Ever Dance With The Devil In The Pale Moonlight? [Cohort]

[Wolf of the Falls]

Reports have spread through Hitofuki and have even reached Sunagakure of a terrorist, or so it would seem. While no damage has been suffered as of yet many high alert situations have come up that have involved "pranks" that if were serious would have caused massive lose of life and property damage. Chances are if this continues much longer a team of AnBu will be requested to deal with the threat with extreme prejudice. For now a shinobi has been requested to come and find the perpetrator before it comes to outright wiping them out.

---

Kikkai quietly hummed as she walked along the roads of Hitofuki glancing at the stores and vendors set up on the street while pausing below a palm tree to scope out her next target. After a moment she saw it, a popular new food vendor had opened shop this week and served some kind of fried cactus that people couldn't get enough of. With a shrug she would mess with some leaves rolling herbs in it, to anyone passing by she would just be a girl rolling a cigarette or a blunt, hardly anything out of the ordinary.

Once she was finished fashioning it she held a cigar sized wrapped tub with a small gap in the center. In her other hand she would take a match as she walked past the back of the group clamoring the store. With a flick of her wrist she would light the match and slip it into the opening before swiftly launching it. The small projectile would slip past the crowd's legs before disappearing into the vendor's building. With a small grin Kikkai kept walking as her little surprise began to smoke profusely billow smoke from within and sending people scattering like ants in a haze of confusion.

Flower

[Flower]

[intro.]

Today Valerys had donned the face of Selyse Ikebana as she traveled toward her destination in Hitofuki, where she had spending a lot of time as of late. Selyse's blue pigtalis fell around her face and illuminated her aquamarine eyes. She had on a pink and blue skirt, a white tanktop, and a blue bowtie at her throat. Purple cuffs covered her upper arms and pink bows and ribbons ran down the front of her tanktop. Selyse looked at the city with wonder as she got closer, knowing the rumors that were going around. A terrorist perhaps, well, Selyse was interested to figure out -- and to what extent she would be able to use them. At her side was her companion, Akumu, the great dragon yet he was not in his full form either. He slithered by her side in his pure-blood form save he had none of his arms. He seemed to be a black cobra, about fifteen feet long, with black bat-like wings that sprouted from his back and a red pinstripe that curled along his sides. 

Valerys had decided to bring him when she was deciding how to address these supposed terrorist attacks. She had been loathe to take him on missions for a while, as he was not yet very skilled, but he had been training hard and Valerys finally gave in and saw this as an opportunity for him to grow. So he slithered at her side keeping an eye out and Selyse looked out for him as well, knowing that she may need to protect him if the foe were too powerful. Selyse had brought her polearm with her, and her messenger pack which contained two spring razors, a circular LED flashlight, a tracking device, three tracers, a ghost gem, and her coleman's traveling stone. She also had on a butt bag with two kunai inside. Akumu had not brought his shield with him, now that he no longer had access to the arms he had used to train it. 

As the two of them walked / slithered into the city, Akumu looked around at the wonders that surrounded him and Selyse wondered how she and her serpent would be greeted. She could only hope for the best, and while she walked Selyse tried to notice anything out of the ordinary. Any conversations or scenes that might catch her eye  and lead her toward the terrorist... 

[Wolf of the Falls]

Some whispers would fill the air as Selyse traveled along the main road. Stories of the events taking place all over, however most were confused about the lack of damage being done to anything. However a few moments later panicked citizens would run past Selyse from an adjoining road and down the street massive amounts of smoke could be seen rising into the air.

Among the crowd was a woman, not significant at all as she walked through the people and passing Selyse without a word though she would glance into her eyes before smiling and waving before continuing on across the main street through another road.

[Flower]

Selyse looked at the girl, looking into her eyes, who waved at her and then went down a different path. As she noticed the stranger disappear, Selyse skin began to bubble from her shoulder and she smiled at Akumu as she gestured for him to follow her. Selyse led Akumu in the direction of the paniced crowd and the smoke, saying that "it is often beneficial to follow the direction of paniced humans." Akumu chuckled in a deep voice as the two of them got closer to the sceene of the crime, and meanwhile somebody was climbing out of Selyse's shoulder. It took only two seconds and a white-haired girl that stood about as tall as Selyse climbed from her body, her eyes a deep violet hue, and squeezed her legs out of Selyse's cells and stepped on the ground garbed in black and white clothing.

