The Star of the Show <Open/Travel>

[Vara]

Brianne Ardinal was sitting on a tree stump and just about finishing the meal laid out for her on the table in front of her. She picked up one of the last four shrimps and dipped it into the cocktail sauce.

“Agent Ballad,” she called out before taking a bite.

A short young man with light blond hair crept silently to her side. He knelt by Bree and leaned in just enough for his head to be seen in the Otokage’s peripheral vision.

“What do you require, ma’am?”

Bree finished chewing before she spoke again, “Charter a vessel bound for the Land of Moon. I have a destination in mind that I need to venture to.”

“As you wish.”

“Oh, and could you order shinobi escorts as well? Well, one or two would be fine. Try and make them new faces if you can.”

“Very well. I shall do so.”

Bree thanked him and watched the young man sprint off with the wind at his back. It wouldn’t take too long for him to return—shinobi were nothing if not fast. She finished the last few shrimps, using as much cocktail sauce as she could to keep from wasting food, and then waved to the dark-haired Agent Serenade.

Serenade and her two underlings picked up and put away the table and all its contents. They packed it away in the back of the Otokage’s red and brass carriage before returning to stand at guard.

Bree, for her part, sat on one of the flat stones in the area and looked downhill at the rice fields her country was known for. It was an old and familiar sight—something easy to look at and entire while time was passing by. Today was a nice midwinter day. The breeze was cool, and it breezed comfortably through Bree’s long green hair.

She had down the purple kage robes with the shorter hemline today. It only when up to her knees, and she wore a black jumpsuit underneath. She left the classic diamond-shaped Otokage hat in the carriage on her seat alongside her holy longsword Levoru. The robe was enough for the moment.

Bree picked up a handful of fresh grass and compared it to the color of her own hair. Eventually, she began to hum a turn and weave the strands of grass into a long, pointless rope. She reveled in this momentary and mundane moment.

“Oh where, oh where will we go—”

[chimecho]

Rendering his services now back over to the Otokage, the Agent went before Souma to inform her of one of the Otogakure ninja's arrival. The winter wind swept through the flat lands of Rice Field, yet Souma remained upright and with some queer smile showing on his face. He had brought along his flute and played a melody on his way towards the Sound Shadow; he had pulled it out from a tool pouch on his left waist that held various types of tags,as well as his Li clan Yatake set, painting scroll and ink bottle. His tattered tan cloak flapped gaily in the quickening wind while he pushed over a slight incline to meet the luminous gaze of the child-kage over the horizon. Most of his weaponry had been stored at his back, and he remembered having a slot of marbles resting alongside kunai and star-shuriken.

"Hail, Otokage-san." he commented having finally reached her camp. He noticed that there had also been three other Agents in company of Ballad, and these were chosen also to join the child on her travels to the south. Souma flourished a toothless smile and wondered why against the albicant snows, did this child's eyes shine so chartreuse. For a moment, he wondered if she had been in possession of a Doujutsu, but cast the idea away as folly. In order to not seem alien and distant to the younger kunoichi, he tried to talk to her, as he would any of his students back in the village at his art studio.

"How are you doing today, Otokage-san?.. I smell the faint scent of cocktail sauce.. I had hoped you'd saved me some."

[Vara]

Bree chuckled at Souma's greeting. It was delightfully casual—exactly what she was hoping for the trip.

"Well done with your quick results, Agent Ballad."

Agent Ballad gave a sharp nod of thanks in response, but said nothing more.

Brianne looked toward the newcomer. Like she had asked, he was a new face she hadn't seen before. He was a handsome young man, albeit slightly odd. If it weren't for the eye patch that hinted at significant trauma, he would've looked as safely sheltered as Bree did due to his lack of scars.

She wondered what happened. It was to be a question to ask on the trip if the opportunity arose.

"I'm afraid not, but I shall order more shrimp with cocktail sauce when we next dine if you fancy the idea," she said.

Bree stood and draped the grass rope she wove around a nearby rock. She tied it into a grass ring with a tight knot. Perhaps the rope might stay on the rock for long enough for time to tear it apart, or maybe it will be stumbled upon and taken for entertainment or practical use. If only the future was as well recorded as the past, she thought.

