The forest

[Cadoc]

Yoko had travelled a long way from the land of water to reach her destination in the land of myth, and whilst her primary purpose here was to undertake a mission it did not mean that she couldn't engage in some other business along the way. Namely, the provision of items as part of a trade, it was to this end that she had brought with her some of her finer wears including her golden ring of providence, and a gold headband, both items had been created with trade-in mind and thus sized appropriately for a medium-sized humanoid.

Cautious as ever the youth had taken to engaging in her trades in the middle of a forest, the surrounding wildlife, trees, and general undergrowth all providing ample room for her to hide away should the arise. Still, she even went as far as to use a shadow clone disguised in the guise of another to act as her proxy, whilst she remained hidden away in the aforementioned wilderness. The idea of meeting people face to face rarely appealed to her. The appearance that she had taken was of a teenaged girl, long brown hair, unkempt and curly, with pale white skin. Quite generic, with only her hat, that of a witch differentiating her from a 'normal' person.

It seemed only natural to contact the members of the coven first especially given that one of the members she had previously spoken to had some items that interested her. Thus, with this in mind, she withdrew her Witch Watch and used it to contact Zuruel. “Hello, Zuruel? Hello?” Yoko paused for a brief period allowing sufficient time for someone to answer their witch watch well aware of the fact that not everyone was idly sitting about in a forest, he could instead have already have been on a mission or something of a similar nature that held his attention.

Yoko proceeded to explain her purpose for the call once she had confirmed that he had answered. “I have some wears that might be of interest to you, and from our prior encounters, I know you to be quite the collector of rare alchemical items. Perhaps you would like to engage in a trade of sorts?” Of course, at the present moment, Yoko had no means of knowing that Zuruel possessed chimaera fang or starmetal items, but still, she was aware that he held rabbits blood and the like.

[Xango]

The bird flew through the odd green landscape of the Shinwa No Kuni forest attempting to clear its head; it even shook its beak from side to side, releasing spittle and small clumps of flesh into the leaves of trees shaped like bony spears. What the hell had happened to her? She had been on mission, attempting to uncover the whereabouts of an infamous cult, and then...he had arrived, and all sense had been flushed out of her head. Even now, her bird's talons - borrowed from the form of a Sea Roc - were clicking impatiently, and she flew just close enough to the highest branches of the forest's growth to run the makeshift weapons against the treetops. She stared out over the vastness of the Land of Myth, her highly attuned senses returning painstakingly towards normality.

She didn't even know the man's name, what village he was from. She hadn't been able to interrogate or analyze him. Why did he matter so much? What was wrong with her? With him?

The bird's beak puffed out a strained gust of stale air as she circled a slightly less dense section of the woods, coming to land in a crosshatching of mid-level branches overlooking a weathered plot of grass. She heard a voice - "Hello, Zuruel? Hello?" - a familiar voice, and it gave her pause.

If voices could be likened to colors, this voice - a young girl's - had nearly the same voice as the Goddess of Night. Though one could never be sure with the Mizukage, for the moment, Shango felt her best option was to wait and observe. She had never heard the name Zuruel, but the complications with her previous mission left her feeling restless. She had a near endless stack of missions involving the Goddess of Night, after all. Might as well see if this panned out to be one of them.

The young girl's voice said more words, though Shango had trouble making them out as she positioned herself a few meters away. The girl seemed to be waiting for this Zuruel to appear, but Shango could not dismiss the feeling that they were already somewhere nearby.

What were they going to discuss?

She would wait and watch.

[Skulking Shinzu]

“Lok- Wait, no… Not Loki. Someone else.” Zuruel slammed a tightly clutched fist into his stomach. A second later, he gagged before spitting out the golden witch watch. As he thought, it was active. Triggering the device, he pulled it closer towards his mouth while still not quite certain how it functioned. “I remember you… Faces I always forget, but a voice, never. Earth Seat, was it? We never did finish our last chat.” The Kedoin chuckled softly as he analysed the intricacies of the watch. Earth-San had requested for him directly. Did that mean the device was capable of one-on-one conversations? If so, he’d have to play around with it later to see how that worked.

“Naturally. I am still in need of a mask… Something non-intrusive that would fit alongside my helmet. Let’s see… Around this tall. Wait, can you see me? I still don’t know if this thing should be shooting illusionary beams of light, or it only transmits audio…” Zuruel sighed as he began playing with the watch. He’d be severely disappointed if this was just some sort of fancy-looking radio. “Ah, forget it. I’ll just shapeshift to show you what I need. Where are you? I am currently stationed in the Land of Myth. Do you still require blood? I have that, alongside a vault of rare goodies tucked away within Mo’s stone walls.” The Kedoin waited for a response. Considering how vast most countries were, he hoped that Earth-San was near some sort of notable structure or knew of her coordinates.

[Cadoc]

Yoko's clone carefully listened to the conversation whilst the main body continued to observe her surroundings for approaching threats. Hmm, a mask, an interesting request that she rarely received. “A mask, do you have a specific design in mind.” However, before she could complete her full line of enquiry she was cut off with new information, specifically that Zuruel was also in the land of Myth. “A fated encounter? I am also in the Land of Myth, Dark Hedge forest to be exact, just off the thoroughfare to a small hamlet the locals call Paethsmouth. If we were to meet I could take your measurements, and show you my wears.” For the time being she had little interest in rabbits blood, Loki had already promised her some a fact that was disclosed during their last call over the witches watch. Still the knowledge that she was the Earth Corner and that she had previously desired the blood was reassuring to a degree, as it served to reinforce the notion that she had been contacted by the right member of the coven.

