a soul of storm [ eq's epic | private ]

[neko bo beko]

Kaminari no Kuni. It's where Abaddon would like to be. The land of clouds that touch the ground, fog that covers the sky. The air had always had a singe to it, the village had smelt of ozone somehow. Maybe it was closest to the heavens, or maybe it was simply lightning-touched. Either way, it was where Abaddon's heart would always be.

But here, in the barren crag wasteland of Kuma without a leaf of green not decayed in sight, everything was washed in dust. Why any renowned Kumogakure shinobi, especially one so in touch with a thousand birds, would seclude themselves to this place carved into the earth is befuddling. For Abaddon, however, it was necessary. Although it had been years since the initial break away from Kumogakure, the risk of AnBu or otherwise tracking them down was too consequential to wander back home, let alone anywhere near it. With nearly a dozen countries, large or small, between Kaminari and Abaddon, it was safe to assume that easy life was around the corner. At least after a few more years of perpetual caution.

It helped that their humble abode was at the bottom of a particularly deep canyon.

Still, however, Abaddon was a frequenter of Mitsubachi, the small town of Honey. While they didn't always have the funds or wares to trade and sell and buy with the other vendors and passersby, it was still something to be apart of again. So many years in solitude has left a peculiar pit at the hollow of their stomach, only quelled by social endeavors. Every day is no different from the one before, only the events of it; some days Abaddon would trade and sell in the bazaar, while other days walking through the streets sufficed. On particular days Abaddon would walk the rooftops and simply watch, and other days could be found patrolling the outskirts. It was a rather... boring life. Safe, though.

            

Research on Abaddon would come up with numerous dead ends - except for one. A young girl in Kuma once spoke of what sounded like a million chirping birds all gasping for air, and a light so great it lit up the small village of Honey in an iridescent blue for mere seconds. Although a hefty trek, the travel was worth it at the cost of learning to harness the Chidori.

Abaddon; Currently missing, only thing truly known is that he is a very tall man, who enjoys pain. He was a warrior of the Cloud Village, but suddenly disappeared out of no where. No information is truly known only that some presumes that he is dead for turning missing from the Cloud village.

---

»IIC Length: 72 Hours (3 Days)

»All basic rules apply.

»Up to this point, you've traveled to Kuma in search of the rumored master of chidori.

Master Game

[Master Game]

The wheels of Shoko’s mechanical beauty slid to a rough halt against the copious amounts of sand and gravel that was almost native to this side of Kuma. The young shinobi had spent the past few days travelling in and out of Kuma no Kuni, every last one of the boy’s leads turning into a dead-end. A rueful sigh could be heard from the boy, all of his research and intel dedicated to the chidori technique and Abbadon (one of the few who knew it) had gone to complete utter waste. Now Shoko found himself in a thinly populated wasteland in Mitsubachi that reminded him more of a mountain valley in Kaze no Kuni than any type of settlement. Shoko shrugged, this would be the boy’s last stop before he would head back to Kumogakure empty-handed.


The boy was adorned with a dark-coloured desert Poncho that was oversize to the extent that it hid his arms, unknown to most; it was a cloak of displacement. Shoko’s usually scarf had now turned to a turban that protected him from the sun’s intense rays. By his side, an intricately made red and gold sheath, hosting the fabled Kyuushi lay dormant, only for the time being. The boy had various half-pouches and quick-loaders that lay hidden beneath his cloak. The assortment of pouches contained various slots of Hira and Bo shurikens as well as fifteen kunai and a handful of smoke pellets and northern wind. A medical pack hung almost loosely from his thigh; inside it were 10 military ration pills, a gem of jutsu reflection, 40 explosive fire tags, a healer’s gem, 3 Devil Smoke grenades and a single precious troll stone. As the boy trekked through the dusty streets, the rays of the sun would reflect off the boy’s glinting headband, as he walked on through bazaar.

[neko bo beko]

The young man came prepared, and perhaps rightfully so. Although his previous attempts to find Abaddon had come up short, the odds seemed to weigh in his favor on this day instead. If by fate or coincidence, Abaddon traveled into Mitsubachi only shortly before the kumo shinobi had arrived himself. Even donned in his desert-friendly apparel, it was rather obvious the young man did not reign from this area, or anywhere near it.

