observing the moments(invite/NDE)

[Dealer's Button]

~enter~

Slight echoes of crunching snow lingered through the white canvas of the arctic meadow. Existing a few meters away from the Yukigakure shinobi academy abandoned throwing stars and shuriken slumbered upon the ice covered trees. Gentle snowflakes tumbled onto the black dress shoes of the Hachidaime Yukikage while he leaned against an wooden sculpture of an angel. His mind thought of the numerous challenges his dear son Penoa could face in the future. He knew the boy had tremendous potential yet the greatest risk of getting killed on the battlefield due to his father's past-kageship status. An sigh escaped the Knave of Hearts lips as he glanced at the arctic heavens with an proud smile yet worried heart. The Chivalrous gambler's light blue eyes gazed at the sky his mind lost in numerous thoughts.

He wondered about his destiny and the key parts his might would be used for Kara's revolutionary plans. Also Ace pondered of how much did Cedany and a few other genins improved during his reign over the humble arctic village. Turning slightly the Hachidaime Yukikage allowed his eyes to stay on a few tries while he observed the marks that his hands made all those years ago. This was the same place he realized his talent at manipulating his chakra to convert into the correct signature for wood release. An simple yet incredibly important step towards reaching the sacred knowledge of paper manipulation. Patiently and silently the humble father awaited for his mind to finish pondering of his destiny and the roads he made for others.

[Dealer's Button]

ooc-just waitin on rabble

[Cedany]

To say Cedany had been distraught after returning from her mission with the Takigakure shinobi would be an understatement, the young woman having been troubled by the tens of lives she had taken while outside of the village. For the most part she had been lying low as well, taking a mental health break because she didn’t want her current state to affect her duties as a warrior of Yukigakure. At the moment the Kaishin was sitting on an old swing set near the academy grounds, having subconsciously been drawn here because it was where she had made her resolve to serve this village with everything she had. Now she was questioning that resolve though, as she held onto the freezing cold metal chains and swung back and forth idly on the swing.

A frown was pulling down at the corners of her lips as her green eyes remained downcast at the snow beneath her, the woman’s pale skin almost matching the pure color. She blinked and looked up when she suddenly noticed someone else’s movement though, her eyes widening in surprise a little when she realized who, exactly, it was. “Ah, Ace… Is it true you’re not kage anymore? I’ve merely heard rumors since I returned; I haven’t visited the tower yet,” she admitted as she stilled her swinging, not moving to stand up quite yet.

[Dealer's Button]

The snow fell ever so gently upon the nostalgic sceneary as the two souls pondered about their destinies. Ace noticed Rabble his light blue eyes noticing the worry and mental strain plaguing her mind. The chivalrous gambler's own mind was distraught as well an vile mixture of frustration yet wonder of the things to come. When the Kaishen mentioned the card enchanter's demotion he felt all of the veins inside his white gloved hands boil as he scrunched them into fists. Although, a brief moment later his anger retreated back to the darkest depths of his valiant heart. The Knave of Hearts offered the shinobi an soft and gentle smile as he approached her as she swung in ice covered swing.

"unfortionately the rumor is true madam the elders desired my skills to be illustrated upon the battlefield"[/b] the Hachidaime informed the ice queen. Indeed, Ace remembered the discussion none of it was pleasant yet not on the elders side only his actions. The twinkling arctic stars and the looming crescent moon brilliantly shimmering the dark veil of the night. A couple of words was discussed before he left the tower without another word to them. The repetitive smacks of his foot slamming into a tree still thundered inside his heart the tingle of each impact still vibrating inside each of his nerve endings. The whole night was spent kicking the tree his mind thinking of the many things he did for the villages and the destinies he influenced under his leadership.

"Cedany dear be prepared of the days to come the panicle of glory or destruction is upon us"[/b] he informed her in his usual tone yet his light blue eyes had an grim shade for a brief moment. Allowing his white gloved hands to slither inside his dress pants pockets he slightly turned his head flicking some of the light blond strands of hair to fall away from his eyes."iv been watching all of my snowflakes each shimmer is an flash of hope for our village"[/b] he said with an soft smile upon his lips as he continued to gaze at the shimmering stars above.

"after an long time pondering about fate yours I want to observe, indeed starting tomorrow I shall be your leader you my student"[/b] the Hachidaime Yukikage politely revealed to the ice queen as he offered his hand to shake. Patiently the card enchanter awaited her reaction to the news given to her.

[Cedany]

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cedany muttered quietly, sort of regretting having brought up the subject in the first place. So when he suddenly changed the subject, she had no objections even if what he said made her brows furrow in confusion. Honestly she didn’t know what he was going on about, sort of fearing that whoever had been appointed kage may not be well suited for the position. To say the least, she silently hoped that their village would be led to glory rather than destruction. “What do you mean?”