"May I ask your name? I am Brianne Ardinal, Otokage."

[Coal]

Cresting the hill that overlooked a grove ringed by trees, Kyuushu watched the scene play out while he shielded his eyes from the bright mid-morning sunlight. Who eats shrimp at this hour? Souten stamped his hoof twice in the pliable grass, the sponge of it absorbing most of the sound, ensuring that it would not travel far enough for him to be noticed. It would seem that his missions was to protect while remaining unseen, or as unseen as one could be considering the circumstances. Adjusting the weight of his backpack and Naginata on the back and side of his saddle respectively, so that it would stop causing his bow to pinch him, he simply waited for them to make their move. Well, perhaps waited is not the right word.

Souten’s red mane whipped wildly before Kyuushu as they rushed down the mountain, his order given by simply sawing the rein a little to the right. Making a hard left into a vale, Kyuushu galloped expertly amongst the trees for a moment before spilling out onto a road that would lead south or north depending on which direction one wanted to take. North, up the road, he would pass by the luncheon of the Otokage and toward the Bay of Sangha, while South would take him toward Hi no Kuni and the coast; which was the quickest way to get to Tsuki no Kuni by foot. They could rent a ferry once they arrived, taking them straight to the tourist island. That was a lot of land to protect the Otokage on. With a shrug, Kyuushu would begin heading down the road and toward the start of his mission.

[Vara]

"Something to talk about later, I suppose," Bree said, offering a smile before she walked towards and into the carriage. "Let's get moving. Agent Ballad, hand me the details on our trip."

Agent Ballad handed Bree a small stack of paper as she went up the steps into her carriage. She left the door unlocked in case her traveling companion—Souma, she read from the mission file—decided to come in. However, because it was unlocked, one of Serenade's underlings stood on the small staircase outside the door as a guard.

Ballad rode with the driver on top of the carriage while Serenade mounted a horse and moved along the side opposite the door. There was a red door on her side of the carriage, as well, though it was less intricate and lacked stairs. If it weren't for the brass latches and hinges, it would've just been a wall panel.

Ballad pointed southwards, and so the carriage began to move down the road in that direction.

Bree closed the drapes on all the windows except for the one at the very front that let her see the heads of the two black horses pulling the carriage framed by the dangling legs of Ballad and the driver Ulfren.

She let herself glow a bit for reading light and went over the information she had on hand.

---

Kyuushu saw as the caravan began to move southward—towards the land-based route he considered. There were plenty of strategies he could utilize for how he was going to operate on his mission. For the moment, he had time to think and prepare. There were no hostiles so far.

[chimecho]

During the interim of the Otokage and her lesser cohorts travelling towards the carriage, the Otonin introduced himself formally as Uchiha Souma. He had known of her name, as it was shared fluidly amongst the children within her age group that attended his studio sessions. They all praised Bree, because in her youth, she had managed to become the leader of an entire Hidden Village.

For the most part, Souma kept to himself as the group traveled. He was immersed deep in thought, and for a moment, his mental solitude had been broken by the distant neighing of a far off steed...

"What a unique ability you possess, Otokage-san," he commented as he stepped inside the carriage alongside Bree, having noticed her glowing green eyes. Given the flat terrain about them, the group suffered minimal bumps in the road, and had any threat arisen during their travels to the land of Moon, the genin would of course, act to lay his life on the line for the leader of the village.

[Coal]

Kyuushu heard off in the distance the neigh of another horse, almost similar to his own, and figured it must be one of those that this stallion had been running with before his capture; or at least from the same family. Either there was a pack of horses running along the fields of Oto no Kuni today, or perhaps there was someone who would like to waylay the caravan containing the Otokage and her retinue of Shinobi ambassadors. Down the path that the Otokage was now taking is where he had heard that neigh from, and so further down the path he would go, keeping a sharp eye out for the nefarious that could be lurking just off the road or in the trees waiting for an ambush. Deftly he readied his naginata, in case there was to be trouble for him to handle down the road, galloping further down the path to be sure. [Observation: 130]

[Vara]

"Thanks," Bree said, dimming the glow of her body the slightest bit so that it wouldn't be a pain to look at her.