As the young man walks through the streets, unbeknownst to him or the other, Abaddon weaves through the crowds of people looking to buy or beg or sell. Although a hood is pulled over the tall one's head, effectively masking his face from all those who catch a glimpse of the being, a smile is plastered to his face as he carries a basket of items over his head. People cling at his tall form, though his robes hardly loosen or unfold. Expertly wrapped up, the only dead giveaway that this person is Abaddon is the sheer height of which it towers over everyone else with. With the hand that palms the butt of the basket of goodies extended high over his head, to the sky, the reaching hands of beggars only claw at his shoulders and elbow.

Escaping the group of beggars and buyers, the hooded figure shoos some stragglers as he lowers his tired arm, clutching the basket to his side. Still smiling, Abaddon turns to continue the trek from inside to just outside of Mitsubachi, to return home with the new assortment of freshly bought wares.

Like seeing a ghost of the past, Abaddon's hidden smile falls when a young man wanders into sight. Grimacing, the hooded figure regards the boy's glinting headband as if it were the head of his own mother, butchered and sawed off at the throat. Both the urge to hoot with excitement and retch with horror overtakes the Kumogakure outcast. Was this young man here to take him home? No. The village would be awfully stupid to send such a puny child to take the likes of Abaddon back in. So what then?

Although Abaddon was not particularly keen on finding out exactly what the boy was doing in the likes of shitty Kuma, the figure can't help but stop in its tracks and drink in the sight of the boy, the shadowed out visage of the strange hooded figure turned pointedly at the boy.

[Master Game]

Shoko himself was almost swallowed by the abundant sea of people that he tried to weave his way through in the marketplace. The combined heat and stench from roughly a couple dozen sweaty bodies was enough to put Shoko off his centre of gravity. The boy almost stumbled as he fought against the tide of consumers and retailers that crowded the second-rate market. Shoko tried to ask someone the directions to the nearest inn for him to lounge at, but cacophony of discord among the people at the busy market easily over-shadowed the boy’s timid voice.

It was then Shoko knew he was at wit’s end. But maybe salvation would come in a different form. Shoko could easily notice a dark-hooded figure, dressed in long black robes, whose head stood plenty inches taller than most at the raucous bazaar. And what’s better was that he wasn’t barging, pushing or shouting. Seeing his thin opportunity, Shoko would look eyes with the hooded figure briefly for no more than two seconds, before giving a curt and friendly wave that along with him slowly jogging towards the man, would indicate that he wanted to quietly have a word. Shoko just hoped the man was as hospitable as he was tall.

[neko bo beko]

Apparently Abaddon was not alone in taking notice in the other, the two staring off for what felt like centuries compared to the mere seconds it actually was. As if requesting an audience with the strange figure, the boy gestures with a wave and beings his approach; Abaddon winces. So he had come for a reason, and that reason was clearly cloud-based.

Pulling their robes closed over the arm with the goodies, they return to a bland tower of cloth and fabric and no face, it would seem. Bracing slightly, with shoulders tensed and head raised, Abaddon pretends as though the boy's gesture had gone completely unnoticed. Staring a good few seconds longer as the boy approaches, Abaddon considers the options; be bothered to talk, or be bothered to run.

Running seemed easier.

Although it'd probably be best to use a jutsu to cover his tracks or disguise him as nothing to escape the situation, Abaddon doesn't want to risk being caught up to in the time it takes to set down the basket of goods and weave handseals. Drat. No blade, no weapon, nothing that could take Abaddon out of here without drawing attention to himself greatly. With a hard exhale, Abaddon picks up his pace again. Instead of continuing his obvious route however, the tall figure makes a sharp turn into a short alley way. When Shoko would undoubtedly follow the man to this dead end, he'd get a last glimpse of the figure ascending the walls without scaling them, using chakra to bounce from siding to siding. Pushing gently off his toes from a window sill, he disappears over the roof tops. Surely that would deter the boy completely, right?

SPOILER: Click to show

Wrong!! The boy is not done here... It won't be that easy to get rid of him.

