour over paperwork, wanting to make sure every single detail was perfect. However, one morning as the home was empty she heard a knocking at the door. She would make her way downstairs, calling out to whoever was on the other side that she was coming. Junko would fix her hair and adjust her clothes slightly before opening up the door with a bright smile. Standing in front of her was Masume with a rather paranoid look on her face. Before Junko could properly greet her, Masume would speak up and ask if there was a safe place to speak. Junko would blink at her as she processed what was going on, her brain was still in work mode and was beginning to adjust to social mode instead.

Junko would then take a step back into her home and motion for Masume to join her. As she walked in, Junko would close the door behind her and then lead her to the living room. She would sit on a rather comfortable-looking armchair and tell Masume to make herself at home. Once both of them were settled in Junko would then speak up first, her voice was calming as she attempted to level with the woman.

”I hope the trip here wasn’t too bad for you, anything interesting happened while I’ve been busy?”

Junko would offer her a sweet smile as she waited for Masume to respond to her.

WC: 500

Kitsunagi had spent the evening communing with the spirits. He had found himself a new batch of bandits, as he had been finding more and more recently. He had performed his usual sacrifice to the spirits within the forest, and they were quick to sing his praises once more. There was much he did to appease the spirits, but he had to be honest with himself. He was beginning to truly find enjoyment in the killing of others. He did think about it quite often, just the act of watching someone's body going limp and falling to the ground lifeless.

Just the mere thought caused him to become excited. But the night was nearing its end, and he would be expected to arrive back at Junko's home to complete the day's tasks. There were always jobs that needed doing, and tasks needed accomplishing, and he was usually one of the first to be deigned required to complete such things. He walked through the forest that neared Junko's home, and he realized that he was completely covered in dried blood, both on his clothes and the rest of his body, save a few spots on his back.

He had started using his blade once again, realizing that killing people from up close was a far more intimate event. But he did see the reasons for killing with range between. It was safer. But he enjoyed the act of killing, so he always wanted to be sure that he was proficient in his killing in every aspect. He would exit the forest, and he would see Junko's home as he usually would. But this time, Ren wasn't there waiting for him but there was someone else waiting at her door. His ears would perk up, and his eyes would squint slighlty as he pulled his bow out, and lowered his hand to summon an arrow into it.

He would watch as the situation would unfold for a few moments. Just to see if this individual had any ill intent for Junko, the soon to be damned Kage. He knew that he wanted Junko dead, but he was going to be the one to take her life, not some local. He would knock the arrow and pull the string back, with his arrow aimed straight for the back of head head, and another one aimed for her heart, he would wait.

After a few moments, Junko would arrive at the door, and she didn't seem to be overly cautious about this individual. Her calm demeanor told him that she had encountered this individual before, but it wasn't a good meeting based on Junko's face. He was standing exactly 25 meters away, still with his arrows knocked and ready to be fired. He contemplated his next actions. Taking her life would be so easy, she wouldn't even know that it was coming. It would be as simple as extending two fingers at once, and this possible threat would be relieved from their life.

But... she let the woman inside the house. "Damn it Junko. You make it so easy for people to just kill you. Either that or you're damned proud of your own capabilities. By  the gods above and the demons below I will take that little smile of yours away from this planet. Just you wait." He thought to himself as he would put his arrows back, sling his bow around his shoulder, and he would walk into the house. As he entered, the newcomer and Junko would see Kitsunagi in all of his splendor, in a white tunic with blue markings and loose fitting leather wrapped pants, and his bare feet, all completely covered in dried blood.

His chestnut hair was braided, and looking very unkempt. He would walk into the room where they were having their meeting, and he would sit in on it. "Junko, I have been tasked with looking after you today. Don't mind my current and abhorrent appearance, I have been hunting bandits all night. So the blood... was just kind of part of that. Anyways." He would sit down at another chair within the living room and he would listen in on what was going on.

Staring at the newcomer, this woman with the black hair, porcelain like skin, red eyes. "Fuck," He would think to himself. "It's another damn Junko. They're starting to multiply. Well it could be another sacrifice I suppose. So that could be nice." His mind would continue thinking these thoughts, but his outward appearance would be very pleasant, if not a bit off putting because of the blood. "Forgive me for my lack of etiquette. My name is Kitsunagi Kurosawa. You may call me Kitsu, as most people do." He would bow his head and motion for her to continue her story.