The disclosure of her location was a calculated risk, it seemed improbable for the time being at least, that any of the coven members were going to act against her, and even if she did she could always request the aid of her sisters. Still, it seemed wise to remain on guard now that she had given this information out. Thus, Yoko activated her ability to perceive chakra, an uncanny ability that allowed her to gain a better understanding of her surrounding area and those who would approach her. Allowing her to gauge their power, along with the colour of their signature. With this skill active she continued to scan the area for threats.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Dark Hedge Forest. Paethsmouth. Zuruel hadn’t heard of the areas before. However, a local map served to reveal the location of the forest and surrounding towns. A little investigative work later then quickly served to reveal the location of the hamlet. “There you are.” The Kedoin marked the location onto his map while wondering why the Earth Corner did not wish to meet somewhere more… populated. Not that it mattered much. In the end, Zuruel could only hope that Earth-San was planning some type of ambush. If this was a trap, then he’d have the joy of foiling it. If nothing happened, he’d get a shiny new addition to his equipment collection. Either way, all this nonsense made a nice break in the monotony that had become his life over the last few weeks.

“Can a corner even attack a familiar? Honestly… Why did Loki bother to recruit me if she wasn’t intending on giving me a handbook? All these witch-rules are more complicated than human-rules.” Sighing, Zuruel set off towards the hamlet. Not bothering to hide his presence, the Kedoin whistled throughout the journey, as if to invite the attention of the forest dwellers. Of course, if such dwellers could sense Chakra, then they would feel the presence of a mundane S-Rank being, with no ability whatsoever to perform elemental Ninjutsu. At least, that's what Zuruel's Chakra signature would reveal.  “Ah…” After what felt like ages, miscoloured eyes found themselves fixing upon a pale and skinny figure decorated with a witch’s hat, the sight of which broke the Kedoin’s whistling. “A hat? Loki doesn’t have a hat… Is this woman stronger than Loki? I should have come more prepared…”

Zuruel maintained a healthy two-meter distance between himself and who he presumed to be the Earth Corner. “Greetings.” Mouth agape, a pointed tongue slithered out from the corner of Zuruel’s mouth. Hanging loosely against the tip, was a golden witch watch. This was put on display for a good second or two, before the tongue abruptly retreated back into the Kedoin’s mouth to tuck the watch away with a swallow. “Mighty Earth Corner, I presume?” He couldn’t know for sure until the woman spoke. However, if she did reveal herself to be the woman that he had spoken to earlier through the powers of the watch, then it would be straight to business.

“Specific design, you asked?” Zuruel chuckled as he washed his palm over his face. “Like I said. Non-intrusive.” Black flesh began to bubble and bleed against the pale skin along the upper half of Zuruel’s face. This formed the shape of a pitch-black skull, which began just below the Kedoin’s hairline and ended with a single row of teeth that stretched over his mouth. “Something like this. No taller, or I won’t be able to wear this alongside my helmet. The bottom of the mask should reach just below my mouth, but no further than a few finger widths above my chin… or it will cause too much of an obstruction. I like being able to move my head around freely. Anything that restricts neck movement is… Uncomfortable. Anyway, feel free to measure. I don’t bite.”

Zuruel chuckled before continuing with the finer details. “I wish for this to be crafted from the skull of a Green Hag. If you don’t possess such a material, I will be happy to provide a skull. I flayed one quite some time ago, so it may not be fresh, but bone rarely rots. Right?” Zuruel smiled, though the action would be hidden underneath his flesh mask. “Oh, the top should be removable. Like this.” His hand extended towards the his face, which ripped the top half of the mask away to expose his eyes and pale forehead. “This part should house Goggles, Anti-Flash Lenses and a Canny Descrier. All perfected quality, if possible. If you require the recipes, I shall go hunting.” With a smirk, the removed portion of the mask was slotted back into place on top of the mouth guard to complete the look. “Also, I require two seals crafted into the mask. Mask of Terror and Sentinel's Mask… Although I believe they are quite tricky to come by. If you don’t have knowledge or the aptitude to create such Enchantment Seals… Then well, that’s another service I am willing to pay for. I possess Ryo, Emerald Obolus, Shinobi headbands, and rare ore such as Starmetal. Choose your desired currency, and I shall decide on a fair price based on how far you are willing to go to meet my specifications.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Reference Pic: i.etsystatic.com/13742505/r/il/4e4a33/1701654245/il_570xN.1701654245_dfez.jpg

A face mask carved from the front of the hag's skull bestows some of the hag's power upon the wearer. The mask grants its wearer a +4 resistance bonus on saves vs. charm and fear effects. The wearer also gains Damage Reduction 1/cold iron and chakra. Mask costs 40,000 Ryo.

Goggles
Rank: "C"
Type: Secondary, 2 per Slot, Gadget, Apparel/Surveillance, Spectacles
Effect: Protective eyewear that usually encloses or protects the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: There are different types of Goggles. There are different types of Goggles such as Cold Weather Goggles, Swimming, Power Tool Goggles, Blowtorch Goggles, Welding Goggles, Laboratory Goggles, and Aviation Goggles. Goggles are often worn as a fashion statement in certain subcultures, most often as part of the cybergoth subculture. They are usually worn over the eyes or up on the forehead to secure 'falls'. May apply modular visual lenses to goggles. Does not fit in Scroll size Slots. May be Glasses. Singular vision goggles are half price and double per slot.
Limit: These items may be bought inside any Gadget Shop.
Cost: 2,000 Ryo per Slot, or 1,000 Ryo Each