---

»Used | Tree Walking

[Master Game]

Kumo Shibari (Spider Bind)
Rank: C Rank
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: Spitting a ball of spiderweb, it unfolds into a web and captures a foe against the next thing they hit.
Special: ---
Drawback: Takes 1 post to form in mouth.
Description: After gathering his spider webbing into the mouth, the user spits it out into a wide cobweb net pattern. This wide pattern can envelop enemies and tie them down to a nearby surface. This stickiness is caused by the user mixing their chakra with body fluid, making the web stronger and more refined than steel. Chakra remains in the web even after it has left the body for long periods of time.
Limit: Must be of the Kumomusha Clan

0/10

Shoko sighed. He had finally met a guy it seemed he could have a reasonable conversation with, only to have the man disappear into an ocean of bodies, nearly slipping out of his sight completely. Shoko didn’t know how the man failed to notice him, but he put his mind elsewhere, like how to avoid losing him from his sight. Shoko didn’t know what on earth compelled him to follow the strange man but it was not a force to be messed with. Like a snake, Shoko slithered through the array of bodies as he basically chased the tall, hooded figure through the market.

It would become apparent that the odd man was trying to lose him when he would slip into an alley after a sharp turn. Barely catching sight of his hood before it disappeared; the young shinobi would bound after him, taking a turn down the same corner. Shoko stood in bafflement as he watched the man use inhuman ability to jump from wall to wall, ascending the buildings that lined the alleyway. So the man was a shinobi, it made it all the more worthwhile for the boy to continue hunting him. But Shoko didn’t feel the necessity in wall climbing, the lad would disappear in an instant, re-appearing directly on top of the building where the man had escaped to. It would seem as though Shoko had cut off some major distance between the two and it looked like the boy could actually get him.

Shoko would contemplate throwing a few body-flicker techniques, but soon thought against it. This “little game” was quite fun and the boy wanted to make sure that it lasted just a bit longer. The boy could feel the blood pounding in his ears and the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he bounded after his target. Subconsciously, Shoko would activate the flow of chakra through his saliva glands, causing an unusual reaction. As he ran, Shoko would feel his saliva glands form sticky spider webbing.

[Starnaess]

learned

[neko bo beko]

Abaddon looked towards where the boy had been; he's standing there, menacingly, getting ready to follow closely still. He works his jaw, something Abaddon doesn't immediately catch, but still the tall one lets out an annoyed sigh. Persistent little shit, wasn't he? Most young men would see a stranger run away, and take that as a hint. No, this kid took it as a challenge.

Maybe he wasn't all bad.

Regardless, Abaddon wasn't in the mood for Kumogakure socializing. Slowing down to an easy pace for only a fleeting moment, the tall old warrior strings together a set of handseals. Slowing to a halt nearly 100 meters in front of the boy, he turns breezily on his heels to face his pursuer. His hooded head cocks to the side at an almost uncomfortable angle. Though Shoko cannot see it, the tall lightning-touched figure is smiling wide. "What is it you want from me, boy?" He calls, but his voice is drowned out as a bolt of lightning parts the clouds overhead and strikes the rooftop between the two of them. Whatever the boy had been planning, it was unfortunately rendered ineffective by a sudden wash of darkness around them. While the bazaar below remained the same, the area above appeared as though a sudden black storm rolled directly overhead. Panic roused the dusty streets below, but time would tell that they were safe. Shoko, on the other hand, was prone to the consequences of the storm he stood inside of.

"Whatever it is," Abaddon shouts, voice echoing in different fluctuations and tones throughout the dense fog rolling around the Kumo shinobi. "I cannot help you."

A lie though it were, Abaddon felt it sufficed. However, a bit curious now, the tall one stands idly by, a safe 15 meters outside of the seventy-five meter radius of crackling confusion, to survey the situation.

---

»Kazanrai no Jutsu

[Master Game]

A blinding flash. That was all Shoko could remember for the two seconds that came after it. The boy’s feet collided roughly with each other and Shoko’s world spun. Gasping for breath, rolled over unto his stomach, as his eyes widened in sharp apprehension. Thick gray mist swamped the entire vicinity of the rooftop, laced with what Shoko knew as airborne raiton particles. A flurry of painful memories impeded on him in an instant, a flash-back of when he was learning the Particle Storm Mist technique. (Lol, I know most people would meta-game in this situation, so their character magically knows the effects of the jutsu beforehand but coincidentally Shoko has legit learned this move already, so I don't have to stoop that low)




The shocks immediately came, every two seconds Shoko received shocks that brought him to his knees, The lad instantly regretted not thinking this through. Shoko could feel the consciousness leaving him, but there was no where to go to, everything from North, East, South and West was nothing but endless mist. As the final shock came and all hope was lost, Shoko’s vision blurred completely; the young boy just hoped he wouldn’t die because of his terrible lack of foresight.