When the man mentioned watching snowflake, the brunette turned forward and watched the expanses of snow twinkle under the moon’s light as a little smile pulled at her lips. “Hope’s beautiful, then,” she sighed, always having been a fan of the intrinsic beauty of the snow. The woman blinked in surprise when he suddenly revealed that she was going to be his student, certainly not having expected the sudden news. “Really? Do you mind if I ask why?” Cedany didn’t understand why he took an interest in her, and her confusion was blatantly obvious as she looked back towards him again.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m honored, I just don’t get it,” Cedany clarified as a small frown pulled down at the corners of her lips, and she was still idly swinging herself back and forth as they spoke to keep herself entertained.

[Dealer's Button]

Silently observing the young Ice Queen Ace noticed her mixture of wonder and dread. She was not aware of Kara's plan to break apart the Waterbelt Alliance yet the Chivalrous Gambler knew it was not his place to inform her maybe in due time though. Pondering eyes gazed at the arctic horizon his mind flooding with reasons of his concern towards the future. When Cedany asked for the reasoning of her being selected for such an prestigious honor the Hachidaime Yukikage gently closed his eyes to allow his mind to think of the many occasions of observing the young genin. He created paths for many genins some destinies that could even rival his own achievements now it was time to open up the path of greatness for a new young soul.

"Cedany you have potential yet your mind is bringing forth troublesome thoughts visions your eyes wish to erase correct"[/b] the Knave of Hearts gently and politely stated as he turned his head slightly as his eye lids opened for his orbs to gaze at her. "Sorrow and worry will always be part of our life yet it brings forth reasons to improve oneself"[/b] he said to his in his usual tone with a soft smile upon his lips. "Ruling is only momentarily teaching lasts a lifetime dear I shall train you to trust your decisions without ever looking back on them"[/b] he mentioned his eyes glinting an aura of divine honesty as he gently laid his white gloved left hand upon her head before patting it a couple of times. As the Hachidaime Yukikage patted the young genin's scalp the snow continued to fall upon the frozen soil as they shimmered to their downfall.

[Cedany]

The shinobi silently cursed herself for being so easily read, and she turned away from him and stared down at the snow once more as her swinging gradually slowed to a stop. “Without looking back?” Cedany repeated quietly, her grip on the chains of the swing tightening until her already pale knuckles turned even whiter. Tears welled up in her eyes when she felt a hand caressing her head, but she was stubborn enough to not let them fall. Her head was tilted down as well, her light brown bangs falling down to hide her shameful expression.

“How can you say that? Do you have any idea what I… What if they didn’t deserve to die like that?!” The normally cool and composed woman couldn’t help but burst out at the end there, sounding so angry even though the majority of it was directed at herself. For a couple of moments her eyes were slammed shut and her fists clenched tighter when she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m too weak for this, you would be better suited with a different student,” she muttered as her head remained bowed, her quiet voice barely managing to carry itself in the crisp and frigid air.

[Dealer's Button]

It was obvious the girl was trying her best to hide an expression of embarrassment. Ace briefly glanced at the Ice Queen's pale knuckles watching them grip onto the ice covered swing chains. Ready for an outburst the Hachidaime Yukikage remained as Cedany bluntly announced her concerns and the pain inside her heart. His light blue eyes calmly glanced at her not flinching from her sudden anger. His smile turning into an pondering frown while his memories reminded the card enchanter the lives he had to take during Konoha's civil war. Also the many lives the arctic environment stripped families bare as their children died from illness. Then there was that day the former yukikage had to gaze into an child's dimming eyes as the individual bled out due from an greedy psychopath.

"Life will always be married to Death yet we as mortals pay the ultimate price of how it occurs"[/b] he said to her yet his tone cold and bitter as the arctic wind. "my hands will forever be painted in blood dear yet the lives i saved is the light which squanders the shadows of remorse" the Knave of Hearts mentioned his tone calm and soft as his eyes remained upon the young genin. "if they died fighting for what they believe in then their souls are smiling knowing they fought with all of their might even now like it will be us when Hades invites us onto our afterlife"[/b] the Chivalrous gambler continued to speak in his calm and collected tone as his white gloved hand was gently placed upon the girl's chin.

"I see remorse in your eyes yet that same curse can be developed into an noble gift the combination of understanding and consideration Cedany an gift taught to me which I desire to pass upon you"[/b] Ace gently and politely said to her as he lifted her chin to allow her eyes to gaze into his. Silently the card enchanter looked deep into hers as his light blue orbs emitted an slight shade of sadness yet passionate determination.