Bree read the rest of the documents in silence, making sure to identify the important tidbits such as the name of the chartered vessel they were making use of to reach their final destination. She thought the name was rather cute—not something she expected from her stereotypical visions of gruff, burly sailors. Well, personalities come in wild shapes and sizes. It was a pleasant surprise.

"So tell me, Souma," Bree said "Have you ever been to any exotic cities before? Since we're heading to an island, the culture is sure to be much different from those we're familiar with on the mainland. Shinobi will be scarce, for one thing. I imagine there's not enough hiding places in a small island to be worth taking up our profession."

While she spoke, Bree put away her documents in their respective envelopes. Three of the envelopes were white, and two were yellow. The white envelopes had the symbol of the sound village printed in the corners.

---

Kyuushu's keen eyes watched for any hint of the slightest threat. His striking black eyes, combined with his height atop his steed, cowed most of the usual critters that wandered the land. For the moment, it seemed that this route out of the Sound was a safe one.

However, as the young man crested a hill the path went across, he found himself looking down upon a wide grassland. It was there, just past the border between Sound and Fire, that he saw a congregation of tents colored in deep reds with gold accents. There was a single large, four-corner tent that towered like a castle over four smaller, cone-shaped ones. There were two woman standing outside. They wore some light armor covering their torso and legs, and red headbands were wrapped around their head. One woman had some detailed, predominantly-blue tattoos along her right arm. The tattooed woman had a sword strapped to her waist and was sharpening a knife with a grindstone set at the entrance of one of the smaller tents.

The other woman had no less than two dozen explosive pouches visible, exposed on the two belts she wore crossing over her torso. The other six pockets she had along the belt at her waist looked full.

---

<Move to the Land of Fire>

[chimecho]

Souma had enjoyed the communion between he and his younger superior. He replied to her inquiry with several stories involving his commissions in Hotspring and Frost Countries but was sure to keep those pertaining to the northern realms of Night, Demon and Star to himself, at least for the time being. But the way that the Otokage spoke at length about cultures and shinobi operations, he could only assume that this mission was a quest with a political stance. His single eye observed the five envelopes Bree held in her possession, and he wondered what their contents spoke of.

In time, they would emerge into a new realm, to the south. It had been Hi no Kuni.. the birthing grounds of his ichizoku.

SPOILER: Click to show

sorry nira-san -- life's hitting me with hadoukens left & right

[Coal]

”Hey, Souten. You seeing what I’m seeing?” He asked the horse, Souten, and his stamped a hoof twice in return in agreement. “Guess we should go say hello and make sure they don’t mess with the Otokage, huh? Hope they don’t want to fight, I was enjoying being lazy.”

Even without the reins or saddle, Kyuushu was able to guide Souten perfectly, as if they were one being, instead of two separate entities, and he made his way down the hill and toward the camp. His Naginata was within easy reach behind him, as were his bow and arrows, ready for anything that may spark up as he closed the distance to fifteen meters [15] away from the group and stopped on the other side of the road from them at a south east angle. [Observation Check: 150 + (Die)][Sense Motive Check: 55 + (die)] Kyuushu would eyeball the people and the camp for a moment, trying to figure out who they were with, where they were from, or what they were doing there before he would call out to them. Even with the knowledge, he would call out regardless, as it was just polite to introduce one’s self to the population of a new country.

“Hey there!” he would call out, waving his left hand at the only two visible women in the small encampment, “Is this some kind of check point for Hi no Kuni? I don’t remember this existing before. Something happen?” All the while, he was preparing for the attack that might come, his right hand resting on the shaft of his naginata that was behind him, while his left was poised to create handseals. There's rarely ever a good reason for an undisclosed armed force to set up camp in the middle of nowhere.

[Waru]

Moved to the Land of Fire~

[Vara]

OOC:
Hah, no worries. Leisure time is low on my end, too. Gotta make this quick and efficient.

---

Bree listened attentively to Souma's stories about the lands and tasks he took part in. She wasn't one to hide her wonder, so she leaned in and immersed herself with how she imagined the environments of the commissions looked. Being a kage usually didn’t translate to a lot of time away from home, so she was sad that she didn’t have any big, foreign stories to tell.

