sun soaked [ jay's epic | p ]

[neko bo beko]

Somewhere in the land of grass, there's a pulse of green aura. It disrupts little, only the life in the area escaping to far away places to avoid the pressure of the strange energy. Perhaps it also brought on an onslaught of wildlife growth, like a warm sun has risen over the winter of a particular area. Untouched by snow or cold, a section of the land of grass seems to glow and radiate warmth. The deeper into this warmth you travel, the hotter it becomes.

Whisper of this strange, glowing area floats quickly into surrounding small towns, small communities. Tombraiders catch wind of perhaps there being a certain loot to this eerie place. Hunters hear that a mystical beast has touched down and they're excited to find this valuable thing, and kill it. Others simply want to know what, exactly, has made this patch of land so... bright.

But only few would know that there was something else to this whole thing. Something higher, or something lower, it wasn't something to ponder. What's true is that there is something hidden deep within the forest. To anyone's ears whom it may interest, they would hear one thing: There's someplace where snow does not touch now. If these rumors would interest, they'd lead to a slice or earth seemingly carved out by a spoon of flame. There's an orange glow over the lush of the forest, the foliage on the ground reflecting the sun. Somehow, although it snows everywhere else, from inside the village to miles outside of it, the sun alone touches the forest floor here.

Follow the warmth.

---

j

[j]

[ENTER]
Tomomi made his way towards the odd warmth, which was apparent even from several miles away. The winter chill grew warmer and warmer as he approached the glow from afar. On his person he carried a simple, empty, large backpack, and that's it. As for clothing, he wore his typical grey tracksuit and flats. Tomo didn't have any particular reason to pursue the glow, other than an innate feeling of inevitable circumstance. Tomomi felt as though he needed to find the cause of this glow, and he wasn't sure why. The people he'd heard the rumors from weren't even sure if the glow was real. Some people said it was a mystical beast, but Tomo didn't particularly believe such rumors.

Eventually, the snow left the earth entirely, revealing a scene similar to spring. Fresh growth, moss, and leaves, whereas typically during the dead of winter you'd expect there to be none of these things. His eyes lit up in amazement and awe, nearly tripping several times during his travelling. Hopefully he'd find something soon!

tags

[neko bo beko]

There wasn't anything particularly wrong about this warm place except simply that it was warm. Tomomi, upon following this strange warmth, finds himself at the skirts of this unfolding mystery. His innate sense of belonging to this strange phenomenon was not a misplaced one. One could even say this whole happening was for him, graced upon him; or perhaps it was he that was destined for greatness instead. Or to, at least, meet it and even harness it. How he chose to come about it was up to him, but ultimately the universe had decided to send him to the core.

For now, there was nothing but the lively forest around him. It was bright, but the rays of light don't necessarily appear to be coming from overhead. Instead, in the distance, at the center of this small oasis, the sun shone from below. The further into this warmth Tomomi trekked, the warmer he'd inevitably become. It was perhaps a good thing of him to come in such loose clothing, easily peeled off should the world around him prove to be that of a fire. In some directions, the warmth seems to be.. off. In others, it's vibrant and grand. Where the wildlife grows intensely is where Tomomi ought to find himself drawn to, in the depths of this unruly heat. 

[j]

Tomomi continued his onward trek. As he drew closer to his apparent destination, the environment grew hotter and hotter. Eventually the temperature grew uncomfortable, especially for an active individual on a journey. Tomo took the opportunity to activate an ability that allows him to maintain coziness as temperatures become too high or low. The unusual sense of certainty never seemed to waver, despite the unconventional draw towards his goal, Tomo trudged onward. Trusting his instincts, perhaps too much for his own good. Or mayhaps trusting his instincts because he knows what's good for him.

Either way, Tomomi knew he was headed in the correct direction. The temperature continued to escalate, along with the amount of green growth surrounding him. According to the rumors, he should have been seeing people, but apparently he wasn't nearly close enough to the source, because he'd yet to see a single individual other than himself. Maybe it was a good thing that he'd see no-one though. While many adventurers were probably pursuing the glow for fame, glory, or wealth, Tomo was sincerely interested in finding what was there. The initial rumors implanted in Tomo a sense of incompletion. As if he was suddenly provided with the opportunity to obtain half of his life.