"Shihana..." as if announcing her arrival. "A large crowd ran away in that direction and a girl was among them who went running off." Selyse pointed toward the road that the girl had taken. "Follow the path and figure out what you can." Shihana did as she was told and took off for in that direction with S-rank taijutsu master speed -- not one to waste time with questions. Meanwhile, Selyse continued with Akumu toward the scene of the smoke and paniced crowd, hoping to figure out some clues. As they approached, Akumu would be using his observation skills (145 sp) to see if he could observe anything out of the ordinary. If they were able to approach the smoke, and could not see within even with darkvision, then Akumu would cast his Detect Fire technique over the area of the smoke to determine if there were any heat signatures of people or fires. 

If there were people around then Selyse would seek to ask them what had happened here, but wasn't sure if anyone besides her and the flying serpent would be sticking around after all of that chaos. Meanwhile, Shihana raced toward the path of the crowd and the road that the girl had taken which Selyse pointed out. Her powerful eyes scanned the area, looking for anything that may hold a clue to the girl's whereabouts and what lay ahead.

SPOILER: Click to show

Selyse:

1. ---

Akumu:

1. Detect Fire
   Rank: "D"
   Skill: NinJutsu
   Effect: The user can sense the presence of heat.
   Special: ---
   Drawback: ---
   Description: Range of this Jutsu is 20 meters cone-shaped emanation. Duration is Concentration, up to 5 minutes per Class Level. This Jutsu functions like Detect Evil, except that it detects heat energy from normal fire, fire Jutsus, fire Chakra items, followers of fire deities, and all living beings other than those with the cold subtype. The user is vulnerable to an overwhelming heat aura if they have the cold subtype. Living beings without the fire subtype are detected with a heat aura strength of faint only, regardless of Class Level.
   Limit: Must be a Sensor Specialist.

[Wolf of the Falls]

At the site of the billowing smoke Selyse would find the smoke pouring from a small building while the shop owner scrambled in and out coughing from the smoke trying to save his shop. A number of other civilians stood around watching warily too curious for their own good. Meanwhile Akumu would see a faint heat signature within the shop on the ground as the small bundle that the girl had lit still laid on the ground smouldering as it poured smoke profusely. Hushed whispers from the small groups of people informed Selyse that everything had been fine until a moment ago. More whispers becoming concerned over the possibility of it being caused by the rumored terrorist.

Kikkai continued on down the road smiling to herself glancing back every so often to see the smoke. After raveling about a block away she would climb the pipes and awnings surrounding the buildings to reach a rooftop where she would watch and hum to herself, content with the panic and confusion she had caused for the moment.

[Flower]

As Selyse and Akumu approached a shop where the smoke was billowing from, and a shopkeeper who was trying to save it, Akumu would notice a hot bundle in the middle of the shop. Selyse was concentrating on the whispers and the word "terrorist" that seemed to float into her ears, as Akumu slithered into the smoke and hit the bundle outside into the open with his tail so that it could disperse and not be contained inside the shop. He would care not for the civilians that surrounded, and Selyse did not care about a bit of smoke. He trusted that the bundle would not burn him too badly and that his natural armor could withstand it.

Meanwhile, Selyse would walk with confidence up to the shopkeeper. She was not as tall as Valerys or Shihana, one of the shorter personalities, but she smiled and carried herself with an aura of pride as she approached him. Her Sand Village headband hung loosely at her throat like a necklace. "Mmm, what a shame -- seems someone around her is having a bit too much fun?" She wanted to laugh but felt it inappropriate. Luckily Akumu would slither up as well to ease the tension, the flying serpent and this blue-haired girl probably an odd assortment among this crowd. Although who knew?

Getting a bit more serious, Selyse reached her right hand over her shoulder and touched the spear on her back -- making sure that the shopkeeper knew that although she might have sounded like she was joking she was dead serious. It was not aggressive but rather symbolic of her strength. "So tell me, what do you know about this person and which way did they go?"

---

Meanwhile, Shihana took off in the direction that the girl had went -- trying to track her down. Unfortunately she didn't have any tracking skills or many skills at all for that matter. However, as she ran she would be allowing her cells to shift and change to match the environment. In a short amount of time she would be nearly invisible. Shihana would keep tracking down the pathway but felt after a while that she must have missed the girl. Keeping up her camouflage, Shihana continued down the path investigating everywhere. Selyse hadn't a moment to explain the situation, but Shihana felt that if the terrorist were around then she would know about it...