“Hm, what interesting people have you met in your journeys?” she asked.

People were always the first and foremost. The way they shared or changed the world around them was always different between populations. Bree found that learning about those different cultures at every opportunity was a great source of new ideas.

The cultures tended to be more impactful than the invisible border they just crossed to enter the Fire Country. The carriage driver was mindful enough to inform them of the crossing, so that Bree and Souma had some idea of where they were on the map. The Fire Country was a large place to cross, so they had plenty of time to spend.

---

The tattooed woman spoke replied to Kyuushu first.

“Happen? No,” she said, casually gesturing with a wave of her knife. “Everything’s been a tad peaceful, and we’ve been a victim to it. You can’t be having soldiers as your one profession these days. We’re just here to make do.”

The demolitions woman looked Kyuushu up and down, measuring his strength and worth.

Kyuushu failed to get a good reading of everyone’s intentions. They could’ve been speaking in truth or lies.

“Why don’t you move along,” the demolition expert said, meeting Kyuushu’s eyes. “We got nothing against you. Plenty of other places you can be. You don’t want to be around when we have any whales coming by.”

[chimecho]

The warmth of the carriage began to lull the Genin into a soft rest before the Otokage inquired further of his experiences outside of the realm of Hidden Sound.

He informed Bree of men hailing from ice-capped mountains in the usual tundra lands of Shimo that were just as small as herself. These strange pygmy men of the frost lands had trouble and often encountered snow trolls, which would consume them without a second thought. During the Uchiha’s own time exploring this region of the world, his innate mastery over the Katon release aided these miniature men greatly against the trolls of the tundra. Souma stopped a moment as the carriage breached a rocky side of terrain, which caused the inside to shake and clamor with the vibrations brought along by harsh travel.

In a quick effort to switch the attention of the conversation, the low ninja had asked the child-kage what some of her ambitions were, as well as any talents that she possessed as one hailing from the artistic world of Oto no Kuni.

[Coal]

Sounds like these poor soldiers fell on some hard times indeed, which is exactly what happens during times of peace, as they are left to fend for themselves without ever having learned how to integrate back into regular society. Kyuushu could relate, having been a soldier himself, and their tale caused him just a little bit of heartache. However, perhaps there was a way he could aid them after all without this resulting in violence, as he would hate to have to put down soldiers like lame horses.

[Leadership: 150 + (Roll)] [Persuasion: 40 + (Roll)]

“Hmmm. Yeah, I could see why this is a problem,” he began, rubbing his chin and eyeing the two with dark eyes, his voice a soothing baritone, “but ransacking the roadside is a sure way to get yourselves killed one day and the pay is shit. Hardly anyone travels this road anymore, which is why I’m on it.” He gave them both his best smile, putting on the charm and laying it on as thick as he could. “Why not come with me? I’ll make sure you get steady pay, food, and board while working for someone who isn’t a complete dick. That’s me, by the way. My employer pays me to keep these roads clear, body guard, fight wars or monsters, escort ambassadors, anything that a soldier would do and for a lot more than a daimyo pays too. What do you say?” He paused and waited for them to decide, either become his cohorts or… “Otherwise, I have to do what I was paid to do…if you are planning on robbing those coming by, which looks suspiciously likely. Think about it. My alternative is much better.”

He would give them a second to think, ready for any confrontations that might take place, the chakra already built up to strike them down if need be.

[Vara]

Bree giggled a bit at the shinobi’s question. “Is luck considered a talent? I know it’s not, but it was the guiding force in my life quite often.”

After amusing herself with the idea, she picked up her Otokage hat and playfully spun it around. “But yes, we do have plenty of artists, don’t we? I’m not much of a bard, I’m afraid, so I’m a Kage of Sound without a touch of music. Instead, my art is light. I can weave radiances of different sorts into diamonds and silk.”

Using one of her abilities, she made her hat glow with a soft light. “Had I a hand in building our village, we would be living in a grand cave with starry crystals scattered about. Instead, our village rests above. All that lies beneath are deathly catacombs. If you ever need a weapon that can light the way through that place, call on me.”

