Who are we? |Open|

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

Enter.

The next forty-five minutes were about as much fun as sitting in the dentist’s chair. Each time Terre, Amara’s guardian and friend ran into someone she knew—and Amara swore she knew every person in the room—it was the same thing. They’d exchange some stupid small talk, Terre would introduce her apprentice, and then they’d start talking politics. And the Kamyuja hated politics. Hates it with a passion.

The high heels were pinching her toes, and she was losing sensation in the balls of her feet as they continued their circuit of the room. Amara’s face hurt from the fake-smiling, and she was so bored that she had to swallow a yawn every three seconds. She felt like complete crap, and when she had the chance to run, she took it even if they noticed her departure after a while. Terre was amazing when it came to making excuses for her young acquaintance.

The Kamyuja female was going to get a cup of coffee, because caffeine was her drug of choice, she expected to see everything normal. But as she crossed the square, the fountain that was normally empty of visitors had one lone figure sitting there. And though it wasn’t really abnormal, the female stop walking anyway. Mid stride and then stumbling. Misery, her day was not going as planned.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

The stranger was a radiant young woman; an unknown young woman in her territory and she was sitting with a wee cute owl perched upon her shoulder. But that was not the reason why she stumbled upon seeing her. It was the fact that one, she’s not from here and two, she looked detached from the surroundings. Her stumble had irritated her ankle and she was almost in the case of falling flat on her face. From the corner of her eye, she somewhat saw the woman rise from her seated position.

The Kamyuja wished that she was high, that way, when she messed up, just like now, she would have a proper excuse. But right now there’s no rehab for stupidity. Slowly she straightened to her full five foot eight inches and place her palms flat against her stomach to smooth out the wrinkles of her corset. For the party she had left, she had donned on a long gown, one from another era as it was her style. The corset hugged her breasts and ribs and the material flared over her hips to fall to the ground. One misstep and it could be embarrassing. And it was a near fall in her case.

Slowly she turned to watch the approach of the stranger – with an eye patch? And when the foreigner and she thought the woman a foreigner, spoke, the female had a strange accent. It was hard to place, but something about the way she spoke sounded a little odd. Nevertheless she understood that simple statement and answered with her natural calmness.

“Yes, thank you. I simply misplaced my footing. These paths have aged with time and I was not watching where I was going.”

Her voice was soft, musical, mesmerising, but there was a hint of both annoyance and authority mixed in the notes. It was based toward her own stupidity but whether or not the newcomer noticed was a different matter. Withal her mind was a singing soloist: Should I say something else? I am never good in these circumstances. With an awkward smile she lifted her arm and held out her hand.

“I do not believe we have met. My name is Amara.”

She did not know whether it was polite to introduce herself straight away or not, but at the moment even when unsure, she did so anyway. Testing her leg, the pain already began to fade away. But the other individual didn’t need to know that.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

The Kamyuja continued to smile, even if it was a fake one. She felt laughable at the sight of what she was dressed in compare to the comfortableness of the female before her. It made her want to perform a Genjutsu but in the end that would be pointless. Even if she defended her pride and appearance it would be irrelevant to solve her problems with illusions. Additional to her way of thinking, if she suddenly casted an illusion, this female before her might take it the wrong way and even though now in the face of a stranger, her blood sang for the desire of destruction, it was not the right thing to do. Her dress cost a lot of Ryo, and this was her country; she had to control her impulses.

So she is a healer. Scoff. Naturally she a healer, otherwise why would she ask?

“No, no need dearie. I am a fast healer. Besides I am accustomed to pain; if you dwell in it, you become familiarized with it. Do not waste your abilities upon me.”

Yet when she offered her hand over to the girl, she knew she made a mistake. The hesitation was a dead giveaway. She was about to lower her hand when suddenly her eyes followed the directions of the female’s before her. She had noticed the Otogakure insignia but didn’t think much on the matter. One had to be observant, always. Her hand remained in the air and when the girl, who she said her name was Eden, placed her hand in hand with the Kamyuja’s, the female shook once before releasing.

“Impressive. Envoy from Sound. I do wish I had a fancy title such as yours. No such luck as of yet though I am afraid.”

This time the smile was real. It revealed perfect white teeth, and her eyes, suddenly went a bright, like liquid Carnelian or even a red Goldstone. She wasn’t good at being nice, nor polite. With such an arrogant behaviour, or her aloof upbringing, it was afforded to be nasty to others. She did not have a heart of stone. Being an emotionless creature, it was at least a try after all everybody smiles these days.

Not expecting the bird to utter a cry, Amarantha’s muscles coiled slightly by the shock. She had all but forgotten the owl, after all it was silent until now. As Eden introduced her pets, Amara’s eyes peered into that of the owl. Blinked once, twice before staring at the girl before her and then allowing her eyes to continue their journey toward the second pet.