[Cedany]

His words really weren’t comforting, but then again Cedany didn’t need to be babied. She was a shinobi, the reality and weight of her profession was what she needed to understand. Before she had never really put much thought towards killing people, yet now it was stirring up so much uncertainty in her mind. Temporarily she tensed up when she felt the fingers on her chin, the ashamed expression on her face no longer hidden as she allowed her head to be tilted. It wasn’t fair… How could he say these sorts of things so easily? Experience, probably, and for some reason he wished to pass on the teachings to her.

It was so easy to just stare up at the previous kage for a few seconds, his face definitely pretty enough to hold her attention for a good while. “Thank you, sir, but I don’t know if I’d be able to live up to whatever expectations you have for me,” she muttered as she turned away from his hand and left her eyes downcast again, the woman seeming to have lost her usual confidence. She wasn’t sure if she could accept his opinion on death at the moment, with so many uncertainties still floating around in her mind. But then again, just believing him would be a hell of a lot easier than letting this weight remain on her shoulders. It was selfish of her, she knew, to use him as a sort of crutch for the time being, at least until she could manage on her own again. “What would we do next anyway, with this new team of ours?”

[Dealer's Button]

His eyes continued to gaze into the girl's still noticing the depression and uncertainty insider her orbs. He was not going to sugar coat death because such an end brings honor for those who gave up their lives fighting for an cause. Ace knew someday his life would meet an equal end such as Cedany and all of the other shinobi inside the village. They was all mortals yet the lessons and bravery could last for centuries even after their bones crumble to dust. For now all the Hachidaime Yukikage wished was to teach this girl the power to defend the weak without any remorse. Although, her concept with death was ill taught and not well informed. As the Ice Queen looked away his eyes glanced at an statue of an woman reading an book. It was said in the myths that an ravage woman killed many yet at the end of her life she used up all of her chakra to protect the children of the village. Death was the final chapter of anyone's life yet just like her she made her memories survive throughout the passing of time.

"foolish assumption dear"[/b] the Knave of Hearts said to her gently and polite as he offered her an warm smile. "Teaching is the act of desiring to attempt to pass on knowledge determines how you value my words Cedany"[/b] he informed her in his usual gentle and polite tone. It was true not everything taught was learned by the student this was the case for any teacher student relationship only if the student valued the words given for knowledge to be honestly kept. She then asked what was there to be taught what their group would do.

He wondered what would be the first thing to do that was for sure. Ace always preferred defense over offense and becoming an role model for the generations ahead. Briefly looking at an tree an splendid idea appeared inside the Chivalrous Gambler's mind. "first off we shall work on defense a couple of methods sounds accurate then you shall walk back into memory lane" [/b]the Hachidaime Yukikage said to her as he gazed at the Yukigakure Academy. "indeed after we learn a few defensive techniques you shall instruct a few classes for some mission credit and recover the passion you have lost"[/b] The Knave of Hearts continued to inform her as his gentle smile remained upon his lips.

[Cedany]

Cedany’s frown deepened when the other claimed her words were foolish, taking a slight offense to that. “Fair enough,” she sighed when he explained teaching to her, the heavy breath causing a puff of white to leave her lips. The woman really wasn’t in the mood to argue, deciding to keep her annoyance to herself. With the mood she was in, his attempted to be polite flew right over her head. If anything, she thought it more like he was mocking her than anything.

“Defense huh? Can’t say I’m well versed in it,” Cedany admitted as she started making slightly wider swings, glad for the distraction. The comment about memory lane still confused her, but she remained quiet as he explained it. “I wouldn’t mind teaching some students,” she mumbled as she finally moved to stand up, mentally wondering if it would actually do anything to help. “When do we start?” The shinobi asked as she looked down at the man, about ready to leave.

[Dealer's Button]

The Hachidaime Yukikage noticed her mood dampened with some of his words. He could be polite most of the time but yet at time he had to be realistic. The Knave of Hearts watched her as she took slightly wider swings wondering what she was thinking about as she mentioned not being good at defending. However, when she mentioned maybe enjoying teaching the student at the academy Ace smiled. The Knave of Hearts hoped this was the correct method for he to feel better connected to the village.

"Indeed tomorrow you shall meet me at my house where we shall learn an defensive technique before walking to the academy"[/b] the card enchanter informed her in his usual polite and gentle tone. "until then I must make a few errands goodnight Cedany"[/b] the Chivalrous Gambler said to her as he waved before walking away into the gentle blizzard. It was an new beginning for the card enchanter and hopefully for the Ice Queen.

~exit~