Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 7, 2009 21:13:06 GMT -5
Ayaka awoke that morning with just barely fleeting memories of scenes glimpsed between blissfully deep sleep: giant beetles swept down from the sky to whisk her off... somewhere... and then Tsutomegi and Hero Boy were there for some reason, until she tripped and fell into a mound of horribly ugly curtains. At least the previous day seemed normal by comparison. Though she had only been here for a few days, Ayaka had already developed a semblance of a routine: for one thing, she never got up until she smelled food. But today, rather than the faint smell of early cookfires just starting, it seemed like breakfast had started... a couple hours ago. Had she really been asleep that long? Better check the time...Ayaka raised up onto one elbow and leaned over to reach for her pocketwatch, but she leaned over too far and had to catch herself by stepping out onto the tent floor with a crunch. Wait. Crunch? She looked down... .... Oh. Right. Of course the mountain of random items would still be there! She had forgotten all about it. Well, she would deal with it later. For now, she just needed to figure out what time it was. She finally remembered that she'd fallen asleep with the thing in her pocket - which would probably be why her hip felt so odd, come to think of it - and opened it. Four fifty-three. .... Oh. Right. A broken watch, a jumbled mess of belongings, and - as her clearing head just remembered a second ago - a whole bag of missing personal effects. And still no job. Today wasn't likely to be an adventure like yesterday, she reminded herself as she sat up cross-legged on the cot and began rubbing her eyes in an effort to wake all the way up. She had things to do. Important things. But first she'd have to convince herself it was worth tempting Lady Luck yet again.
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 7, 2009 22:41:16 GMT -5
So much to do, and only so many hours in the day. But first things first! Cleanup after the wall restoration had yielded a surprising find, a bag loaded with personal effects. While anyone else might have had to take a few moments to sift through the bag for some form of identification, its owner was made clear the moment Gabu-chan had leapt from his shoulder to latch on to it, only to voice dejection. Clearly in the whirlwind that had been the night before, Aya-chan had dropped her bag! They'd have to fix that, of course. He felt bad enough for waiting until today, but she had probably already been asleep by the time they had found it. "All set?" Shichuumaru asked the messenger after Gabu had finished speaking with it. Of all the beetles trained as messengers, this one had to be his favorite. Sure, it was a ladybug the size of a small dog, but this one wore goggles and a white scarf- It had style. " Zubzub!" It fired back, saluting with a forelimb. Shichuumaru chuckled and saluted back, and off it went into the sky, clutching the bag tightly. A messy mop of black hair appeared from behind Tsutomegi's cot. And then it was gone again. And back....and gone. His soft voice could be heard, probably only speaking THAT audibly from thinking he was alone. "98...99....100.." Exhaling sharply, and covered with a thin sheet of perspiration, he rose to his feet. Picking up the dirty shirt from yesterday with every intention of donning it, Utsuro froze for a moment upon seeing Ayaka rise from her cot. "Ah...Ayaka-san....Ohayo..." He mumbled quietly at first, raising the piece of clothing. "I...ah...found my shirt..."
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 7, 2009 22:54:42 GMT -5
"Mmmf. Morning, Tsutomegi." The greeting wasn't the cheeriest in the world, but then, Ayaka was reserved to begin with. Add that to this morning's grogginess, and she was bound to not be too bright-eyed right off her cot. She was just about to ask him if he was really planning on putting that shirt back on - surely one of her cousins' old ones would fit him if it was a clean shirt he wanted - when a decidedly unusual creature found its way into the tent. It.... seemed to be a ladybug, but what kind of ladybug wore goggles and a scarf? This one seemed to be carrying something, too. And come to think of it, weren't most ladybugs a lot smaller than that? Though after flying across Konoha on the back of a giant beetle, the new arrival seemed almost small. Still, surprise mixed with grogginess could only yield a monosyllabic reaction to the ladybug's arrival: "Eh?"