“Athena. Maxwell. Such nice names. Athena I sort of remember it as something of a god name and Maxwell, a manly name. I do not have any pets beside normal untrainable house pets. Two Black haired Maine Coons. Their names are Night and Shade.”

OK Amara, why did you have to go that far into detail? Tight you lips.
Having been asked to sit down on the rim of the fountain, the Kamyuja hesitated for a brief moment before pulling her long dress aside. She did not want to get it wet. As her bottom touched the concrete, the pressure of her near enough healed leg was a major relief. For reasons, her shoes were killing her.
Look? Look I do not need your assistance.

Nevertheless she lifted her skirt up to an appropriate height so that her ankle and shoe was showing before looking away suddenly uncomfortable. How did I get into this mess?

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

“Temporary title or not. Titles hold power. Well some anyway. Kumogakure’s not all that bad, yet if you include the dreadful weather our country’s known for, this place is very ordinary. Though these are some weirdo’s around here too.”

Speaking of the weather, Amarantha was surprised at how sunny it was. The sky was bright. This abnormality, scary. It was not common. As Eden spoke, clarifying that she didn’t expect the Kamyuja to own pets, Amarantha was confused by the statement. What was wrong with the idea of owning pets? Didn’t she fall into the person category of owning one? She knew she was a strange one, but did that mean she looked strange, or was it that she acted strange? It always amazed her how more questions seem to fill in the unanswered ones.

“Wa-Wataridori? So you have three pets? And you knew the past Raikage? And I thought you were actually a stranger here, unless your cutie pie owl here was given to you when you were out of my country. I am indeed surprised, our past leader was not known to give out gifts; well it simply shows that I am not that well informed.”

And so now that she was seated, and was having her ankle attended to, the Kamyuja reviewed the young woman before her. She inspected the very short information she managed to pick up from the woman and thought over it half-heartedly. Three pets and an Oto Shinobi wasn’t really much information to go on. But it realized how much information she had released and that bothered her slightly. How strong is this girl? Is she weak enough to die now? Or am I underestimating her. I do not have much to go on here…

“As I said, my wound is not that serious. You have no need at attending to it. So please, save your chakra.”

Already the discomfort was banished from her leg, and her right eyebrow rose. Impressive. As the girl stood and moved away, the Kamyuja pulled down her dress once more and rested her hands in her lap. As the girl thanked herself, Amara would smile slightly before rising from her seated position. Her leg was indeed healed, and in fact it felt better than before.

“No, I must thank you. I did not need to be healed yet you did so anyway. And at such a cost to your chakra. Little it might have been, but chakra is very precious. Maybe so Eden, but then again my village is very quiet. We have a new leader at the moment but I am sure it will pick up soon. If you end up staying longer than required, there are some nice restaurants around here and their prices are not that costly.”

That information was torn from her lips casually, but her gratitude was sincere. Now that awkward silence had befallen once more, the Kamyuja didn’t know what else to do. But then a thought came to mind.

“Do you need assistance with anything Eden? I would not like to attend that atrocious party. I was so very bored. If you need assistance, I would gladly sacrifice my time, after all you have shown much generosity to me.”

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

“Yes Weirdo, I am new to the saying but I believe it means strange. Fruitcake is another word. But I like fruitcake so I do not say it.”

All the while the Kamyuja’s fingers fiddled with the lining of her dress. Speaking about this abnormal byword seemed dull. Even if it was now a popular saying, it did seem, different. The Kamyuja listened intently as Eden spoke about her pets, rewards and such. And owning a large birds seemed fascinating, she even said so.

“So this, Wataridori bird of yours is a large species? How delightful. But how do you have him or her in a house? Surely it’s not that large. Pity though that I cannot see it, I got excited for nothing.”

She replied with a little laugh then folded her hands together in a sign of peacefulness. As she spoke a question formed in her mind. She waited until Eden had finished speaking before she asked as politely as she could.

“I hope you do not find me rude, but you do not appear very old. A mere teenage in fact but your mannerisms seems different. I mean, you do sound older when you speak, but appearance wise you look younger than me. I think I understand you when you explain your chakra sources but surely that cannot be age development. Yet, I may be wrong. Thanks all the same though, dearie, my ankle feels much better now.”

With a smile she stretched her arms before her then spoke causally.

“Well, in this area we have multiple small restaurants which sell food of all Asian cuisine. Including clothing and weapon stores. Kimono’s that is well-priced and for all occasions. Weapons that might be commonly seen in other villages also, but the owner is very welcoming. In the southern end of Kumo, we have a research facility. And naturally we have a hospital. You’ve been to the Tower, I assume and located throughout Kumo we have Dojo’s and shrines. I am not really good at explaining this, I am not commonly seen near people.”