Then the intense heat turned to fire. Would his technique hold up in the heat? Perhaps he'd lose consciousness before even arriving. There were gaps in the fire that allowed him to proceed further, but how much longer would that last? Tomomi continued to approach the light that seemed to approach from further ahead and below the earth.

tags

[neko bo beko]

Upon following both his heart and the intense heat of the land, Tomomi would eventually happen across what seemed to be the real beginning to the newfound chapter of his life. Thankfully, the boy's little trick to keep him cool would work wonders for him, but still the heat would touch his skin. It was clammy and perhaps a bit uncomfortable, but certainly livable. Luckily, he was close enough to the core of the rumors now that the temperature may no longer rise. The air an insufferable 150 degrees Fahrenheit, Tomomi's ability to keep his temperature fluidly appropriate would still leave him at a feverish 103 degrees all over.

The heat was coming to an end, in a conventional sense. While currently it was still a sweat-fest, the longevity of the source was coming to a close. Of course, this would be unknown to Tomomi; but every step he took in the direction of the intense heat was another step towards something dying, withering. Coming to stand between two large, moss-coated trees, the shinobi would suddenly be overwhelmed by a dense fog that smelled of burnt.. anything. Branches spiral upwards towards the treetops, though the trees seem to be endless. They grow into the sky, or they grow from the sky and into the earth. Gangling roots litter the pathway. The slope of the terrain and thick, perfectly placed roots create the illusion of earthen stairs.

The moss on the trees was seemingly foreign. It was impossibly soft, almost like silk under fingertips, and the green growth of the land was as vibrant as the heat surrounding the young man. This same moss only grew thicker and narrower the deeper Tomomi went, almost impossible to pass through once the gentle slope of the land comes to a flat. There's a wall at the end of this endlessly shrinking path, the trees clumped together too closely for the Hyūgan to skirt through to another part of the area without turning back. Like the dead end of a path, a wall of coiled branches presents itself to the boy unerringly. Entering his heritage's ocular specialty could make it possible to see that in the distance the place of his yearnings was ahead, a swell of strange chakra pulsating from an even stranger structure. He would also pick up on the chakra of other beings, human or not, surrounding this strange place. So close, but so far away, he would have to find a way past this foliage wall.

[j]

As Tomomi drew closer to the source, he noticed that the heat ceased its swelling. Despite that, it was still very hot, even with his controlled soul. Tomo admired the green in his surroundings. Carefully stepping over roots, so as to not trip. The moss seemed to be somehow perhaps more green than the typical green that can be found throughout Kusa. The trees grew strangely, and so did the foliage around them. Everything seemed to be quite odd to Tomo as he felt himself getting close to his goal. Soon he found steps, built into the earth from roots. Definitely not man-made, mystical steps that let upward towards an indefinite objective.

Tomomi felt strange as he paced the steps. A fog rolled in, that smelled strangely burnt. Despite not quite being smoke, he felt an odd concern for what laid ahead. Were the people that were rumored to have pursued the oddity before him alright? Tomo increased his pace as he came closer to the roadblock. The elevation escalated slightly, and then the path halted.

Before him laid a dead end. A wall of branches revealed itself to have blocked Tomo's path entirely. He attempted to find another way for a few moments, before activating his Byakugan to reveal what was beyond the end of the path. Large, pulsing chakra, surrounded by smaller amounts of chakra. Were there others already here? How could they withstand the heat? Either way, he needed to hurry, and pushed his palm forward towards the branches abruptly, blasting his chakra at the wall. If the wall broke, Tomo would run in the direction of the pulsing chakra.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan
Hakke Hasangeki (Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher)

tags

[neko bo beko]

Mingled with the sound of a thunderous crack, the boy's palm creates a gush of unfathomable power that destroys the barrier in one fell swoop. As the debris of roots and lush sprinkle to the forest floor and clear, Tomomi'd already be closing in on his destination. Upon coming to the end of the forest line, a bed of trees behind him, he'd find himself staring over the side of a cliff. At the base of this drop off there is a giant structure, a moss covered ruins with wild plant life growing from the windows and doors. Beds of land sit on the structure's top, though seemingly inaccessible by any normal means. From where Tomomi broke through the tree line, he would be approximately thirty feet overlooking the land below. The building itself seems to glow and pulsate with a strange aura, the heat radiating off of it clearly the very same that hangs so relentlessly around this mysterious bit of Kusa.