Bree put the hat back on the seat and let the light dim.

---

Potential Cohorts
Two NPCs have been tempted to become cohorts. If successful, they will be usable as temporary cohorts for the rest of the mission.

Dice rolls: narutoforumrp.proboards.com/post/1087765

Kyuushu failed to persuade the two to join his cause. However, his sizable leadership at least convinced them to consider his strength. They couldn’t sense any lie, but power was the deciding factor. The women with the demolitions equipment was once again the one to speak, “Look, I get where you’re coming from,” she said, before dropping into a whisper. “But there are seven others in these tents here. I think that’ll be more shares than you can handle, and I know at least three of em definitely won’t take the offer of no strangers.”

The tattooed woman nodded. She wasn’t as subtle with her volume. “Yeah, you think you got the strength to make this play?”

She pointed her knife at the largest tent. “The folks in there could do this racket all on their own. We’re lucky enough to be under their shield.”

[chimecho]

The Uchiha smiled at the Otokage's display of radiance and clapped lightly at her modest performance. He took note of her talent, which could be quite the distraction during any subterfuge assignment had they been tasked to operate in tandem.

Souma found even more interest in her knowledge of the catacombs. He wondered if she knew of the cesspool of dark races that lay beneath the artsy streets of Hidden Sound, but would yet again feign an ignorance towards things that she may have wished he would comment on openly. "I will take up your offer, Otokage-san.. but please tell me, what business do we have in going so far south to the Moon Isle?"

[Coal]

Black eyes moved to the ten that housed what was presumably the leaders of this band, should this demolitions woman be telling the truth, although even if she were not, he could not in good conscious allow this band to remain here ransacking the road. With a resigned nod, Kyuushu would make his way toward the tent, the soft thump of Souten’s hooves in the grass, until finally he was before his cloth structured destination. He would call out to those inside. “Ho there! I call for a parlay! I would like to speak with your commander!” [Officer Trait] Being an officer in the military before his Shinobi lifestyle, Kyuushu was used to delivering commands to soldiers, imposing that level of authority into his voice. [Intimidate: 65 + (Roll)] With that, he would maneuver Souten a few meters back from the tent, a safe distance in case they wished to attack immediately, instead of having parlay with him.

[Vara]

"Business might be too strong a word," Bree said, organizing her thoughts. "Hm. I believe the best way to explain it is that we are in need of charitable neutrality. Lately, the ninja villages have found the issue of trust to be a deadlock. Everyone is at least open, to some degree, of finding a third party."

Bree closed her eyes and leaned into her chair. She let her words roll around in her head. It was a bit analytical, which might be proper for a kage, but she would've been more satisfied with saying that she was looking for new and interesting friends. Well, she could at least say what was so interesting about the place.

"There is a place in moon—a city—where the reach of ninja have not held sway. That alone means that they have the strength to be—"

Bree lost the word for a moment, and searched her head for it.

"—sovereign."

---

Dice Rolls: narutoforumrp.proboards.com/post/1090817

Kyuushu's request was forceful enough to shake five of the seven occupants in the tents. However, the leader of the renegades was not among the affected. The mere idea that a person with the voice of a commander was in her territory was an offense.

The leader was the first out of the large tent. She stroke out of the tent. Her brown skin was covered with pure white armor—bone armor. It was arranged in plates and thickest around her torso, head, and legs. She had plain, silvery chain mail for sleeves and bare hands. Some sort of glass on the helm covered her face.

"If you wanted peace," she said, raising her hand to point her fingers at Kyuushu, "you could've rode around."

A single sharp, bone bullet shot out of Albra's index finger and flew toward Kyuushu's face.

[chimecho]

The Otonin recognized the authority, then, that this child-kage possessed. Souma took in her words and reflected them upon his own current agenda. It would seem that these two liked minds shared a common window of ideality, yet the Uchiha’s own was of a dark and brooding countenance. With most of the shadows being cast into the caravan by surrounding canopy, the genin lowered his face and feigned disinterest.

SPOILER: Click to show

falling asleep in character so feel free to skip me at times to speed this up

[Vara]

(Fast forwarding this thread for now. May we be moved to the Land of Moon?)