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

Excitement swelled within the Kamyuja at the mention of been able to see the bird. She nodded childishly in her way of agreeing and followed Eden down the alley. But before moving, she pulled at her corset and made sure she was completely covered, after all sitting down in such a dress always rides up. It was the type of material, thick yet with the appearance of silk. Something that was not manmade, but the purebred of material.

“So the bird is a she. Is she as cute as your Owl? Size does not matter here but your owl is adorable. Athena a she, am I correct? Does she bite?”

Amarantha loved animals, but she had the reputation of not caring well for them. Adelpha was the personal who got the reputation of owning an animal was a bad idea, yet she owns two house cats at home. And they aren’t dead yet. But still the desire of being around animals was still strong, and if she could touch it, then it was all fine, just as long as Adelpha does not intervene that is. Amara was the animal lover, Adel could care less.

As Amara spoke her recall on age, Eden would pull a smile which only meant, I’m not going to tell you. But she did speak though and even though she did not get much information out of what Eden had to say, she listened intently anyway.

“Are you saying you age like me? You appear younger than your actual age? I thought it was simply us taking good care of our skin. Yet I believe your chakra has something to do with your appearance. Am I correct? I cannot control my aging process, but thanks to me, I seem to be aging slowly. I must be doing something right, do you agree? In any manner, how old are you and please do not find me rude, I am simply curious.”

It was worth a try in asking. Even though she knew she would not receive one. Suddenly Eden asked a question of her own. At first the Kamyuja thought she was seeking information, but then what she thought was nothing serious about herself that could harm her in the long run. She could be true and tell the truth or she could lie. I'm an observer. I read people. I research lifelessly. I find a corner in a room and melt into it. I can become invisible. It's an art, and I am a wonderful practitioner.

“I delight myself by training. I love knowledge and I have an infatuation with power. I see things and I want it, its what keeps me going,”

Truth. And now comes the lie.

“But I dislike killing. I see it all the time. And it is intolerable. How could people kill? What do they gain? I do not know how they live with themsleves. They must not have a conscience. I am sure you agree with me. I do not find crime entertaining.”

Inside her mind’s eye her grin was large. But she was always a good liar, no body found out until it was too late. Not even the smart ones. It was the way she speaks, and the way she pays her emotions. For being an emotionless child all her life, when it comes to playing a rule or even involving, the Kamyuja seems to be doing just right. No body begins to consider an innocent woman such as herself as a bad person. She simply doesn't look the type.

“And you, Eden? What is it that you enjoy?”

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

Amarantha glowed with delight, pleased that her guess was correct. But she kind of knew, just a hunch that both birds were to be females. She was on her way to see the largest bird, but at the moment simply by staring at the owl she just knew it was a female. It looked more feminine even with its feathers. And by gosh she was a cutie, Amarantha couldn’t tear her eyes from the small owl. As Eden spoke about whether the owl bites or not, Amarantha was relieved to hear that only by orders will she retaliate. But she was startled when Eden offered the idea of saying hello as in ‘pet me’ hello and not the verbal way of greeting. The Kamyuja wasn’t so comfortable with the idea. But when Eden extended her arm, with the bird perched on top, the hoot the owl gave off sounded like scream to the woman’s ears. She didn’t know if she want to touch it or not.

The desire was there, but also the anxiety for Athena looked barely out of the wild. It didn’t seem like the Kamyuja had a say in the matter so she slowly lifted her left hand up and curled her fingers until only her index finger was slightly curled. She planned to pet the bird with the back of her index finger when all of a sudden a snort sound made her turn her head. And anxiety swelled to full out terror. Maxwell didn’t look big when in the fountain, but looking now, he was around four feet tall. A big bugger with adorable big round eyes all the same but the spikes coating his body looked dangerous. She swallowed her cry of alarm before staring at Eden with the look saying: Are you crazy! He wanted attention too.

With a nervous laugh, she hesitantly brought up her right hand and did the same as she had done so with her left before petting both at the same time. The owl was easy to touch, with being mindful of the beak that is, but finding an area of pet the strange species named Maxwell was a different story. She settled for the only place that wasn’t covered with spikes, the head, and was surprised to find out how soft he felt. In fact both animals felt soft, and warm. Happiness swelled up out of nowhere and almost made her double over in shock. She wasn’t used to the emotion, happiness and the feeling felt abnormal. But nevertheless when she smiled, it was more real than her previous tries.

“T-this is amazing! They are not attacking me. This is unbelievable.”