Anti-Flash Lenses
Rank: "S"
Type: Secondary, 0 per Slot, Gadget, Surveillance, Vision
Effect: A unique set of Lenses that allows the user to survive Flash Bang attacks and other Blinding Lights used to Blind a person.
Special: ---
Drawback: If the Lenses break from the inside the Liquid Crystal Film will blind the wearer indefinitely until they seek medical treatment.
Description: The Anti-Flash Lenses are made out of a specialized Liquid Crystal Film. The Crystal Film is liquefied and is sandwiched between 2 thin sheets of glass. These lenses offer the user +4 to all saves vs. blinding lights.
Limit: These items may be bought inside any Gadget Shop.
Cost: 13,000 Ryo Each

Canny Descrier
Rank: "S"
Type: Secondary, 0 per Slot, Gadget, Surveillance, Vision
Effect: A lense allowing the user to better detect lies while helping with their own lies.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A pair of lenses that can project an interactive display onto the user's eyes that shows the results of advanced heuristic programs that analyze the attitudes, voice patterns, and body language of all the creatures that the user can see and hear. While the item is in effect user gains a +40 bonus on their Sense Motive checks, making it difficult for even the most silver-tongued rogue to fool them. User's detailed knowledge of creature’s motivations also translates into interaction bonuses when using the descrier, and user gains an insight bonus on all Bluff, Intimidate, and Perform checks equal to Half of the number of ranks in the Sense Motive skill while the device functions.
Limit: These type of items may be bought inside any Gadget Shop with a 15% chance.
Cost: 20,000 Ryo Each

Enhancement Techniques:

Blood Bonded
Evoke Emotional Response (Fear)
Masking

Mask of Terror
Rank: "A"
Skill: Fūinjutsu
Effect: User gains Frightful Presence while wearing the item.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Equipment Type: Eyes, Head. +25 Enchantment Bonus to Intimidate. +5 to Saves when performing Fear Jutsus. The wearer gains Frightful Presence (10 + 2 per Class Level + Impeccable Will), which lasts for 2d6 rounds and activates whenever the wearer makes a threatening movement, and has a range of 10 meters. Those who fail the save will become shaken. This effect does not affect Dragons, nor Creatures of Animal Intelligence and lower.
Limit: Must know Enchant Chakra Item - Epic.

Sentinel's Mask
Rank: "D", "C", "B"
Skill: Fūinjutsu
Effect: A seal that gives enchantment bonus to observation, functions like a gas mask, let's the user see in low-light vision, and other applications.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Equipment Type: Eyes, Head. Minor Enchantment Seal: +5 enchantment Bonus to Observation. Functions as a Gas Mask. Chakra, weaving Movement; Gain low-light vision for 10 minutes. Superior Enchantment Seal: +10 enchantment Bonus to Observation. Use Voice Mimicry Technique as a Jutsu-like Ability for as long as the user concentrates. Greater Enchantment Seal: +15 enchantment Bonus to Observation.
Limit: Must know Enchant Chakra Item - Minor. Must know Enchant Chakra Item - Superior. Must know Enchant Chakra Item - Greater.

[Xango]

It was the same man from before! She felt the odd accompanying battle lust begin to swell within her and quickly shifted her eyes into oblivion, leaving the two bird's sockets empty and plunging her sight into darkness. Without being able to see the man, the feelings within her seemed to subside and the urge to kill everything around her faded. She listened for a few frantic seconds, listened to her own thoughts. She did not hear the beckoning of the Kedoin, the strange near-audible connection branching each member of the species to each other, the Un-Choir, the Shift-Song. But her proximity to him let her feel it. So this was Zuruel. Her other senses expanded as her sight was lost and she shifted her plumage from its garish blue to something that allowed her to more easily blend into the surrounding foliage.

Curiouser and curiouser. The two seemed to be conducting a simple exchange of goods; the woman at least seemed to barter in the same way as the Mizukage, and they had an extraordinarily similar pattern of speaking. Most shinobi Shango had met made it a habit of talking for as long as humanly possible, clouding each statement with unnecessary flourishes related to their own greatness. The Goddess of Night, much like the merchant woman, only said that which was relevant and further pushed her own goals onto other individuals. That specific manipulative tendency within conversation was enough to convince Shango of the woman's true identity, but it also presented its own problem. The Goddess of Night was most likely not actually physically where this woman seemed to be. She liked to hide, and as the stealthiest ninja on earth, Shango knew there was little to no purpose in attempting to find her true position.

From inside the now shifting bird form she wore, Shango unraveled from within herself until the birds throat spat out her Witch Watch. Touching her beak against its complicated sigils, she used its sending gem to attempt a mental message to...wherever the Mizukage actually was.

"Mizukage-sama, is that you? I'm in the forest somewhere near you, I think. Who is this guy you're talking to? And do you have more stuff you're going to just give away like that?"

[Cadoc]

Naturally, Yoko expected to wait for a least a small period of time for the man's arrival, they could have been in opposite ends of the country for all she knew, so it was only logical to assume that she would have to wait. Still, the passage of time allowed her to consolidate her thoughts on what exactly she was going to try and sell to him, and for what price.

Soon enough with the passage of time, a figure started to draw into view, given that her ability to perceive chakra was still active she was able to note their strength, this in combination with their being here led Yoko to believe that it was Zuruel. The break-in their whistling signalled that they too had spotted the clone, closing their distance to approximately two-metres before coming to a stop.