Shoko felt a chill zip through his spine as he wasted no times staggering back up to his feet. The young shinobi felt the same sinking feeling of panic from before as he realised that the storm had infested every almost every inch of the rooftop. There was nowhere to run. Shoko grit his teeth as the first set of electrical needles struck him with nothing less than brutaltity. Again and again, Shoko was electrocuted as he gaped for air and slumped to the ground. This was it for the young foolish Hidden Cloud genin, he could feel it. But why here? Shoko thought. Why must he suffer in this filthy, irritating wasteland scrap in Mitsubachi. The very thought that this could be his final resting place filled the boy with livid rage. As what could’ve possibly been Shoko’s final electrocution, the boy would use a final burst of energy to jump to his feet.

Shoko flinched when the lightning struck him again, yet miraculously nothing harmful had happened. Shoko saw his body alight with benevolent lightning chakra and instantly knew that he had subconsciously activated his raiton mastery. Four years of constant lightning style training had given him a fabled gift that few possessed in this world, Lightning Sanmai. The boy’s mastery in raiton would allow him to briefly absorb all electric shocks from the Particle Storm Mist, and the genin didn’t need to be a genius to know what to do with it.

Sucking in a deep breath as another set of electricity zapped him, adrenaline coursed through his veins like wildfire as he performed a series of body-flicker techniques (3, meaning 0 left), propelling him dozens of metres through the mist. The boy’s luck would finally end as it seemed that he just had a little bit more of the storm to bypass before he could escape, however his newfound abilities were leaving because of the immense strain. As the tension of withstanding the constant lightning strikes became too much and his ability faded, Shoko would make one last leap forward, sailing through the mist in a nick of time.

[neko bo beko]

After what felt like forever, or maybe seconds, the boy comes sailing through the dense particle storm and lands just at the edge. Any inch less and Shoko would still be dosed, but now the storm only licks hungrily outwards at the battered boy.

Impressively, the young man from Cloud did not heel, thumping to the ground only half-limply. Apparently he was just as invested, just as lightning touched as Abaddon. With a grimace, the tall old warrior realizes that this boy must be here for something far less hostile than what he'd initially suspected. Sensing a soft sadness in the atmosphere, Abaddon tilts their hooded head. Gliding forward towards the boy, it would look almost as if the figure was floating, though this was not the case. Simply flawless and years beyond time, Abaddon is soon standing over the young thing from a home they once knew. Something to be held in common.

After a moment of consideration, an arm extends from the warrior's robes. With a flick of one gangly wrist, the storm that devours the rooftops distinguishes. Like thinning fog, the black mist drifts quietly out of existence. All that remains now are the heavens and the two people closest to them at the moment, overlooking the bazaar plainly now. Abaddon returns the exposed arm to beneath the robes.

"Alright," Abaddon mutters. "You've convinced me to hear your voice." In truth, the tall warrior only wanted to know what all the hub-bub was about. Why had this boy been so intent on talking to Abaddon? What was he doing in Mitsubachi, what did he want with Abaddon,... there were so many things that the tall one wanted to foolishly know. Instead, the hooded figure only asks one thing. "What's your name?"

[Master Game]

“You’ve convinced me to hear your voice.”

The boy’s ears perked upwards as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The young shinobi’s stagger came to a halt as the sinisterly cloaked man approached, prompting his eyes to widen. Shoko stared down at the hand that the mysterious man ushered in his direction, Shoko hesitated for a moment but soon allowed one of his hands to creep out from the depths of his cloak and grab unto the strangers, sighing in relief.

“What’s your name?”

Shoko took a deep breath.

“My name is Shoko Natamura, I only came to you because I was new to this place and sought out directions. But after you started running, I got stubborn and foolhardy, I apologise for chasing you down. But something tells me you had a particular reason to run. However I will not pry into another’s business, I only came to this place because of my research on the chidori “one thousand birds” technique, yet all my leads are absolute bullocks. In a day or two, I’ll be heading back to Kumogakure empty handed.”