The side of the cliff was not an intensely vertical decline, though the slope itself was not suitable to slide down without tumbling. A few bits of land jut out, though they're dangerously loose against the side of the earthen cliff. Branches and vines climb the side of the earth like spiderwebs, the ground disappearing under the heads of tall trees. The ruins itself is vast and large, but not particularly tall. Parts of the structure seem to have already fallen apart, cracks and hairline blemishes riddling the old stone.

On the ground there seemed to be a few life forms, but none of them were coupled with the strongest one that remained hidden inside the structure. Counting them all out, there were four all together. There was no way to tell their intentions from so far away, no way to tell whether or not approaching them was smart. With many decisions presently on his hands, the course of Tomomi's next few steps would lead him to something inevitable, whatever that inevitability may be.

[j]

Tomomi blasted through the wall, and rushed towards the cliff nearly as if it weren't there. If it weren't for his Byakugan, he probably would've taken a tumble down the steep face of the cliff. Tomomi stopped abruptly at the edge of the cliff and peered down towards the ruins below. There were a few others near the center of the space, probably looking to enter the ruins. Here Tomo noticed a sense of urgency, combined with jealousy and longing. If he didn't arrive at the source of the heat first, would he be denied the fruits of his travels? What if one of these strangers obtained some amazing object or what-have-you, and Tomomi was left empty handed? Like some dumb dupe, drawn towards a potential goal, only to be rewarded with nothing.

Tomomi quickly shook these selfish thoughts from his mind. When did he ever become so entitled? Instead, he carefully began his descent down the cliff towards the ruins. He did not attempt to join the others below, for the chance that these individuals shared Tomo's greedy thoughts was high. They could be evil, or stronger than Tomo. Tomo's movements were quiet, as to not draw attention to himself. He cautiously stepped down the steep slope, utilizing chakra control to fasten himself to the face as he worked his way downward.

As his descent reached the lowest elevation, Tomo peered forward. He intended to carefully skirt around the other three chakra signatures, and hopefully arrive at their goal first. Tomomi grew more and more curious as to what the intense chakra inside of the ruins could be. Tomo tried to find an entrance to the ruins somewhat away from the other three, avoiding them entirely if possible.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan still active
Tree walking

tags

[neko bo beko]

Thanks to Tomomi's byakugan, he of course is able to slip around the life forms carefully. Although he is aware of their presence, so far none of them are any the wiser. The only thing that has them on edge was the sound of a distant crash, but that sounded miles away. They'd have no idea that the breaker of the silence was already on their level, sniffing around the back of the ruins far away from them.

Two of the life forms, a man and another one, nod to each other in acknowledgement as they approach one another. The first man pushes black locks out of his face, swiping his knuckles over his forehead. Both of them heave with the weight of the weather, despite their fire-resistant, hot weather gear. "You find anything on the other side?" He asks.

His partner shakes his head. "No. There is another person here, though. She seems... just as lost as we are." Excluding Tomomi, that makes three beings that litter the area. The men still don't know that there is a fourth among them. "Where is she?" "The north side, according to our compass." The shorter yet equally as gruff man steps into his partner, producing their shared tool before them so they can both examine it. As it stands, this places Tomomi on the west side of the building, closed between the ruins and the side of the cliff. Apparently a woman harbors the wall adjacent to his, while the two men conversing take up the front side of the ruins. It seems Tomomi slipped back there just as the other man had finished looking over it.

"Did you see a way in, mate?" The one appearingly in charge mutters as the two start walking again, in the opposite direction of where the woman is. "You think it's possible someone else will find it first?" The second man considers with an indecisive syllable hanging in the air. He closes his mouth and hums into his mouth instead before deciding on an answer. "I am not sure, Dhee. There are windows everywhere, that is true. But I... I think we'd have to use the windows." The man, Dhee, as it were, strokes his scruff as he regards the tall building. "Ah.." He tilts his head to the side before turning to look at his partner. "What was in the back, then?"

"Vine. More windows. More lack of doors. Moss. Not much, in truth." Dhee scoffs. "Th'arv," Dhee scoffs. "Are you telling me this building was built without any doors? That is.. ridiculous." Th'arv frowns, casting a sheepish gaze at his brother. "I did not say that, brother.." He tilts his head back, looking up at the flat roof of the structure. "But it was not made for us."

Dhee was growing tired of Th'arv's riddles. "What do you mean?"