Ah yes, the pleasantries, one had to get them out of the way first before you could truly hope to get down to business, in response to the initial greeting Yoko offer her own in response. “Good afternoon” her words as so often was the case came across as dreamy almost to the point of being sarcastic. As if to validate his reason for being here the creature had removed his own variation of the witch watch, from inside his body of all places, presenting it to Yoko as a form of ID? The use of flattery already 'Mighty Earth Corner', a term she had never heard associated with herself before on account of her small stature, still it did little to score the man any points in her book, instead, she simply smiled back at him.

Her voice should have been sufficient to confirm that she was indeed the witch who had rang him if the hat she wore had not been enough to make it plainly obvious. Instead of producing her watch, she instead simply watched allowing the man to speak and make his little presentation. Hmm, the removal of his own flesh, peeling his face-off, a display that others might have found revolting had left Yoko totally unphased. She had dissected many animals and people as part of her training as a vivisectionist. Still, her polite looking demeanour showed no visible signs of elation at the prospect of seeing a bloodline power in action.

Perhaps this was not the response the man was looking for, he might have prepared her to cower in fear or gasp in surprise. But sure, he did not expect a witch to be scared of such a display? Instead, as he spoke in this form about how the mask's dimensions she swayed side to side getting a better view of the exact dimensions that the mask should be. Such, a task would be next to impossible to commit to the mind from vision alone, measurements would need to be taken or better yet a cast.

Hmm, the mask of a green hag. Yoko also possessed such a mask, she wore it on her ventures out and indeed had even elected to wear it now, although no such mask was present on the clone in its transformed state. Quite the list of requested items, a mask, gadgets, and seals. Yoko paused for a moment considering her options, she possessed the knowledge to craft all but the anti-flash lenses, not that it mattered as their master-worked equivalent bore no advantage whatsoever, other than perhaps a small increase in hardness.

What was interesting was the idea that the man could provide so many different things, it seemed that she had been right to request their meeting. The first three items, Ryo, Emerald Oblous coins, and shinobi headbands were of little to no interest to her, Yoko was already a millionaire in her own right, a common theme amongst the witches, and given her seat of power within the coven could have quite easily have acquired headbands if she had desired it. Instead, the far more interesting element was the mention of starmetal, this was an item worth trading.

“Hmm” Yoko expressed her consideration before supplying her answer “I can provide you with these items for the right price. As a witch, I have no need for headbands or money, but this starmetal you speak of how much do you possess? And what would you be willing to give me in exchange for the mask alone?” The clone ran its hand slowly through one of its pockets before procuring a ring, perfected in nature, gold with the Providence enhancement.

“You know I believe that we could have encountered each other before Zuruel in the land of fire. Are you a companion of Blights by chance? You and your companion once requested an item from me, with the ability to rewrite the history.” She paused briefly allowing the information to be processed by the man, her intention, however, should have been plain enough that it did not need to be said allowed, she wanted to make a trade, the ring for an item or items of equal value.

With the brief pause in their conversation Yoko received a mental communication, from the voice alone and the manner in which she was addressed as Mizukage-sama, Yoko could infer that it was indeed Shango. If she possessed the ability to communicate back via this mental, she'd pose the question asking who this was, even if they sounded like Shango there was no guarantee that it was actually her. Whilst it might have seemed like a strange response to an outsider, no hello or how are you, such a reply must have been expected from anyone who actually knew the Mizukage personally.

[Xango]

"It's Shango. Or. I am actually an imposter with evil intentions who, granted the ability to manipulate thoughts within your head directly, has foregone forcing you to kill yourself, or forget your shinobi training entirely, or divulge national secrets only a Kage would have access to, or easily convince you that you were experiencing a dissociative mental episode - in lieu of a master plan that has me impersonate one of the lowest ranking members of your village and ask about the free stuff you're giving a clown. Its definitely one or the other."

The Witch Watch still didn't allow Shango to pinpoint the Mizukage's location, and before Yoko could respond again, the young genin tried switching out various techniques and abilities as subtly as possible searching for her. She was careful to remain as hidden as she could, but focused primarily on sniffing out the Mizukage's position. True Sight. Her skills as a Pathfinder. Vision of Souls and Eyes of The Forest and even her Rinnegan. Nothing. She could hear the spoken words of the Mizukage but could not confirm with her actual senses that anyone or anything was there at all.

"MIZUKAGE-SAMA..." Shango whined impatiently, attempting to keep track of the exchange rates, prices, materials, and items that the two discussed and getting a headache.

She did not focus on Zuruel. Her mind was cut off from the All-Hive while she focused her thoughts into the Witch Watch and for the moment, he was simply some jester lolicon getting in the way of Shango's fantasy shopping spree.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Zuruel blinked as the witch set to work with her meticulous measuring. Up until now, he had only received two words from the skinny girl. Was she shy? Introverted? Either way, the Kedoin simply took in the silence like a fine wine. The girl appeared to be a thinker. A planner. Having no desire to get inside of her head, he could do little else at this point aside from allowing his new crafter to take in all the information that she needed.

“How much… Hm, I wonder. Does Starmetal rust? Probably not a lot if it does.” Zuruel began to playfully tap his chin with his index finger. The Earth Corner had finally broken the silence with quite the question. For a moment, the Kedoin contemplated answering truthfully. However, the unknown granted a position of power. The more he revealed, the more the witch would likely take. He couldn’t have that. Especially not with how useful of a bargaining chip the ore had proven itself to be as of late.

“In terms of raw material, at least five-hundred thousand worth.” Far from the truth, but not exactly a lie either [Haggle: 205]. This would protect him in case the Earth Corner possessed the ability to detect lies like Loki. “Ah yes… The cyclops eye. Blight was afraid to ask for two, so he suggested that I put in a request in his place. That boy always was quite the shy fly.” Zuruel shrugged playfully at the mention of Blight. The name brought back old memories. “Do you still possess the ring? If you’re willing to whisper an enchantment or two into the steel, then I could be persuaded to part with more ore. Say, a million Ryo worth in raw materials? A close ally of mine once crafted me an entire suit of armour for a similar price, so I trust that should be fair for a meagre mask and ring, correct?”