[neko bo beko]

The boy mistook his extended hand to disperse the raiton storm behind him for an offered handshake. Startled, Abaddon looks down at the sudden connection between the two of them; in an instant, she knows too much about the boy. Lightning, raiton, courses through his veins like wildfire. He's young, impossibly young for his strength and aptitude. Their hands are departed and the young boy lets out a flood of words.

Blinking nearly dazedly under the shadows of the figure's hood, Abaddon stares down at the boy as he gushes about everything. Like on a rush of an exhale, everything is in the open in a heartbeat.

Honestly, the absurdity of it all is what draws out the first stifled noise. But after a moment of thinking about it, of the oddity of this young boy in his innate sense of whatever that drew him to follow Abaddon to the rooftops, just so happeningly searching for the chidori that Abaddon possessed. And drat on Abaddon for being rash and showing off their own affliction; too eager to show off, as always. The laugh that would follow was far to shrill and jeering to be from the figure, but when the shoulders begin shaking the laughter rings slightly louder and clearer. "Kid," the figure rasps, parting the robes over their chest to extend a hand, wiping a tear away from a hidden eye. "You must have a way with fate."

[Master Game]

Shoko watched as the unusually tall stranger began a series of chuckles, eyes brows raised in confusion. The lad didn’t think there was anything funny in his predicament. Unless... the hooded man knew something he didn’t. The young lad didn’t want to jump to any crazy conclusions so he would only stare and answer.

“How so?”

[neko bo beko]

Sucking in a long breath, Abaddon collects themself. No wonder this kid had come all the way to Kuma, had chased the tall one, had gone through so much... he was after the strongest form of tangible lightning. It all made sense now, so much so that Abaddon couldn't help but give in and maybe give this kid what he wants. If anyone else had come knocking, Abaddon would have been sure to turn them down. But there was something about this boy, this Shoko Natamura. He was... amusing.

"'Cause, kid," the exposed arm reaches forward, clasping around the cloud kid's shoulder. "You came to the right place."

In the blink of an eye, Abaddon's hand is retracted and the figure is turned around, already moving away. Walking towards the edge of the rooftop, the old warrior kneels down and scoops up the wicker basket of fresh wares and groceries under his robe and straightens. Turning back to Shoko, the old warrior waits patiently for him to follow. If he is immobile in his place, the warrior would beckon to him plainly. "Are you coming, Natamura Shoko?"

With that, the figure disappeared over the rooftops. If Shoko followed carefully enough, he would end up accompanying the other lightning-touched fellow to the outskirts of the small town of honey. Once they were alone, walking slowly towards the place that Abaddon calls home, the tall one slows or picks up the pace to walk side by side the boy. "What name do you know me by, then?"

[Master Game]

"Are you coming, Natamura Shoko?

Shoko pried his feet from the rooted spot that they stood idle in. Shoko was confused out of his mind, but something compelled him to follow the tall hooded figure.The boy found himself at the outskirts of the city, at a place that was likely to be near the man's home. The man who miraculously held the key to the answers he was looking for. As the man slowed down to match the boy's pace a question would ring out.

"What name do you know me by, then?"

It was at hat moment that the metaphorical ball of string inside Shoko's head began unravelling and the wires their began to connect. And as the final piece of the puzzle was solved Shoko would come to a small revelation.

"You're.. You're Abbadon aren't you?"

It would make a lot of sense to the boy, for the man talked about having what Shoko sought. And coming from his research, the only man who could've had such was the infamous Abbadon.

[neko bo beko]

"Indeed," Abaddon responds, tone sounding almost as though there's another onslaught of laughter threatening to shake slender shoulders. While perhaps the name Abaddon is an old alias of theirs, it was still one they recognized and appreciated. Of course, it wasn't the real name they were given; after years of constant name changing, new life hunting, it was hard to remember exactly which of their names was initial. Some names, the old warrior forgets having. But Abaddon... that was a name they would always remember.

Looking down at Shoko, the hooded figure lets out an airy snigger. Like another stifled laugh, but in fact it's a guttural noise of consideration. Would it be acceptable to reveal the face that lie under these shadows to the boy? Forget acceptable, would it be wise? What harm, after all, could this young boy do to Abaddon? After careful observation of the young one walking at the hooded figure's side, Abaddon settles on a smile. Looking up, the canyon Abaddon calls home is coming surely into view. If Abaddon was bringing this young boy into their home, if only for a short while, then they may as well let him into their life as well. If, of course, only for that same short while. Once they're at the edge of this steep cliff, looking down into this explosion-sized hole in the earth, Abaddon decides on what to do.