Th'arv sighs, pointing overhead. "Up there, Dhee. There are entrances up there. But we cannot access them," he retracts his hand and wipes his brow of sweat. "But I do not know if we can get up there in our condition. We're already using so much chakra to stay regulated in this heat."

[j]

Tomomi landed safely and silently near the back side of the ruins. They weren't something Tomo'd ever seen before, and for several moments he simply stood in awe of the incredible architecture. It took a few seconds to notice the very distinct lack of an entrance near the ground. That was perhaps the strangest aspect of the marvelous, crumbling structure. It compelled thoughts of which sort of people could feel more comfortable entering a building without any floor-based access. For another jiffy or two, Tomo considered his options for entering the structure in front of him.

On one side of the building were two figures. Another side of the building hosted one other person. The two that were clearly in cahoots, considering their intimate proximity to each other were definitely separate from the other. Aside from the fact that they possessed chakra, and that they were alive, Tomo could really tell nothing from their presence. More curious was the intense chakra that lied within the ruins. It was larger than the three individuals outside, and even his own. Was there even a living being inside? Was it possible for an object to possess chakra, let alone such a large, strange signature? Tomomi instead of confronting one or the other, decided to sustain his furtive activity. Avoiding the two parties till the last possible moment was unquestionably the best course of action.

Silently encouraging himself, Tomomi approached the wall standing before him. Gently jumping upwards, so as to not damage the ruins further, Tomo reached towards the nearest window. If his jump wasn't quite enough to land on the sill, he'd have to use his tree walking skill to climb towards his destination. Peering around, his eyes carefully surveyed the insides of the ruin. Using his impressive peripheral vision, Tomomi kept an eye on his fellow pursuers.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan still active
Tree walking

tags

[neko bo beko]

Young Tomomi projected himself to the closest window, the second to bottom most floor, and made a perfect landing on the sill. Upon entry, he would see that the humble abode was belonged to that of the flora. While the intense heat of the area was sourced to these ruins and inhospitable for critters and humans, it was apparently a place of refuge to strange plantlife. As soon as the young shinobi touched his feet to the floor, he'd feel the squelch of soggy moss under his flats. The bog-like water seeps from the green like a squeezed sponge. The room he'd entered was a rather dull one, with walls decaying and being eaten at by rot. The ceiling above him was sturdy enough where it remained, but bits of it crumbled downwards to expose the floors above. It was no different for the floor he found himself occupying. Carefully trudging around the holes prove eerily dangerous despite caution, but the drops from floor to floor were no more than six or seven feet. Nothing to be lethally conscious about, after all.

Following the largest pool chakra with his vision, he'd find that it's perched on the highest floor but still within the ruins. From here it is inconceivably big, but upon reexamination and further climbing it was clear that the beast itself was not the largest about it. What was big was the power it withheld, the intelligence it worried and the presence it took.

Throughout the ruins, there are halls and corridors that lead to more rooms and larger entryways. The layout of the ruins was confusing, with sharp turns that lead to dead ends and slabs of stone that open pathways to solid dirt walls. The stairs to the second floor didn't match up with the stairs that led downstairs, making the floors necessary to explore in order to find the next piece to his progress.

Outside, the other treasure seekers are still stumped. The girl to the north of the ruins circles to the back, acutely aware of the voices towards the front of the ruins. An expert tracker, she notices a displacement in the grass where Tomomi'd launched himself into the air. She frowns, tilting her head at the strange pressure marks in the green. She looks up towards the second floor windows, then towards the voices around the front. Although both directions seem quiet, she's sure that there is a difference between those men and whoever made these indentations in the earth.

[j]

As Tomo entered the space above, he became quite plainly aware of his carelessness. As the figure returned to where he was previously standing, he peered at her carefully. He silently berated himself for not paying attention to the tracks he left on the ground. Hopefully neither party had any means of getting to the upper floors of the ruins. He looked around the inside of the space this time, comprehending the unpleasantly damp moss thoroughly. As far as old decrepit spaces go, this one possessed a natural sort of disgust. There weren't any dead people, or bodily fluids or anything of that sort; it was just kinda yucky.

Focusing on all of these things became steadily more arduous as the presence at the top of the ruins grew more and more distracting. Tomomi, however, paid special attention to the individuals below. The fellows on the side away from Tomo seemed to be staying still for now, while the other became aware of another presence other than the two men already here. The ruins around Tomo seemed especially confusing, but his x-ray vision would probably make navigating especially easy compared to the other adventurers.