The Kedoin’s mismatched eyes studied the witch’s expression carefully, while his enhanced sense of hearing studied the drumming of her heartbeat. The slightest lie, and the rhythm of the beats would give something away. As would the drumming of any heartbeats within a 120m radius that hadn’t took precautions against Zuruel’s keen sense of hearing. “Do you… Feel that?” He asked while glancing around, only to find nothing. It was almost like his instincts were telling him to ditch the scrawny girl in search of… Something. Someone of interest. The more he thought about it, the more he dismissed the ridiculous sensation. “Never mind. Continue. Perhaps it’s just a case of gas.”

[Cadoc]

Yoko carefully listened to what Zuruel had to say maintaining a calm and measured approach throughout. There were a few irregularities with what he had said and how she called events, not that it mattered all that much. In the original request, the ring was to be just that a plain ring that possessed the power of providence: the ability to rewrite a singular instance of time once per day. Still, even this power was not infallible, and one could only use it to grasp a likely outcome. As such, using it in a vain effort to obtain an outcome that was impossible or extremely improbable would scarcely yield the desired result.

Still, she considered how much knowledge this man actually held off the items he spoke of, measuring a rare metal in terms of ryo was certainly an uncommon way of doing things, leading her to suspect that he could be quite inexperienced. However, it was no matter to her, she still maintained her persona throughout their interaction of a calm, polite young lady. Almost disconcertingly so, for she offered little in the way of speech whilst Zuruel spoke, instead preferring to listen and allow him to have his say. Surely, however, it would have been unwise to misjudge her from appearance and behaviour alone, however, for what little could be gleaned in the few moments they had interacted with one another still had to be measured against the fact that she held a rank with equivalent power to Loki's.

Still, after he was finished talking she contemplated her answer pausing for a brief moment to collect her thoughts before addressing him in turn. “Hmm, lets see. This is a rather specialised piece of equipment that you are requesting. And in that form, a face from a humanoid creature, the bone would likely be difficult to work. To clarify, are you proposing half a millions worth of starmetal for the mask unenchanted? It would be difficult to obtain those gadgets and cast those spells, time consuming work as a matter of fact I know of nobody else in the world who could craft them.” She paused for a moment allowing for a slight break in the conversation before continuing. “You are a member of the coven however, so I trust that we can work something out in return for a fair offer of payment for my services. Indeed, if you were to supply the hag's skull. It would save me using one from my own stock.”

She repositioned herself slightly before continuing. “As for the ring, well our original agreement was for a pure gold ring bearing the providence enhancement.” after a bried moment she removed the ring from one of her pockets presenting it to Zuruel to inspect. “I can apply additional enchantments to it for you, but I'm affaid that as it stands I could sell this ring all but instantly for at least a million ryo.” By presenting the ring to him she afforded him the opportunity to appraise it if he felt himself up to the task, still if he as to take her word alone on it the item was extremely valuable on account of being perfected in quality and possessing a rare and expensive enhancement.

“I fear that your supply of starmetal is not infinite, so we might have to come to an alternative arrangement for payment. If you still want to make a trade for the ring, I can set a cyclop's eye into it. However, as I'm sure you are aware I'd have to have the raw materials to create the alchemical item first.” She paused for a moment once more before finishing off what she had to say for this initial round of discussions. “If you had the materials to create the item it would save me the effort of searching for the creature and the required herbs, so naturally I would work for less. I hold no desire for an infinite supply of the metal, however, so perhaps some other rare herbs could be traded as partial payment, I desire the fruit of the chimaera's fang, if you were able to procure one for me, I would consider it a partial payment.” Surely by showing him the ring this notion that she was providing a 'meagre' product would have been dismissed from his mind.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of this whole affair was how calmly she executed her performance, even going as far as to communicate with Shango via her main body as her clone negotiated the fee for her services. “Do you know this one? I fear that he might need to be cleansed.” The meaning should have been readily apparent to her young genin.

[Xango]

"Be careful Mizukage-sama. Any time I'm not using the Witch Watch to talk to you, I start to feel his thoughts in the Un-Choir. He's like me. A shifter. If you need me to deal with him, you may not want to stick around for the gory details. We are notoriously hard to kill, and you're not strong enough to fight him out in the open like this."

She kept her connection to Yoko open via the Witch Watch to maintain clarity of thought and continued to watch their negotiations. The Mizukage was indeed skilled at this sort of mercantile mess. Shango found herself wondering what the esteemed village leader would do with her time if she weren't ordering a bunch of ninja about. It amused her to think of the tiny woman as a traveling merchant, riding a cart of wares into strange locales, getting rich off of the weird artifacts she always seemed to be making.

"Mizukage-sama...is there any way you could make a special item, or two, or two-hundred...for me? The candidacy matches for Hashira will be coming up soon, and it wouldn't hurt to have a little boost..."

She asked, impressed that Yoko, as a mere human, had been capable of having two conversations at once.

[Skulking Shinzu]

The conversation certainly was an exchange to say the least. Both analytical and keen listeners, it seemed as if Zuruel and Earth Corner were constantly switching between remaining absolutely silent, before their respective turns came to unload a bombardment of words and information. Both seemed to possess a rare gift for listening. Surely if either had been born a politician, the world would be in a better state. Unfortunately, fate had decided to thrust the two souls into a chaotic life imbued with the occult and supernatural.