SPOILER: Click to show

Shihana:

Textured Camouflage
Rank: A-ranked
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A extremely powerful camouflaging technique.
Special: ---
Drawback: The user's chakra system is not hidden with this technique.
Description: Picture A superior camouflage technique of the highest degree that taps into the blood lines innate gift. By commanding cells to alter dimensions, pigmentation and texture, the user can blend into the background with ease. This is not invisibility, but rather the user's skin and hair taking the appearance of the background; blending them seamlessly into the area in which they occupy. As the user moves from one area to another, their skin will reflexively change and alter at the same time. The user can literally appear as if they were the limb of a tree, or conglomerate of rocks by a river bed. This ability can be used within an urban environment as well, as some users have been known to perfectly camouflage into the back drop of a bookshelf or office furniture. This allows the user to allude capture, make it difficult for an enemy to fight them within a given area, or even help in stalking and espionage. If actively in combat, the user can make themselves a difficult target to track and fight. The items the user carries is not hidden with this technique, but the "Flesh Fabric" technique is usually used in conjunction with this technique to hide items. It takes 1 post to complete a full camouflage.
Limit: Kedōin Blood line.

[Wolf of the Falls]

Due to the way the bundle of herbs was wrapped together, it would unfurl as Akumu pushed it out form within the shop. Doing so left most of the burning material to go up in flames while a hand full of thick waxy leaves scattered across the cobblestone a particularly strong scent wafting from them even as the smoke cleared. As Selyse approuched the man he would look over the short girl with little interest even after seeing the weapon and her headband.

"I didn't see a damned thing, I was working when my shop started smoking." The man replied gruffly obviously still irate about the whole situation before returning to his shop as it aired out to make sure everything was undamaged.

Kikkai continued to watch from the roof while the smoke created a large black pillar spanning high into the sky with a smile on her lips.

[Flower]

As Akumu tried to throw out the bundle with his tail, it broke apart into various pieces which scattered about the shop and he became concerned that it might cause a fire. It would have done no good to upset the people since they had just arrived, and since he had no idea of Selyse's conversation with the shopkeeper, Akumu unfurled his wings and attempted to put out the hot bundle with a Breeze technique before it even caught fire and to disperse the smoke so that everyone could see better and get rid of some of the confusion. In case it didn't work he prepared himself for counter-measures as he didn't trust it not to go up in flames, being a demolitionist and fire-user himself.

As the shop-keeper responded to Selyse abruptly and went back to look at his shop, all of a sudden there would be a charming aura between his soul and that of the "short girl." If all went well and he didn't have some powerful resistance to enchantments and charms up his sleeve, then he would be regarding her as a friend -- which he would have been smart to do from the beginning. "Oh my," Selyse would say as he turned away from her, "I don't think you understood me. I was not done asking questions." If her technique worked and he regarded her as a friend, then she'd take advantage of Akumu dealing with the fire and ask him about the criminals in town.

"If I were looking for someone who could manufacture a unique bomb like this, or criminals who would sell it, where would I go to look?" (Current Affairs 125 if it matters)

---

Shihana skulked around the city in her camouflage and found... nothing. How disappointing, she thought to herself as she looked around, having lost track of the girl that had supposedly gone this way. Since she could not discover the girl, Shihana began to think of ideas for her own investigation. If there was a person or group causing mayhem in the city, then surely she could find something out of the ordinary that might direct her to them? She kept her eyes peeled for anything unusual that could point her in the right direction as she hid in with the cityscape, hoping that her camouflage would provide her the opportunity to sneak up on people and make discoveries as if she were not there.

SPOILER: Click to show

Akumu:

Selyse:

Shihana:

[Wolf of the Falls]

"Oh, is that so?" the man turned back to Selyse his demeanor having changed and now dismissive about his livelihood. After the girl asked her question he took a moment to think about it. "The city has never had a real issue with crime until now, only recently has the terrorist been causing these pranks but you can see the chaos that ensues. As for a bomb I don't quite understand what you mean, those leaves around your snake are quite common here but ultimately useless, in fact can't even use them for tinder theyre so waxy they don't catch fire, just smolder and smoke."

The man had answered the girl now to the best of his ability but still remained focused on her due to the charm.