WC:801

As Masume awaited an answer from the girl, her paranoia was keeping her on edge. She was constantly looking around and behind her. She thought she saw something move,but it was probably her imagination. She stared in that direction a moment, squinting, before the door was opened, drawing her back to reality. It was probably nothing. Junko wouldn't want to kill her, would she?

Thankfully, Masume was invited into the house and was taken to a cozy looking room, where Junko sat down in a armchair that looked as if it were made for someone a bit bigger than Junko. Yet, Masume would stand there awkwardly, taking in the scenery of Junko's house. It was fairly warm and inviting.

She would be asked to make herself at home, in which she would walk over to a couch, next to Junko's chair, sitting rigidly with only a coffee table between her and the fireplace.

Before she could even begin, she would hear the front door open, causing her to look over her shoulder and see a man, dressed in white with gnarled and messy braided hair. Everything about him reeked of death, and everything he wore was stained in dark reddish brown blotches. He strutted in with a great deal of confidence and grace, sitting in a duplicate chair of the one Junko was in, on the other side of the couch, and directly across from Junko, facing her with the coffee table between them. "Masume Aburame" she would state, feeling a little uncomfortable with his sudden appearance.

Masume would look to Junko to make sure it was okay to speak, as the man's kind and sweet smiling face made her a little unnerved.

If Junko would allow her to go on, she would start with a deep breath.

"I just undertook a few burial missions. They weren't pleasant. That's why I'm here, actually. You see, the person I was here to testify was part man and part bear, in-a-way... but these corpses... they were just... abomonations." She would say seriously, looking Junko in the eye, pausing to look at Kitsunagi, and then turning back to Junko. "They had the pelts of different animals grafted into their skin, some had extra limbs, and other body parts attatched to them. They were absolutely terrifying... and someone has been poisoning them with the same poison used on the Elder we saved." Again she would look to Kitsunagi in case he wanted to have input. She wasn't trying to be rude but she felt more comfortable talking to Junko as she didn't know the man, and he had made it seem like he was a bodyguard.

"They looked much more... 'experimented-on' than Kumazou. I could tell several things from the bodies. One: The damage and the grafts were done by someone other than the victim, as the stitches were concise and there was no evidence of pulling away, as one would do if they were suturing or injuring themselves. Two: There was evidence of torture... scarring, healed broken bones, seals on their bodies, bruising on the wrists and ankles. Three: The bodies were eminating chakra after death, as far as up to 48 hours. Possibly longer. It isn't going through the chakra network anymore though. It's almost seeping out like steam from a pot of noodles." She would state looking between the two. "There's only two others that know about this... Isamu, an older gentlemen who is also a medic that came to take on the job, and Daiki, a young man who was very eager to please and very helpful, almost like a Labrador." She would add. "I know you know a lot of people here, so i wondered if you knew them as well. And that's also why I came to you. There isn't much of a government that I'm aware of at the moment, at least through my short time here... the villages seem scattered and tend to go off the morals of their elders, and they dont commune too much from what I can see. I figured since you have a good repor with the villages, that you would be the person to go to, aside from being the only other person I know here."

Then Masume continued after stopping for a breath, "I've been pretty secluded since I've gotten here." she would state. "And everything is spread so thin. I was worried with these revelations that someone might be after the information I posessed and I wanted to make sure it got to you, as I was on the North side of the island, preparing the bodies for burial... and"

She would pause a great deal longer than any other pause, staring into the fire.

"We saved one of the poison victims. Again, same poison. He had escaped from confines but was reluctant to tell us anything. But he had great delusions that everyone was after him, as if everyone was going to kill him. He was also similarly grotesque with wolfish features and patches of scales from various reptiles sewn into his skin. As far as we know he isn't working with the poisoner. But given that Kumazou was working with the poisoner, and was similar to these... these... victims... I'm not sure what to believe. He seemed genuine, though."

Masume finished her spiel and asked Junko for a map to mark down where the poisoned victim's camp was, in case she could get through to them better.