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 7, 2009 23:35:29 GMT -5
That...is a very large bug. Utsuro found himself thinking in favor of saying anything else at the current moment. A very large bug..with goggles. And a scarf!He had seen stranger things, granted, but not many. It seemed to have business with Ayaka-san, though, so he finished putting on his shirt and began to sift through his bundle. He would need to find the bathhouse sometime soon. Cleaning up was arguably one of the best parts of arriving in a new village after a long journey. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " Zubb!" The ladybug proclaimed, landing promptly on Ayaka's cot- on its hindmost legs, at that- and setting down the bag..her bag..gingerly before straightening and raising its forelimb to its head in a salute.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 7, 2009 23:40:53 GMT -5
"Ah! Ayaka exclaimed, already large eyes widening slightly at the sight of the rather familiar object now sitting on the cot in front of her. "Thank you!" She must have dropped the bag during her adventure with Shichuumaru-san. Was this ladybug a 'summon' then? Or a partner? Or perhaps a different type he hadn't told her about... "Ah.." she began a little awkwardly as a sudden thought occurred to her. "But... how did you find me?"
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 13, 2009 20:55:38 GMT -5
Armed with fresh....well...mostly fresh..clothing, Utsuro excused himself from Ayaka-san and her...company..and made his way out of the tent. Now...just where to go to obtain information about a bath house...the main tent, most likely. I think I'd look good in a scarf..don't you? They can be quite dynamic..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " But... how did you find me?" The oversized insect paused for a moment, tapping the end of a forelimb against its....chin? There had to be something behind that scarf, anyway. " Zubram ram...zubb...'Buuu~'?" The creature offered tentatively. It doubted she'd be able to really understand that very well, however, and promptly began beating its wings to hover over to her shoulder, plucking up a couple strands of hair, holding them out in front of her. " Zub."
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 13, 2009 21:33:01 GMT -5
..... buu? That sort of reminded Ayaka of Gabu-kun. Before she could ask, though, the very unorthodox-looking ladybug showed her a few strands of her own hair. So that was it.... maybe? "Ah!" Ayaka exclaimed softly, talking herself through the answer to her queries. "So... Gabu-kun told you? But I'm in the tent, so it'd be hard to spot unless you went into all of them.... or else..." She thought for a moment, then her face lit up as an idea struck. "Water.... chakra?" she asked tentatively, referring to the odd things Gabu-kun had learned about her by sucking on her hair. "Is that even possible? To find me like that? Without...." Without sucking on my hair... Please don't suck on my hair...
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 13, 2009 21:54:28 GMT -5
The ladybug nodded at the mentioning of Water Chakra, and to hopefully further clear things up, went on to make a motion akin to sniffing at the lock of hair it held, antennae waving slightly in the air.
"Zubbram zubb zuu." Seeming satisfied with its 'explanation', the beetlekin released its hold on the lock of hair and dropped back down to the cot.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 13, 2009 22:10:25 GMT -5
"Ehh?" Ayaka asked, surprised. "I was right? You can really do that? I'd heard of dogs doing something like that, but I didn't know ladybugs could. It's... actually really cool. And.... thanks for bringing this to me," she added, pulling the bag closer to her with a rustle of plastic. "Ah! And can you say thanks to Shichuumaru-san and Gabu-kun, too?" Tensei Yoshito stifled another yawn, trying - rather unsuccessfully - to wake himself up. He'd been assigned the early morning-afternoon shift at the tents, along with his twin Isamu, for the next week or so at the very least. He should have gotten more sleep, but he and Isamu were needed back at the clan grounds, so he had stayed up into the wee hours clearing away debris and helping clan members get set up into the family's private shelters. After all, why should they tax the village's resources when they had enough money and manpower to shelter themselves? Either way, though Isamu had also stayed up to help, Yoshito's twin had gone to bed far earlier, and thus was more functional this morning. And so it was that Isamu was taking care of most of the paper trail while Yoshito directed runners and workers. Of course, that was usually the way they did things anyways. Even in their band, Isamu provided the structure and Yoshito, the verbalization. What Yoshito needed, though, was a new face to show up. All these refugees were supposedly staying in the tents; why hadn't more than a few of them come to the tent this morning? Did they not need help? Maybe they were asleep...
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 14, 2009 0:14:49 GMT -5
The ladybug nodded, chittering away for a moment. It seemed to grasp what she was saying fairly easily, lifting up into the air and giving a salute. With a polite wave and a hearty 'Zubb', it was off and flying again out of the tent. Well it's about time! You only circled the block about 5 times..Twice...Shuffling up to the tent, he tried to ascertain which of the figures within was the least busy. Sadly, there did not seem to be a familiar torso present. "umm....ah....excuse me..."