“You require a hag skull, cyclops eye, and crystal leaves, I believe?” Zuruel ensured his mental list hadn’t excluded any of the Earth Corner’s items. “Ah, yes. And of course, your fruit. Don’t be jumpy now.” Winking, the Kedoin reached into an oddly positioned pocket underneath his shirt before gently pulling out a tag. If Yoko possessed the aptitude to read seals, then she’d note that it correlated to the Hiraishin seal. Releasing the tag from his grip, Zuruel vanished in a flicker of yellow light as the small rectangular paper began to waft around in the air.

Seconds later, Zuruel reappeared with the tag now clutched between the fingers of his right hand. His personal vault had to have been extremely organised for him to return so quickly. Inspecting the tag, Zuruel searched for any changes in the paper or ink before he buried it back inside the pocket it had been retrieved from. One by one, the Kedoin then handed the requested items to the Earth Corner while naming them if she accepted. Elsewise, he’d simply read them out loud. “One preserved hag’s skull. One preserved cyclops eye. Four coin-canisters worth of crystal leaves. Lastly, ten generous pieces chimera’s fang fruit. Isn’t it wonderful how many pieces a single tree is capable of bearing?”

If Yoko accepted the fruit, then the shifter was more than willing to hand them over. “Consider these an upfront payment. Once the crafts are complete, please designate a location for me to teleport the ore to.” Zuruel then paused and awaited Yoko’s reaction to all this. So far, the woman appeared annoyingly difficult to read. It appeared that even small creatures were more than capable of carrying such levels of mystery. “I believe that is all. If so… I’d appreciate some information.” The Kedoin eyed the Earth Corner carefully while grinning mischievously. Little else could be read from the expression. “What would happen if a Familiar of Loki was attacked, or double crossed by a Corner? Loki seems to have forgotten to give me a lecture regarding crimes and punishment within the Coven.” Zuruel grinned playfully at the end of his words despite the serious weight his question carried. “Oh, hypothetically of course. I obviously have no more plans of making an enemy of you, than you have of making one of me.” Sinister yet light-hearted, the words danced off the shifter’s silver Bard tongue like nothing more than a line spoken in jest.

OOC: -2 Hiraishin Charges.

[Cadoc]

This was indeed an interesting development, it seemed that his man much like Loki also possessed the power to use the hiraishin, quite a remarkable feat for a normal person, but given the circles, she ran in the possession of these seemingly legendary abilities of days gone by had become rather commonplace. Instead, Yoko's clone merely nodded when prompted by the list confirming that those were the required ingredients.

Naturally, she collected the items from him, inspecting them one at a time to ensure that they were what he claimed them to be. To the best of her knowledge, these items were what he claimed them to be. Normally she would have requested payment in full at the start of the trade, on account of the covens laws binding the two. She had no reason to steal from a fellow member's familiar after all. Still, when prompted by such actions she simply agreed feeling no need to raise the point that she wanted the ore now.

After he was finished speaking about a time and a place Yoko merely interjected “We meet here in a week's time. That should be sufficient time to craft these items and journey back here. Is this agreeable to you?” She then allowed him to continue speaking, presumably still making his enquiry about the coven. The familiar were loyal to their own corner, there was little in the way of allegiance to the other corners outside of the shared interest of the coven. “I'd guess it would depend on the severity of the attack, and the reason for doing so. The corners would likely discuss it amongst themselves and reach a resolution on what action was to be taken.” He answer was honest to the best of her knowledge. Still, the same could not be said if the attack was reversed if a mere familiar was to attack one of the sisters regardless of reason she expected an extremely harsh punishment would be exacted upon them. “So then, I will see you in a week's time.”

Meanwhile, Yoko's true body relayed information back to Shango through the use of her witch watch, it was her intent to avoid this familiar knowing about the information she had been discussing with the member of the village. “I have several items for you, I will leave them in this patch of undergrowth next to the willow tree.” Such instructions were specific enough that they could be found within a few minutes of searching had the ninja applied herself. And with that she took her leave, presumably everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed.

Exit attempt

Gained:
One preserved hag’s skull.
One preserved cyclops eye.
Four coin-canisters filled with crystal leaves.
ten generous pieces chimaera’s fang fruit.

Dropped:
Shango's custom-made Argonaut's helmet
Shango's custom-made 1 gold superior ring with Elemental Resistance (Superior) & Dramatic counter

[Skulking Shinzu]

Zuruel grinned at the Earth Corner’s first line of speech. “Understood.” He replied, whilst crouching down. Suddenly, he began patting down the earth for a suitable marble-sized rock. Once found, he tapped the surface of the stone with his index finger. A spark of yellow electrical energy danced between the empty space of the Kedoin’s finger and the stone the moment he pulled away. He then presented the marked object to Yoko, before dropping it onto the ground and gathering a small mound of soil over it. “A week it is. This will save me having to make the journey again.”

Playfully, Zuruel pulled himself back upright before dusting himself off. “So then, the outcome of an unprovoked attack would be… Bureaucracy. I can think of nothing more painfully boring and torturous than that.” Sighing, Zuruel yawned at the sky before glancing back down at the Earth Corner. His neck was beginning to strain from having to look down so much. With no reason to delay his crafter any further, the Kedoin allowed Yoko to leave. There was something odd about the pale girl. Not quite disturbing, but definitely uncomforting. For the first time in his life, Zuruel had no desires to fight this woman. Despite being a Corner and likely on par with Loki’s skill, the woman just didn’t ignite the same passion of battle-lust that others did.