"It's no secret that I'm awful with social interactions. I figure perhaps you or one of your comerades could soothe him into talking about his experiences, as I feel I would make things worse." She stated bluntly. "His name is Oka-yama and he might think you are there to kill him. So expect to be attacked, should you go. And I'd gladly join you, should you need me to. You've had my loyalty from the start, though I am not good at expressing such things. I don't just share my alcohol and brewing secrets with anyone."

[ WC: 1010 ]
[ TWC: 1377 ]

Junko would perk up as the door to her home opened up and familiar footsteps could be heard approaching the living room. ”Ren must have sent Kitsu to watch over me once again”, she’d think to herself. Proving to be correct Kitsu would enter the room dressed in his usual attire and as normal covered in blood. Junko had to admit that Ren had spawned a rather impressive clone with the technique she had taught him. Unlike the ones she had created, Kitsu was rather ambitious and combat-oriented. Though she had never seen him in a fight it was clear that his “hunts” were rather successful.

He’d take a seat and after apologizing for his attire he’d introduce himself to Masume then motion for them to continue their conversation. Masume would then look over to Junko and she would give the woman a reassuring nod. Though she didn’t completely trust Kitsu, she knew that he seemingly had been connected to the world around him, and if this was negatively impacting the island he may at least be interested in it. Junkos friendly and cheerful demeanor would drop into a more neutral state as she attempted to focus on Masume’s words. Though a small smile could be seen on her face.

Junko would listen intently as Masume described her encounter with the poorly put-together amalgamations that the “man” named Kurogane had been cobbling together as of late. She would bob her head as she absorbed the information Masume was telling her. She felt rather lucky that the woman had been able to take the time to fully examine a few of the bodies since most of her encounters with them she ended up fleeing from. She could still feel the pain in her body from when she had previously encountered the multi-armed amalgamation named Kurogane.

She’d give a nod of acknowledgment when Masume mentioned Daiki’s name, however, she didn’t recognize the man she called Isamu. Tough if Daiki had met him and saw him as some sort of threat Junko was sure he would have mentioned it to her by now. Masume would go on to inform Junko that since there was no form of centralized government she figured Junko would be able to aid her. To this, she would sigh a bit in expiration, she hated how disorganized everything was and it had been quite a hassle trying to bring a handful of the settlements together to aid in the village creation. Dreadfully long hours had been spent pouring over old documents trying to find the right to different properties.

Once Masume had paused Junko would sit back in her chair in a more relaxed position and contemplated her next words. She had been trying to keep the issues surrounding Kurogane a secret as not to alert and scare the settlements. However now it had seemingly gone out of her control and she would need to enlist more help in squashing this problem. After contemplating her words she’d speak up in a rather serious tone.

”Masume, I thank you for the information. I and a few others have had some recent run-ins with these creatures though oftentimes we were unable to thoroughly examine the body. I’d like to ask you to write up a full report about what you have witnessed so I can properly inform the others. I can pay you for your time if you require it since I’m sure you’re rather busy. As for the men you named, I recognize one of them. Daiki actually lives within this very house and has seemingly been doing well since arriving. Isamu on the other hand I don't recognize, perhaps you can introduce up some day if you run into him again. You were right to come to me with your concerns seeing as soon any issue that plagues this island will be my issue to solve.”

Junko would allow Masume to continue speaking as she brought up the poison that they had seen used before. She explained that they had been able to capture one of the pathetically crafted monstrosities but this one had grandiose delusions. Junko would nod along in the conversation as she listened to Masumes words. Upon Masume’s request, Junko would ask Kitsu to retrieve one of the island maps from one of the nearby rooms. The woman then would admit that due to her poor social skills, she didn’t believe that she’d be able to talk sense into the man, so she requested that Junko or someone similar assist in attempting to soothe the man's mind.

Once she was finished speaking Junko would let out a contemplative sigh as she decided what their next moves should be. Though she was unsure if she’d be able to spare the time to venture out to meet with the man, she knew that this issue couldn’t go on overlooked. After contemplating for a few moments she’d speak up once again.

”I regret to inform you that you’ve caught me at a rather difficult time. I’m unsure if I mentioned this to you previously, but I’m currently in the middle of building up a village so my attention currently is focused on that. However, this seems to be a rather pressing issue that needs to be addressed sooner than later. I may not be able to undertake this mission myself, but I would potentially be able to send one of my sisters to deal with the problem. If I created a small team to look into this matter, would you like to join them? I feel like it’d be valuable to have you join them seeing as you’re quite experienced with the problems we’re facing.”