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 15, 2009 20:11:45 GMT -5
..... well. Of all things to do upon just waking up, Ayaka had just had a very interesting and engaging conversation. With a ladybug. That was quite a start to the day. Still, a rumbling stomach reminded Ayaka that there were other things to be done today. And so she got up, stretched, shambled out of the tent to make herself presentable, and then headed off to breakfast. "umm....ah....excuse me..." "Ah! Perfect timing!" Yoshito exclaimed happily, spinning to address the presumed owner of the voice (who was, after all, the only non-shinobi around at the moment). "You're... ah... y'know, I can't really tell with you looking down like that." Without further ado he bent over sideways until he was nearly upside-down, trying to get a look at the kid's face. Sure enough, he didn't look familiar. "Yep, you're definitely new to the village. So new you weren't here on my last shift." "Yoshito, quit clowning around," came Isamu's voice from the other side of the tent. Yoshito just rolled his eyes as he lurched back upright, red-tipped black hair bouncing and swaying as he moved. "Spoilsport," he sighed, hearing Isamu chuckle wryly at the comment from somewhere behind him. "So! What's your name, then? And what can I do for ya?"
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 15, 2009 20:38:32 GMT -5
Flinching back a bit at the sudden and quite random intrusion into his personal space, Utsuro blinked a few times in shock. This person.....they looked....vaguely familiar..were they related to someone else he had met so far? The facial structure seemed...similar. Knowing your luck, they're probably another bloody Tensei."Ah...uh...Ts-tsutom-megi...I was...wondering...where I could..g-go to get cleaned up..if at all possible.."
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 15, 2009 20:57:01 GMT -5
"Tsutomegi, huh? Yo Isamu," he called over his shoulder as he fished through one of the bins stacked beneath the admin tables. "Cross Tsutomegi off that list, would ya? Now where did those.... aha! Here we are!" A small bag of what sounded like chips of wood clacked on the table where Yoshito dropped it. "Those tokens will let you into one of the local bathhouses for free. Just hand one to the clerk who would normally take money instead. Oh, and they're only giving out so many tokens at a time, so don't go taking three or four baths a day. Now, you'll probably want directions, right? Do you have the map they were supposed to give you when you got here?"
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 15, 2009 21:08:42 GMT -5
"Y-yes...here.." Reaching into a pocket, he carefully withdrew the map and unfolded it onto the counter. "Directions would be...most helpful...thank you.." The idea of taking four baths in one day sounded incredibly wasteful. Would someone even DO something like that? He'd been lucky to get four baths in the past month! Taking the small bag carefully, it was tucked into one of the more structurally sound pockets on his person.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 15, 2009 21:24:33 GMT -5
"Right! Well... we're here, right?" Yoshito asked rhetorically, placing a finger on a particular spot on the map. "The bathhouse that issued those particular tokens - oh, they aren't good at any of the other ones, only that one. We made it that way to spread everyone evenly - is right.... here." His other hand pointed at another location a few blocks down one of the side streets. "There's a pencil right there if you wanna mark the locations down, but really, how do they expect you to get anywhere with such a confusing map? It's too detailed for someone who just wants to get from one place to another. So! Why don't I do this?" As dramatically as he knew how - which was really the manner in which Yoshito did most things - the young Tensei whipped out a piece of scratch paper, pulled out a pen, and began writing. A few moments later, an obviously disproportionate scrawl of a map had been sketched out onto the paper. The lines were straight, in a way, but intersected with each other at strange angles, while little more than street names were scrawled at appropriate places while the only locations listed were the admin tent and the appropriate bathhouse. It was obvious that Tensei Yoshito's strong point was not cartography. "Let me see that," said Isamu's voice from right over Yoshito's shoulder immediately before a familiar hand reached around to pick up the paper. "Jeeze, Yoshito!" his twin's identical voice exclaimed. "It's a good thing you were born into a clan of musicians instead of a clan of painters. You'd be the black sheep of the family.""Hey! Isamuuuu! That's mean!" Yoshito wailed as his twin scribbled something on the map before handing it to Tsutomegi. "Here," the elder of the twins said patiently, completely ignoring Yoshito's attempts to get his attention. "I've written down landmarks that should help you decipher this thing a little better. Oh, and watch out for... where was it? Oh yeah, this neighborhood right over here." He pointed to the appropriate section on Tsutomegi's official map. "The whole thing's been declared an official blast zone for today, so there's no civilians allowed. Safety, y'know.""Anyways!" Yoshito cut in, shooting his twin an I was helping him first! glare. "Was there anything else? You can read that map, right? Sorry if it's a little messy. Isamu's right; I was born to be a singer, not an artist."
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