Turning wholly to Shoko, Abaddon parts their robes to reveal a hand. They wave the extremity in front of Shoko until he's looking to the tall one once more, and the figure's fingers curl with anticipation. "So... tell me," Abaddon starts slowly, reaching up with the exposed hand. Grasping the hem of the robes' hood, Abaddon hesitatse for only a moment. Once the hood is pulled back just enough to reveal the visage and a lock of orange curls, a face far too feminine is revealed. Thick eyelashes hood diamond eyes that point at Shoko, plush lips pulling over white teeth to reveal an almost nasty smile. "Does my reputation precede me?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Giggling, the old warrior starts running straight down the side of the slope, fusing chakra into each step to keep her balanced against the vertical earth. She wasn't sure why, but playing tag was way more fun as an adult than it ever had been as a child. She'd come to a skidding halt at the base of the steep, turning to watch for Shoko's impending person.

---

»Tree Walking

[Master Game]

Shoko’s mind went a buzz with a flurry of incomprehensible thoughts. The boy proverbially held his tongue, for he knew nothing reasonable would fly out of it. The figure staring back at him, looked nothing like how he envisioned a missing nin to be, certainly not one as covert and infamous as most people believed Abbadon to be. The figure that stood in front of him resembled a bright young woman, with sparkling white teeth and stunning visage.

"Does my reputation precede me?"

To hell with it. It certainly did not. But before the young Hidden Cloud genin could even spout a word this “Abbadon” would turn on her heels and go down the side of the impossibly steep cliff, likely through the means of the tree-walking technique that many shinobi were acquainted with.

Still confused yet desperate not to lose her, the boy would make a run after. But his plans would go down his smoke after his lack of concentration and utter bewilderment had led to him tripping on a stone embedded in the hard earth. This fall led to him tumbling down a cliff like a barrel in a waterfall.

This continued for a straight seven seconds before Shoko finally had time to recollect his wits and apply chakra to his feet, stopping a possibly fatal descent. But as the boy rose back to his feet, body aching with pain, he would realise that the descent left him bereft of his cloak and turban; revealing a head of bright sunkissed hair and… six dark-skinned arms.

[neko bo beko]

It seemed Abaddon's stretched lungs weren't going to get a break, a continuous stream of giggles and startling, booming laughter seems to bubble and rise from the old warrior's head. As she moved down the side of the canyon, so too did Shoko in his own way. It was a creative way to cross the gap between point A and point B in a flash, but also an equally idiotic way to get yourself hurt. All in all, it struck Abaddon's funny bone harder, like an expert plucking the chords of his guitar.

The laughter subsided, replaced by a strange silence that hung over the pair as Shoko crawled to his feet and dusted himself off mentally, regaining his collective senses. Abaddon tilted her head to one side, and then the other; this boy had... way too many arms. Rubbing her eyes, Abaddon wonders if perhaps she has some dust in her eyes, something to explain this kid's six arms. Six arms!? At least his complexion was an admirable one, the contrast between his dark skin and light hair making for an attractive young man. Well, a handsome boy rather. Without his robes and turban, it was even more abundantly clear that he was young.

After a moment of staring, Abaddon smiles and approaches him. "You alright?" She asks, though her tone is still inflected with amusement. The corners of her lips twitch; what was she doing?

Turning again, she'd splay out her arms towards the small hut centered at the base of this canyon. "This is it!" She exclaims, moving towards her humble abode. Given that Shoko would be following, she'd make do not to turn around and get another glimpse of his too-many limbs. She'd have to ask about that later, but for now.. she wanted to see what he had. "Come with me." Like that, she disappeared into the hut. With no door to mark the entrance, Shoko would only have to move through the open threshold. Upon joining Abaddon, he'd be met with a dingy little wooden room. It was atrociously bare, yet the old warrior didn't seem off put by any of it. In fact, she seemed as though she thought the place needed tidying up. Scurrying around to the back of the small room, no more than approximately 8 feet of space from one wall to the next, Abaddon placed her basket of items on a tittering table. "What do you think?" She asks, turning to face Shoko once more. Her robes still adorn her, but now her face and hair is free, and brilliantly so. "We'll get started soon. But first, there's.. something I want to ask you." She resists the urge to bring up those many arms, instead busying herself with picking up a few loose items and tossing them into the basket of new groceries, effectively mixing the old with the new. It only seemed fitting. "What brings you here? To me, I mean. To Chidori." She smiles a little, looking from under her lashes at Shoko. "There aren't many these days that interested in the birds, especially not a thousand of them. What is it that speaks to you about it, hm?"