Turning his back, Zuruel whistled to himself playfully as he wondered what was wrong. It wasn’t the girl’s size. He had met deadly opponents before, some of which half his size or less. Perhaps, her mannerisms then? There didn’t seem to be any hint of malicious intent emanating off the girl. As deadly as her title and reputation was, she almost seemed… Harmless. The thought broke Zurue’s melody and caused him to scowl. As much as he’d enjoy provoking her just to see the outcome, there were no real desires in the Kedoin to take it any further. Sighing, he crossed the Earth Corner off his mental list before pondering over which Corner to antagonise next.

[Very slow attempted exit]

[Xango]

Shango 'listened' to the Mizukage's reply, casting her senses out into the wildland. A pair of all too humanoid arms burst suddenly from beneath her bird form's wings, settling themselves into a series of handseals, infusing chakra that called out to the forest. Clumps of the malformed woods congealed into the shape of man-sized Wood Golem, which would heed Shango's command to find the items after being created. Its heavy shuffling picked apart the surrounding area, giving her time to flutter down into the path of the jester's attempted retreat before the golem eventually found the out of place ring and helmet. It collected the items, carrying them towards Shango's position as the form of Blue Waltz erupted from the bird. She would still possess the two additional limbs - her Devil's Arms - folded behind her and joined to her shoulder sockets in reverse. With the Mizukage's departure, the Witch Watch clicked off, and the tidal wave of intrusive thoughts its telepathy had kept at bay crashed into the Kirigakure kunoichi, shared with the man known as Zuruel. Her over seven foot tall frame blocked the man's path as she held a hand to her head to steady herself from the impact of the internal voices.

WHERE ONE IS GATHERED, ALL ARE GATHERED. WE ARE KEDOIN. WE ARE THE ALL-HIVE.

WE ARE ONE.

"So...you're...Zuruel..." She said slowly, trying to contain the bloodlust overwhelming her mind and chakra. Beneath the surface of her skin flesh bubbled and rolled, bristling, as sharp as the shadows of scythes. She felt almost as if she could not control herself. She didn't want to control herself. She wanted only to destroy. To consume. To become.

One.

-Items Retrieved.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Tremors in the earth gave away the presence of an unwieldy force. Something was coming. Something too large and bulky to disguise its lumbering footsteps. “Where-” Was about the only word of his intended sentence that Zuruel could mutter as his mismatched eyes locked with the bird. As grand as the creature was, with its mesmerising feathers, that was not the source of the commotion. Unfortunately, before much further thought could be put into the matter, the bird transformed. Shifted. As if the feathery cocoon was nothing, a blue haired butterfly emerged from the mess of cells with an accompanying orchestra of hive-mind voices.

“Ah… There it is… Again… That cursed siren’s call…” Zuruel spoke to himself despite his attention having been entranced by the newcomer. A saner Kedoin may have recognised her. However, the woman’s outline was difficult to analyse in its entirety. The logical connections were just too difficult to make with all the adrenaline and oxytocin flooding his system. All Zuruel could see was a particular arrangement of Kedoin cells that drove him to the brink of insanity each and every time. She was like a book. Different handwriting each time, but always the same words and story. Always the same tantalising cliff-hanger ending.

“Zu… Yes… This one… Is Zur… Uel…” The Kedoin spoke without his usual elegance or silver tongue. If anything, it was as if the thousands of voices speaking into his soul were answering for him. “Ah… The tower… I remember now…” Zuruel’s expression softened. For a moment, it looked as if his glimmering eyes would break out into a gentle stream of tears. “We... never finished our dance…” The words came out as a mangled mess as the corners of his mouth began to extend all the way up to either ear. “Yes… The dance. The dance must continue… Exactly as it was back then.” His jaw widened in an unnatural and grand display before collapsing around his own left arm. A harsh crunch echoed into the forest, before the pitter-patter of blood quickened the moment a twist of his neck ripped the pale arm from his shoulder. Severed arm now clenched within the vice-like grip of his maw, Zuruel sluggishly approached the woman as if meaning to offer her something no less romantic than a single red rose.

[Xango]

Dripping. Denticles. Digits. Precious. Poison. Pustules. Tempting. Tusks. Toenails. Torque itself. The Shift-song. The Unchoir. The rapture beyond all pleasure, beyond pain; her blood knew him, her flesh hungered, her mind met oblivion like an old friend and she unraveled with single-purposed grace, monstrous, bladed. She did not have to watch his jaw unhinge; she felt it. As if in her own cells.

The closer she got to him, the more intense the feeling. Her upper torso erupted into whip-like braids of razor, winding through every empty space with distracted randomness, antennae-tentacles broken open against themselves to display curved veins rearing up, splayed apart with the anticipatory predation of cobras. Her head dissolved or exploded, or somehow did both - it is beyond mere physical description. She did not know the Holy scripture of their people but she knew the word he represented, the En'Mortu'Oel. The true Soul-Mate.

The lower half of her body twisted, her legs slicked together like a newborn slug, her feet flowering, blooming open, becoming petal-thin shards of folded bone. She would leap towards him, at him, into him, through him, and find no Resistance, no pain. Where her flesh touched his, it was like touching nothing at all, and like touching everything. His scent was her scent. Her flesh was his flesh. Her tail formed itself against her will, plunged into him, savage scorpion end blunted as it dragged her closer before splitting into hundreds of eyes. Each eye grew arms, wings, a retching gut spewing brachiating red lines of capillary only to become the lungs of an alligator and a baseball bat and a single blue flame instants after. Her wings exploded outwards, curves around them both. She held him in the deepest embrace, shivering a radial spatter of gray blood.

She could not speak.