Tomomi eventually decided upon an action he felt somewhat satisfactorily content with. He peered upwards through the holes in the ceiling, and made his way towards where the stairs were, intending to move upwards. He cautiously circumvented the holes in the floor, making sure to avoid spots that looked particularly prone to breaking further than they already had.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan still active
Tree walking

tags

[neko bo beko]

As Tomomi carefully plucked his way through the rubble ruins, eventually finding the stairs and moving to the next floor, the life forms below him also continued to make progress. The woman who had stumbled upon the flattened grass looks towards the lower windows, surveying for a way to climb into them. The pair of men around the other side wander and ponder aimlessly at the base, testing the strength of the wall with a few raps to it with the back of bruised knuckles. "Hmm..." Dhee hums, stroking his jaw again. "You still have those explosive tags on you, Th'arv?" He asks sideways.

Inside the ruins, Tomomi makes hearty progress. His climbing and searching and constant observation of the places he steps precariously does not fail him, carrying him much further than those who arrived sooner than him. Either cunning or lucky, the boy would be well into his climb by the time the men start peeling off the back of the explosive tag. Slapping the adhesive side of the tag onto the center of the wall, the men start creating a distance.

The woman on the other side of the ruins crinkles up her nose. How could she follow in this, whoever's, tracks? She frowns, looking around briefly before deciding to dip into her chakra. Though she had wanted to save it for whatever was causing the disruption in the weather, it was no helping it; she strung together a quick set of handseals. Although the heat in the air hung, the moisture around her was still susceptible to her chakra. Casting out a frozen aura, the molecules in the humid air begin to crystallize and connect. Stepping onto the slowly molding platform, she continues to push her chakra into her construction until it has grown level to the lowest set of windows. Stepping easily into the same room Tomomi had just occupied, she looks around sheepishly. Finding nothing particularly out of place, she allows her ice creation to wash away into nothingness as she travels further inward. By now, Tomomi was closer and closest to the life force, but certainly he wouldn't be the last one to find it. The closer and higher he climbs, the thicker the dense pressure grows around him. Like something warning him to turn back; easily ignored, rightfully placed.

---

» the men | preparing an explosive tag at the base of ruins
» the woman | Hyouton: Kooritai Soshiki

[j]

Tomomi's vigilant perception of the individuals below was something that he felt would surely save him eventually. Until now he'd nothing to worry about, but it seems that while Tomomi's peaceful approach at entering the building was not reciprocated by the somewhat unaware fellows now making their way into the building below. One of them conjured a set of stairs, which she promptly used to climb into Tomo's previously occupied room before they dissipated. The other, apparently dull-minded men on the other side of the building began placing something on the side of the building that could only be assumed to be an explosive tag.

Tomomi continued his attempt at climbing the building. His hope and intent, was to avoid the others entirely. If Tomomi was lucky enough, he could meet the source of the anomaly, and perhaps vacate without any confrontation whatsoever. Tomomi's trust for these three people extended about as far as his knowledge of them, which is to say not at all. He would evade their detection if possible.

His steps were silent, dodging the weakest looking spots in the structure of the floor. His steps now carried two objectives. The first, being to avoid falling through the ceiling into the floors below. The second, was to make as little noise as feasibly allowable. His feet approached the floor carefully. Toes first, and then heel. Using his Byakugan he'd attempt to arrive at the the next set of steps. He wiped his brow, as the temperature raised further. Perhaps soon, he'd finally arrive.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan still active

tags

[neko bo beko]

As if just on time, Tomomi climbs the last set of stairs before the last obstacle to his destination. While the woman already inside the ruins wanders aimlessly still on the first floor she'd arrived upon, the men on the side of the building inspect their readiness to blow a hole in the side of the ruins. Dimwitted as the two proved to be, they would at least make progress in trying to pry their way into the ruins to be apart of the fun.

As the young boy finally found his way to a pair of double doors, seemingly years past the initial construction of this structure, the pair at the base of the ruins detonate their tags. Like an earthquake ripping apart the earth, the ruins shake and threaten to tear down completely. After approximately a few minutes, the floors settle. Only a few more bits of ceiling and floor fall through, but otherwise the structure still stands. The woman of ice braces herself against a wall, cursing loudly at the stupidity of the other two beings. Picking her way across the rubble to look out a window, she'd see the other two men at the ground approaching the gaping hole. "You fucking morons!" She yells down the side of the structure, hanging out of the window. She dangles a middle finger down towards them. "You trying to get us all fucked?"