[Master Game]

 OOC- (Oh jeez Neko, I've just read your post but it's morning and I'm on my way to school. It sucks that can't post now but I'll do my best to post the minute I come back from school.)

"This is it!"

Shoko just managed to clumsily slip his cloak back on as he gazed upon upon a small hut supposedly built into the face of the canyon. As Abbadon had seemingly phased through it's dense material, Shoko wondered if he should attempt the same. Taking another glance at the hut, Shoko realised that it was meant to luck more like a boulder than an actual albeit small building. Ignoring his inhibitions, the boy would proceed forward, flinching as he passed through the entrance of the hut as if there was nothing there at all.The boy would find himself facing the woman once more, this time surrounded by compact wooden room.

"What do you think?"

"Well, it's awfully minimalistic, but in a comfy way, not much different from my room" Abbadon would place her basket of items on a tittering wooden table.

"We'll get started soon. But first, there's... something I want to ask you."

"What brings you here? To me, I mean. To Chidori. There aren't many these days that interested in the birds, especially not a thousand of them. What is it that speaks to you about it, hm?"

Shoko pondered on the question.

"If a had to say one thing, I'd say peace of mind. I have spent years of my life learning and studying all I can about lightning style. It's all I've ever known and it plagues me each night that I could learn something better. The epitome of lightning style jutsu itself. Months of research and a few weeks of travelling brought me here, desperate to undergo the final stage of my complete raiton training."

[neko bo beko]

//ooc: no worries!

The impossibly tall woman smiles a little when the young boy responds to her about the room, mentioning the coziness of it. She'd go on to listen to him intently, for the first time her face resting comfortably. Her eyebrows etched downwards a bit, her eyes studying the boy as he spoke his piece. It was a sound reason, in its own way. It was better than some half-assed answer Abaddon would have given, and she could appreciate a man, however young, who lay awake at night pouring over the regrets of things not done. "Hmm..." She vocalizes from her throat thoughtfully, taking to turn away and pace the small room. After a moment, she's crossed back to Shoko with a new face; her lips are pulled back in a snug grin, her dark eyes glistening in the low firelight between them. "Alright!" She puts her hands on his shoulders, beaming at him. "This will be fun! I've never had a student before-" A lie. "Okay, well. I've never taught someone Chidori, I should say." Retracting one of her hands into her cloak, the other comes forward to wager between them. She snaps her fingers before returning that hand as well, vocalizing again at the same time. "But! This is no place to learn it. Let's go inside, shall we?"

She smiles again then, turning on her heel to face the center of the room. "Behold!" She booms, splaying out her arms. She chuckles a little, dropping to a crouch so she can pull away the rug before her toes, revealing a hidden hatchet. Upon opening it and descending the ladder, the two would find themselves in a much roomier area. Although it is carved from red earth clay, it looks fancy for its place under a wobbly hut. It's spacious, heavenly so, with a ceiling to match the long trek downwards. They moved through what appeared to be a living room, with furniture dragged down perhaps before the small hatch had even been made. There was dust on a few of the things that littered the area, the most lived-in room being the area deemed a bedroom.

Ignoring these rooms, however, Abaddon would glide through the halls of her large underground abode. Leading Shoko down a particularly narrow hallway, they ended up in the largest room of the hideout. As their feet came to step onto the concrete floor specific to this room, the lights would brighten immediately to reveal that the walls and ceiling were also of the same gray material. "This is my training room," she says, her voice echoing in the dorm as she turned again to face Shoko, given that he followed. There were dummies that lined one wall, as well as a multitude of other various training items scattered throughout the giant room. One wall was packed with different items and weapons and wares, while the other was cloaked in the attire of her lives past. One of particular regard was the metal-plated armor from her days as a warrior for the Cloud village this boy hailed from. She averted her eyes from it pointedly, looking to Shoko instead with a toothy grin.