_______________

Shihana would find little in this residential area of the city besides people going about during their normal every day lives. Only whispers of the incident cropping up due to the pillar of smoke in the distance. However, Shihana may have passed it once or twice but she would come to notice dark streaks dotting up the side of a building in an alleyway beside a pipe which no doubt connected to the gutter above.

(Sorry again...)

[Flower]

"Oh I see," Selyse said a little disappointed, but impressed with how she had charmed the shopkeeper. Selyse turned around and waved to Akumu. "Come on, let's go," she said in his native tongue, draconic, "Nothing that will help us here. He said those bombs are a common leaf, so clearly this is a person who possesses the talent to create weapons out of common goods." Akumu slithered up beside her as they moved away from the shop and back into the streets.

"This smells of chaos and disorder," Akumu commented, "so then where should we look?" He felt a little upset that he had not found a way to locate the criminal, since his sensory skills were so great. But Selyse grinned at him. "Don't worry, we'll find 'em. A guy or girl like that likes to make a lot of noise and cause a scene. Just keep your eyes open."

As they walked back into the streets, the pair would keep their eyes and look out for any unusual activity -- especially criminal. Akumu in particular was good at observing the actions of others (Observation: 145) and kept an eye out for any suspicious activity. Just then Shihana would appear from around the corner, having run back to the shop where they were coming from when she recognized the dark streaks.

She was breathing heavily from running back and Selyse held out her hands. "Come to me..." Shihana walked forward with a satisfied smile and merged herself into Selyse -- showing her what lie beyond as she bubbled into her flesh and Selyse obtained her memories. With that she started off in the direction of the building and the streaks, telling Akumu to follow along.

[Wolf of the Falls]

As the smoke faded a look of confusion passed Kikkai's face and she would she would get up going to the edge of the roof before sliding down the pipe. The amount of leaves she had put together would've left the smoke burning far longer than that and if the smoke bundle had been dismantled there was no longer a show or a reason to stay on her perch. An annoyed grumble slipped past the girl's lips as she began to move down the street away from the smoke and down the straight street.

"Next show I suppose."

[Flower]

As Selyse and her big, black cobra made their way through the streets and toward the wall, where the pipe went up into a gutter and was speckled behind with black spots. It made Selyse think of the smoke as she saw it, and although she had known thanks to Shihana that there was nothing here she could not help but be disappointed. Unlike Shihana, Selyse was not as good at staying calm. After a quick search and scan of the area, Selyse would look up at the roofs and the pipes with disdain. "Gettin' real tired of this shit..." she said in draconic, so that Akumu could understand, and decided that it was time to get serious.

Just at that moment, however, Selyse saw someone in the streets as she began to approach. They had a familiar look to them, but were turned away so that Selyse could not get a good look at their face. Regardless, the criminal would not notice Selyse as Valerys had adopted this personality after her youth and time spent on the docks near Mt. Agaria. Selyse did not waste time telling the terrorist to stop running -- someone like that had nothing to lose. As soon as she saw the potential terrorist near the stains that she could only assume were smoke, she started a string of handseals in order to stop them in their tracks. It took barely any time for her to complete and soon her chakra would be infiltrating the mind of this criminal and they would begin to see their flesh coming off their body. Melting away as if their skin was nothing more than ice, their internal organs spilling out on to the ground.

"You can stop running away now." Selyse did not know that this was, in fact, her childhood companion Kikkai but if she were able to get a good look at her face then she would suddenly realize. The technique, however, was underway and if Kikkai could not fend off the genjutsu then she would find herself dazed and horrified at the gruesome scene. Akumu would already be spitting out a Web Burst to capture her, however, at the same moment that Selyse was performing her genjutsu. Within a moment Kikkai would be trapped in more ways than one if all went according to plan. If she did get trapped within the webs, then Selyse would release/dispel her genjutsu and look more closely at her former ally.

"Kikkai Eien. Demon Crafter of Wind. So you've returned?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Curse of the Putrid Husk [DC 30]
Rank: "C"
Skill: GenJutsu
Effect: This illusion forces the subject to believe their flesh is rotting and falling off their body, and that their internal organs are spilling out.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: ---
Description: A Fear, Mind-Affecting Technique. Affects 1 living creature. The user is able to perform this technique at a distance of 7 meters plus 6 meters per class level. The duration of this technique lasts for 2 rounds per class level. This technique may be negated. This illusion forces the subject to believe their flesh is rotting and falling off their body, and that their internal organs are spilling out. If the target fails their save, they are dazed (and horrified) for 1 round. On the following round, they fall unconscious for 1d10 minutes, during which time they cannot be roused normally.
Limit: Must know the Phantasm Perception.