Where Tomomi finds himself, the area teeters curiously between insufferable heat and suffocating density. The large wooden doors stand deftly before the boy, seemingly unbudging. Whatever lie behind it was impossibly potent, casting a pressure too heavy to bare. The two slabs of wood were not impenetrable by any means, but certainly in the way.

[j]

Unfortunately for Tomo, the foolish gentlemen downstairs did indeed commit to the unintelligent act they were previously preparing for. Tomomi just barely managed to arrive at the door on the top floor before the building rocked and shook, proceeding the small explosion. Tomo spent the next few minutes with his back braced carefully against the wall. The walls and floors trembled gently, as if intending to make its guests aware of their precarious situation. However, the building held fast. Perhaps it was more sturdy than it seemed?

As the building finally stopped shaking, The woman below moved across the space and yelled out the window at the fellows below. Her directed profanities alluded to her perhaps non-violent intentions. The men below probably didn't react to the woman, but instead entered the building from the bottom floor, which didn't have an apparent entrance, thus the need for producing their own. Tomo would need to hurry if he wished to get into this room without meeting the individuals who still hung about below.

Tomomi approached the door to the final room with care. The intense pressure and heat grew immensely, as they had continued to do so during his ascent. The dense pressure made navigation difficult around the door. Tomo pushed against the door, which didn't budge at all. He'd have to force his way into the final room. Tomomi peered through the door carefully, aiming a strike in just the sort of angle that he could break the door without striking whatever rested inside of the space. His palm struck the door, and he jumped inside to finally see what the source of all the hubbub was.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan still active
Hakke Hasangeki (Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher)

tags

[neko bo beko]

Both the pair of men now entering the base of the ruins and the vulgar-tongued ice manipulator hear a series of crashing. The first was explainable on the pair of fools' part, though that one was coupled with the sound of multiple overlapping tumbling and crashes. The second, however, was far more distinct, discernible to a certain point of the upper most ruins. The loud crash that proceeds Tomomi's carefully angled shot to the door seems to only budge it at first, it thuds loudly against the floor. Instead of crumbling, the double doors fell forward plainly. The rattle that shook the room afterward was no comparison to what Tomomi lunged himself into.

While the three others looked desperately around for the perpetrator of the second loud but brief crash, Tomomi was on the second to last floor of the fragile structure with something large and inconceivable to most mundane existence. Rather annoyed than startled, a large bird cloaked in wispy green flames turned its head slowly to meet the intrusion.

ENTER: p h o e n i x

The beast, old and at the end of its life span, stands to face Tomomi. Its giant beak parts, a ghastly sound projecting loudly from its chest. The temperature seems to rise then, casting the same unruly heat from outside to the inside. The ice-clad woman follows the sound discreetly, booking it over flights of stairs as the pair of men wander blindly in the dark rooms below.

[j]

Tomomi's precisely pointed thrust of chakra didn't produce quite the same effect he'd expected. The end result was satisfactory, but Tomo was surprised to see the durable door only budge slightly. He thought momentarily about striking the door again, but then the door fell rather uneventfully inward onto the floor. Tomomi couldn't help but wince painfully as the door thudded loudly upon the stone floor. Luckily the structure didn't collapse any more than it already had. Surely though, this had brought the attention of the other adventurers upwards towards the source of the second loud noise. They'd definitely be rushing upwards upon the discovery of another rival in their quest.

As the doors fell away, the immense pressure multiplied and erupted outward towards Tomo. His hair, which was already stuck upward blew back even further still. Tomo squinted his eyes and jumped into the room to finally see what his Byakugan had failed to reveal up to this point.

Tomo was astonished. He covered his ears to shield his senses from the ridiculous noise produced by the large bird's beak. It was in fact, an extremely large fiery green bird. His eyes couldn't possibly be failing him now. It did appear to be extremely old and menacing, but instead of introducing himself as a threat to the strange creature; Tomo instead did what he normally does when introducing himself to someone new. He bowed politely. His bow was deep, perhaps more deep than a stranger deserved. His body stood at a near 90 degree angle, before raising his face to the bird and speaking one word with a smile.