She could not think.

There was only the dance.

[Skulking Shinzu]

Mine. All mine. Where she was grace and beauty, Zuruel was mere carnage and violence. Shredding into his own decapitated arm, his lips ripped open to reveal rows upon rows of teeth housed within the Cheshire grin. There was no need to chew or bite into the severed appendage. The mere act of stumbling towards the woman was enough for his grand maw to shred the arm into tiny ribbons, which left a path of bloodied flesh ‘petals’ in his wake.

The scene was set, though not quite as mesmerising as the woman’s metamorphic display. Was he doing this right? As fogged as his drowning brain was, he could still muster doubt. Who was he to devour such a perfect creature with so pitiful of a maw? Lines of red spiralled and erupted along Zuruel’s face, before splitting and unravelling his head into four pale ribbons lined entirely with an amalgamation of teeth from various carnivores. Jagged shark teeth. Spear-like serpent fangs. Razor sharp canine choppers, and even spiralling tusks. Teeth upon teeth. Fangs, jutting from other fangs like thorns against a stem.

With each second that passed, the strange structure that was now the Kedoin’s maw grew more cragged and unnatural. As if unable to halt the instinctual reaction to his prey, jagged spindly spines sprouted and blossomed along the outline of the cragged mess of a maw. Not just teeth now, but bone. Spines, clawed fingers, and ribs bloomed in a circular and spiralling fashion where his head had once been. Even collapsed onto three limbs like an wounded animal, the maw towered above his prey and cast a cruel shadow over her as he readied himself to swallow her in one lustful bite.

Neck elongating, the gargantuan amalgamation of maws inched towards the woman, only to fail in its macabre quest. As if entranced by her own frenzy, the woman leapt into Zuruel’s bite, before it could snap into her. Where was she? There. The grey mess of stabby-parts gently shut around the woman’s form like a flower bud, only for foreign parts and appendages to later burst out from his body. She hadn’t been chewed to oblivion by the grand maw. She was everywhere. In his limbs. In his chest. Within each cell, she was there. He had been tainted by her essence. Shivering in a contradictory mix of fear and pleasure, maws sprouted along each foreign limb protruding from his body, and began devouring everything, including Zuruel himself from the outside in. She would be purged, before he became her, or she became him. Knawing. Tearing. Biting. He began devouring himself as the woman’s wings exploded free and curved around the pair in a protective embrace just in time for her shower of grey to catch and mix with Zuruel’s own drizzled flurry of reddish purple droplets.

He could not devour her.

He could not end her.

There was only the dance.

[Xango]

"So. We're married now. She said to him simply, seventy hours later.  They had spent the entire time 'dancing' in what could be called the same and yet each time a very different fashion.

It was a statement, not a question.

The two stared at each other, still huddled in by the forest. They shifted through their most common transformations and aliases with their flesh linked at the hands, taking turns transforming into each other's many different visages, learning how to become each other accurately in the future.

"I'm a demon. And a Celestial. And I've got a bit of plant in me. And spider. And weapon. And witch. And some machine bits. And I'm immortal."

She said plainly, as if counting off the items on a grocery list. She chewed off one of his fingers lovingly only to have it slide effortlessly through her own flesh and return to him unharmed. It was such a strange yet comforting sensation. It was like they couldnt cause each other injury. She had reduced her larger frame so that they could stand eye to eye, and she let the center of her forehead bloom into the Gosei Rinnegan.

"I've got this too."

She offered, before allowing her tail and wings to unfold in timing with the eye dissolve back into her flesh.

"What about you, husband?"

[Skulking Shinzu]

“That was… New.” Zuruel felt a sweet release. There had always been a strange build up of rage and bloodlust every time he laid eyes on the woman. Not born out of hatred or anger, but simple lust. Up until now, it had claimed his mind and drained him of sanity. However, at that moment in the forest, there was only peace and gentle calm. “Marriage.” He repeated, matter-of-factly. Like a child claiming something as innocent as a best friend. “Simple shifter. Any trace of demon was purged from me… I think. Part were-dog. Maybe a little spider in me too. The rest, I’m not too sure. The useful parts tend to just appear as I need them.”

Zuruel watched as his finger left him, only to return as smoothly as a droplet sliding off skin. He was half tempted to drive his hand into the woman’s chest and pull out her heart for inspection. It had been his only desire since laying eyes on her all those months ago. However, in this new moment, he could only feel a strong desire to rest as small slivers of wounding steadily healed around his body. She could not harm him, but he had harmed himself earlier as his numerous maws had attempted to devour both him and her without prejudice. They were gone now. However, thin lines of silver scarring remained in place of each maw. Unhealed scars, that seemed to stubbornly remain despite his Kedoin regeneration and shifting. No matter what forms the woman roused him to take, the numerous lines of silver remained as if a constant reminder of their dance.

“Only this.” Fiery clouds of ink began to leak and bleed out of Zuruel’s left eye. Dancing along his pale skin, the pitch-black markings multiplied and stretched along his skin before covering him in nothing but dark pigmentation. For a moment, he was like nothing more than a shadow, until the ‘ink’ began to drain away to allow some greyish colour to return to his new cursed form. “There’s this. The result of chaotic energies playing havoc with my cells.” Where the two intermingled and twisted together at the hands, the woman would feel tightness and raw energy leaking from Zuruel’s cells as his power became her power. “Names always felt meaningless… Yet somehow, I wish to learn yours. The name, of my wife.” He asked, although somehow, he felt as if he could snatch the information directly from her brain and memories if he wanted. Such seemed to be a side effect of their union. Was this what humans meant by ‘opening up’ to someone?