Web Burst [1/25 rounds, Break DC 17, Escape Artist DC 85]
Rank: "C"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: User creates a ball of webbing that bursts and entraps anyone within a long distance.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Range of this technique is 30 meters + 15 meters per Class Level. Duration of this technique is instantaneous and 5 rounds per Class Level. Area of effect is 8-meter- radius burst. An eyeball sized globe of thick webbing flies from the user's hand and streaks to the range they determine (distance and height). Unless the globe impacts upon a material body or solid barrier prior to reaching the desired range, it bursts, coating all creatures within the affected area in thick, sticky webs. An early impact results in an early detonation. The sticky strands created by this Jutsu have the same effect and limitations as those created by a web Jutsu, except they do not form a many-layered mass. Instead, the strands envelop all creatures caught in the area and glue them to nearby objects and surfaces, including the floor, giving them the grappled condition. Any affected creature adjacent to a floor, wall, ceiling, or object at least the same size as they are is also stuck in place and unable to move. A flying creature that uses wings is forced to land if it gains the grappled condition. Webs in areas without creatures collapse and disappear, leaving the area clear.
Limit: Must be an Ōgumo. Must know Web Spinning.

[Wolf of the Falls]

As Kikkai walked away she took a moment to look down and see her leg had practically rotted to bone. Rather than over react it was fairly obvious it was genjutsu so she waited until she heard the voice and smiled. The webs came next anchoring her though the illusion faded.

"Who said I'm running and I can't recall that name, who is asking?" Kikkai glanced around at the stone and metal and even the sky as if she was tapping away to a catchy tune in her head. "I was just on my way home after that terrorist attack in the market."

[Flower]

Selyse stepped toward the woman, and as she did her appearance immediately began to shift and change. Her hair began to shorten and turn into a light brown, auburn color while her eyes immediately started to become red. Her clothes changed as well, the extravagant skirt and tank top becoming Valerys' own typical clothing which looked almost plain in comparison. But no doubt, in a moment Selyse would no longer be standing there but Valerys Kedoin -- the shapeshifter that Kikkai had known in her youth. Suddenly Valerys remembered so much more...

...the smell of salt water and hot, humid air looking up at the blue sky with clouds only on the horizon over the water, ships docked in the bay and her and Kikkai sitting on the docks with their feet in the water looking into the depths of the ocean and pondering, What is life? Why are we here? as the waves lap deliciously against the shore and captains take land with their crew looking for their next spoils...

...those small purple eyes and markings on the woman's face reminded her of all these things. She felt almost nostalgic, reconvening with her now. "I don't care whether or not you're the terrorist," Valerys said and came closer, running her hand over Kikkai's face to make sure that she was real, "I'm just happy to see you again. Alive." Kikkai would know what it meant, the last time they had seen one another they were unsure whether their paths would ever cross again. Broken as it was when she became a ninja and abandoned her former friend to the shipyard.

"So, then, you got tired of playing on the coast?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Still Active:

Web Burst [2/25 rounds]

[Wolf of the Falls]

Kikkai grew quiet as she watched Valerys shift into view, those familiar eyes the same red hair. Seeing her again made Kikkai stiff in the webbing however as she stepped forward to touch her cheek she nearly flinched. Valerys was a shinobi after all, she'd surely rat her out if her allegiance was that concrete. She would tug at the webbing while looking at her fellow street rat.

"It'd be easier to be alive if these webs weren't here." Kikkai joked although her gaze met Valerys's still holding a great fondness for the young woman. Though as she spoke again she would shrug visibly.

"Not much of a living, but you'd know that."

[Flower]

"I know it well," Valerys said and nodded to Akumu, who slithered forward and looked closely over the woman, Kikkai. "I miss our shipyard sometimes, but the toys and games that I have found in the Sand Village keep me more than entertained. As for these webs, I will tell Akumu to release them -- as soon as I know why you're here and whether you are who you claim to be." She was naturally suspicious by trade and would not let an enemy pull a fast one on her just because she was willing to let her guard down around an old friend.