But nevertheless her hands fell to her sides rather quickly. She didn’t want her luck to change. As the conversation turned over onto another topic, Amarantha listened in hard. Not picking up anything that she could understand until Eden brushed her fringe from her forehead and a diamond came into view; and then everything fell into place. Along with the sensation of pain. Sadness, so powerful it overwhelmed her that she felt her face screw up with the intensity of it. A rhombus symbol marking the powers a medical Ninja, and that symbol alone brought terrible emotions. Her hand of its own accord rose to cover her face. Not the reaction she was expecting, but all of a sudden she felt like she was about to cry. Tatsuta-Hime. Her friend. Her only friend who was now dead. Oh how she missed her. Slowly she lowered her hand but the pain was still married into her eyes.

“I-I am so sorry. I am not like this. It’s abnormal, new. Forget my pathetic actions.”

She muttered before sniffing softly. And then she turned her head to look just beside Eden’s face, not directly looking at the female any more. And then she muttered almost bitterly.

“I understand now. And I am thrilled to know that it has kept at least one person alive this long. Insane, you are ancient, yet it did not serve my friend well. I do not fully understand the properties of such a jutsu but all I know is that it holds tremendous power, yet it did not save my friend. Pitiful. Her life was simply wasted. All the potential vanished as soon as the light left her eyes. I envy you, Eden. I envy you immensely.”

Her teeth snapped together sharply before with a blink of her eyes she looked happy again. Then the spoke, much more differently than before, as though she has become a total different person.

“But it is not your fault. Live your life to its fullest. I intend to.”

The idea of being that old sounded appealing and just the thought of it, made her wonder what it would feel like if it happened to her. Out in the list of techniques there is a jutsu that could imprison her for a hundred years. But only if she were to ever lose control. She knew of this jutsu, but had never have had it done upon her. Maybe one day for even she has noticed her humanity slipping ever so slowly.

But right now, even after her episode, she was happy. Simply a short split of her personality for she does not even remember saying such things, or even having that event happen at all. For all she knew, she was simply enjoying the moment, and looking forward to seeing a large bird. And so when Eden spoke her interests Amarantha was shocked. Sometimes it is necessary. Necessary. To kill. Normally her face is always clean of emotion, but she knew that this time her face was an open book. Shock marked her face. And a perfect O replaced her lips.

There are some things worse than death. Pray you never encounter them.

Amarantha did not know what to say to that so she simply stared with a surprised look. There was even a sudden stir in the air, the taste of hidden power, all coming from Eden. It was there one moment and then gone the next. With a slow girl forming her face she then clapped her hands together in delight.

“Awesome! Yet us go and seek a bird!”

[|Ayame Unbound|]

[Celaena Kamyuja]

The Kamyuja sniffs softly before nodding in understanding. All she thought was that this Eden lady must have a strong soul to go along with her strong heart. Much compare to herself with all her lies and hatred needs. She was far different that the woman before her, Eden saves lives, Adel takes lives away, and Amarantha; well she’s just the host of the most insane girl around. She has yet to meet one more wickedly than herself.

Amarantha was a lot more envious than she gave herself credit for. Her mental status might be a bit of the uneasy side, but envy was a bad feeling, and she was jealous of Eden for a lot of things. Age was one of them and she didn’t even know why. It’s as though Eden was immortal and Amara dreamt of immortality, she even thinks herself immortal sometimes. But this girl before her shows it, and her powers that sweep from her body explains it. This girl is much stronger than Amarantha and much more experienced.

Envy. She would paint that word green.

“Living in this world is worse than death. Such hatred lives in people. Yet my friend was most innocent. I should have died that horrid day, not her. Her medical skills would have gone far, and she would have become a powerful shinobi. But me, I am just a mistake who is still living in the past. But fate has chosen me to live instead of my friend. Fate is punishing me for all my sins.

The Kamyuja did not know it until then that she was depressed. And that was a bad thing, she could be a time ticking bomb, and nobody would know. But being a confused lady with a shattered mind of confused emotions, she was happy to see this bird which was supposed to me large. Large as a house, she could not even begin to imagine it. But when her eyes fell on the black shape that unfolded itself in the darkness of the ally, she was clearly mistaken. Eden’s whistle unwind the bird, and as the bird unfolded itself within the shadows, the Kamyuja knew that the bird had not even begin to reach its true height. Ridori was huge.

“I feel so puny. And she is so intimidating. I-I do not know what else to say, only that this is… well this is astounding. And oh gosh, she understands you. She bowed to me did she not? An intelligent species no doubt.”

The Kamyuja’s hand clapped together once in agreement with her own silent thoughts. Her pets are amazing…

[Celaena Kamyuja]

Exit as both of us seemly have gone our ways..