Junko knew that Kiko wouldn’t do too well with dealing with the man, however, Jun seemingly was able to warm even the coldest hearts. If anyone could get through to the man, it surely would be her. Her eyes would shift slightly in Kitsu’s direction as she contemplated asking him to go along with them, she knew that he would at least be able to keep them safe. Looking back to Masume, she’d smile and wait for her response.

WC:1033
Total WC:1533

His sudden appearance into the room put this Masume person on edge, which was understandable. Kitsu didn't really care for this woman's message. But he figured it would be good for him to hear what she had to say, get a little closer to Junko, all of it. Junko motioned for her to continue, and this woman did so. She would tell a story about the misshapen shinobi that had been found in the woods and in the ruins. Kitsu would listen to the woman speak of them with such concern. Kitsu had been killing these misshapen shinobi and sacrificing those that he left alive for the past few weeks; that was what was currently covering his clothes at that moment, as a matter of fact, so he knew what she was talking about.

He knew of this Kurogane creature due to Ren's stories, one of the few that he did find himself listening to. He didn't entirely understand why they were all so concerned with this man and his science experiments, but he would put a front on of complete seriousness and sincerity. Junko on the other hand seemed to be taking in the information and responding with candor and concern.

She would speak in political platitudes and different means of passing on the information to others. When she was done speaking, she would look over to Kitsu himself, who would look back to her and nod. When they had a silent understanding, he would look over to Masume, and he would adopt the most serious voice that he could muster as he spoke, "I have had dealings with these misshapen individuals. I have been spending most of my days in the forests fighting back their forces and performing my own reconnaissance on these individuals." He would pause for a moment as he motioned towards his clothes.

"That is where I was before entering into Junko's home. I would be glad to help this team find more of these individuals. I believe if we started bringing some of the lower members of their group to someone with proper means to investigate within their minds, we would be able to find some valuable information. As I have been attempting to interrogate these bandits when I find them, they seem to have had their minds scrambled in some way making them almost unable to speak in coherent sentences. But I have found that their senses are still intact as they can feel great amounts of pain. They also seem to have a heightened vitality, being able to withstand great deals of punishment before perishing. Some have become blind, but have heightened their other senses to compensate. I have found several burrows under the ground and into the forests, so I would be able to guide whatever party we are able to put together to the home of many of these individuals. If you'd like, I can share with you my notes during my interrogations with these monstrosities and we can move forward from there."

He would reach into his knapsack and find a bloodstained journal. He would offer it to her and see if she would be interested in his research.

WC: 530
TWC: 1331

She would watch as Kitsu began explaining how she would handle this situation. However her focus would be interrupted as she heard Rens sweet voice echo through her mind. He informed her that one of the construction workers who were putting together some buildings needed her opinions on the layout. She’d give him a mental confirmation that she would be there shorty, before she returned hwe attention back to the two before her. After Kitsu finished speaking, Junko would stand from her chair and inform Masume that she had business she needed to attend to but was excited to continue working with her. Junko would invite Masume to stay in one of the extra rooms if she wished, but is she seemed interested Junko wouldn’t push.

If she accepted the offer, Junko would give her a quick tour of the house and informed her of anything she asked. Quickly though she would excuse herself, and make her way to the construction site. If she denied, Junko would escort her out of her home, exchange good byes, then head out.
(EXIT)

WC:179
Total WC:1712

WC Claims:  (25% discount from max stats)
1875/1875 Body Pathway Derangement Technique A Rank Previous training here

Discarding remaining WC

He would rescind his offering of his journal, making the realization that this individual was not worthy of such writing. At least she hadn't proven to be so. Shooting a look to Junko, he communicated that he would be leaving. "Farewell to you both. I shall you soon, Junko." He left the house with the finalization of his words. He had plans to execute, as well as that damned woman to kill, but he wound need to bide his time.

WC: 82
TWC: 1413
EXIT

WC Claims:
+961 towards Split Second (Complete) (Previous Progress)
+452 towards Sky Shredding Dragon (452/1875) (A rank) (Replacing Imitation White Hole)