Akumu flicked out his tongue, tasting the air and the soul of the woman with the short, purple hair that stood before him. Valerys had told him that this was possibly an old friend, and that he should study her in order to determine what he could about Kikkai. Akumu let chakra pour into his eyes as he blinked and looked closer at her, studying the aura that surrounded her in an effort of detecting the woman's attitude toward Valerys. If she were planning to escape or attack, versus being friendly as Valerys claimed, then he would know about it.

"So then start talking or if you'd prefer I could look into your mind and see for myself?" She smiled, knowing Kikkai well and also that she was never fond of Valerys' mind games and mental control. And neither, Valerys assumed, would an imposter.

SPOILER: Click to show

Akumu:

Web Burst [3/25 rounds]

Detect Attitude [1/15 rounds]
Rank: "D"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: User senses the Target's attitude toward them by seeing a faintly glowing coloured aura surrounding it, visible only to the user.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User senses the Target's attitude toward them by seeing a faintly glowing coloured aura surrounding it, visible only to the user. This Jutsu has a range of 7 meters plus 6 meters per Class Level. Target is 1 Creature per Class Level. Duration is Concentration, up to 5 rounds per Class Level. User can determine how the target's attitude changes over time, allowing the user to know the effectiveness of attempts to change the target's attitude. If the user performs this technique while looking at a target who has not met the user, that target's aura always appears blue (indifferent). Friendly has a white aura. Indifferent has a Blue Aura. Unfriendly has a Black Aura. Hostile has a Red Aura.
Limit: Must be a Sensor Specialist.

[Wolf of the Falls]

"I miss it too sometimes... you..." Kikkai responded as the snake came around which she tilted her head and watched curiously before looking back to Valerys. Akumu would see while she was friendly she was also conflicted, that opposition grew slightly as the red-head brought up the mind dive. However she would huff and glare at the red-head.

"Fine. Do it." Kikkai grumbled not liking it but finding it more insulting that she would think she was anyone else. Upon exploring her mind, Valerys would find that she was inded Kikkai and her acts of 'terrorism' had been non-threatening and just for the fun of watching people. Afterwards she would raise an eyebrow silently questioning and judging. "Well?"

[Flower]

Valerys put her hand on Kikkai's forehead and traveled inside of her mind, exploring her memories and finding out that this was in fact her. Her attacks had been non-threatening, but Valerys focused not only on the terrorism but before that as well -- and what had happened to her friend while they had been apart. She saw how she had come to leave the docks and team up with a band of misfits and criminals. It would only be a moment or two in the real world as Valerys returned to her body and looked at Kikkai. The real Kikkai.

"It seems it is as you say." If Akumu did not notice any changes in Kikkai's attitude then he would listen to Valerys and begin biting away at the webbing, tearing it with his jaws until there was nothing left holding Kikkai in place -- although ready to go at it again if she tried to run away. Valerys also wondered but was more confident in her ability to capture her, so she did not worry too much. From what she had seen in Kikkai's memories, the girl still had no control over powerful jutsu and techniques. Just a simple weapons crafter. For now.

"So you came inland to look for me?" Valerys said having seen it in Kikkai's memories. "Well you have found me. Now whatever goals you had in mind can be achieved. Come with me, Kikkai. I will show you all of the things that I have learned since coming here... and the rest we can take on together."

SPOILER: Click to show

Detect Attitude [1/15 rounds]

[Wolf of the Falls]

Kikkai watched the snake as it released her curiously but once she was free dusted off her jacket before looking her old friend in the eye. Although as she inquired about her reasoning for coming inland the girl shrugged and looked away. "Maybe."

After so long she wasn't going to be forthright, granted that didnt mean she didn't miss her. after hearing valerys's proposition she quietly looked at the ground thinking about it. so far she hadn't been able to do much on her own let alone make much progress.

"Fine, I'll go with you, for now..."

-recruitment complete

[Flower]

Valerys nodded and began to walk away, expecting Kikkai to follow. There would have been no reason for her to lie and if she was going to run away then so be it. Who needed a companion like that any how? But somehow she trusted this woman, whether it was a dumb instinct left over from her childhood or the recognition of a new ally she was not sure. Akumu slithered along as well and for the first time the three of them had come together as a group. Suddenly as the two of them made their way down the dark alleyways and began heading back into the Land of Wind, it felt to Valerys as if something very important had just happened. As if she was starting to become a part of a team.

[Valerys, Akumu, and Kikkai exit (if allowed).]