"Hello"

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan still active

tags

[neko bo beko]

For now, in this instance, it was only Tomomi and the large green flame-licked phoenix. As if by the phoenix's own doing, the other three patronages are momentarily caught off guard; perhaps still the deafening, dizzying screech of the bird resonates in their minds. The pair of men, clumsy in the dark still, topple over each other with a loud crash. One groans, and the other curses. The woman of ice feels as though she herself is melting, her fingertips buzzing as she steadies herself against a wall. She retches, drawing in gulps of air. The only one left unaffected was the boy who so bravely presented himself to the phoenix, who so mightily interrupted the last moments it was trying to use to create new life. The intense heat around them reflects this sudden hiccup of concentration, suddenly wavering and casting in a gush of cold wind from the winter outside the radius of phoenix heat. It flares back up in a beat.

Wondrously, Tomomi took on a more eloquent approach to the bird as opposed to those who had come before, who would be sure to come after. As if the bird means to strike, it pulls back the large head on its long neck and parts its beak again, wings beginning to shift outwards. Before it displayed its entire wingspan, however, its beady eyes blink on the sides of its head as the young intrusion merely bows. Confused, the bird begins retracting its wings, folding them neatly against its flank once more. The boy, with a voice seemingly unused for some time, speaks a single greeting to the avian beast. In a voice much unlike the shrill shriek that had taken place moments ago, the bird parrots Tomomi telepathically. " Hello. "

This was unlike humans, and it befuddled the beast. Of all the upright sapiens that the phoenix had met, this one was the first to regard the beast as an equal. All the others before had been so foolishly overzealous, for whatever reasons of their own, but all had been easily thwarted away in time. Where most men would have raised a blade, this one lowered itself. The green phoenix tilts its head to one side, and then the other entirely as if on an axle. Then, its eyes flicker to the entrance of the large room.

Their intimate moment was crashed, the woman of ice picking her way to the entrance of the large room where the phoenix eyed. When she tip-toed to the entrance, peering around the threshold, she noted the large door laying on the ground as if it had yet to be even fastened in its place. Turning her eyes upwards would cause her to land a glimpse of the boy she'd been tailing, coupled with something she'd never expected to see. Though, what she'd been expecting as a source of this intense, strange heat was no more than a giant space heater or something. To run in and crash the party, or to turn back and get ahold of those beefy men she'd yelled profanities at earlier? Which did she have time for? Curiously, with eyes blown wide, the woman shouts at Tomomi. "Hey, kid! Get out of there! That's not safe, you have to move!" She starts moving inwards, in a beeline for Tomomi. She'd mistaken the stand off as one of hostility, and she was in the process of hurdling herself into the middle of this supposed battlefield. The phoenix rolls its eyes. " Pathetic, " it says shortly, only to Tomomi. Having taken an apparent liking to the boy over the girl, it addresses him solely. " Take care of her. "

[j]

It was about as majestic as he'd expected. Of course he'd heard the legends of the majestic Phoenix. As to whether or not he believed the somewhat non-descriptive tales, this was another matter. He'd never heard of a Phoenix being green, or any color for that matter. He'd simply assumed that they were orange, or whatever color fire seems to possess. It was astounding, wonderful even. The beast seemed perturbed, but slightly less impatient upon his courteous greeting. The birb reared its head and parted its lovely wings as though to display a threatening expression.

However, as if entirely shocked by Tomo's cracked utterance, the beast retracted its wings. Then, the bird spoke to Tomo. Not through verbal means, but rather into his mind. The act of telepathy shocked him even further. He held his fists near his face and made that sort of face a child makes when they see a famous person they idolize for the first time. His eyes starred up and twinkled in a sort of "ohmygod is that really?" kind of way.

The Phoenix spent several moments regarding Tomo carefully. It blinked and turned its head back and forth. As it seemed to nearly reach a sort of conclusion, their moment was interrupted terribly by the woman, who'd decided plainly that now was the best moment to rush into the room. Tomomi turned to the woman with a disgusted look on his face. Her worries were probably for naught, and the Phoenix's orders were probably not needed. Was Tomo now a servant to this creature?

"Sigh..."

Tomo egresses slightly. He looked back to the bird, and then returned his gaze to the new stranger. Then he gestured gently towards the door. Perhaps she'd take a hint? Clearly he was fine and could capably handle himself.

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