Don't Mention My Luck Anymore [Private]

[Takahashi]

Continued from here...

Jin'ichi wore a simple long-sleeved black shirt, along with matching dark jeans and boots. About his hip were a number of assorted belt pouches, all also an ebony hue. Having just returned from a mission where he'd escort one of the village physicians, he didn't have the air about him of a person who had been successful. His body language conveyed tales of irritation and a foul mood, a mood that was only just starting to simmer. Though successful in his mission, he more or less had to do all the hard work while Ruka sat pretty. He'd been so angry at her indifference that he refused to let her try any of her healing concoctions on him until they'd already reached the Toraono Dojo, and even then reluctantly. The injuries he suffered weren't major, and most hand closed up thanks to Ruka's little potion, but he had hid one from her and walked through the pain the entire time.

It didn't help one bit that before they could enter, some foreigners had shown up. Stepping out with her, probably to make sure she made it back inside as was his mission, a few things happened. The two strangers seemed to be from Mist, and then another man claiming to be a medic had stepped out and everything went to Hell from there. Jin'ichi and the man who announced himself as Kyuji were like cats and dogs, or oil and water. Jin'ichi knew he'd be no match for such a person but fear wasn't really his style and if it wasn't for Kyuji having something better to do he'd likely have gotten himself beaten up, again. The whole thing made him not even want to look at the hospital, but with Kyuji going in the opposite direction he could get checked up quickly and be out in no time. Surely one of the medics would be able to patch him up quicker than he could heal on his own, and there was no way in Hell he'd go asking Ruka for help. All she'd do is use him as a test subject for untried mixtures.

As he pushed open the doors to the hospital and was greeted, he lifted his shirt. Though athletic and muscular to a degree, he was slender... However; he wasn't showing off his stomach. On the left side, just below his hip one could see a deep gash. He'd been stabbed, but the dark clothing absorbed much of the blood and dried up during the trek home. They took their sweet time as ever, but eventually he'd be called up to go to one of the hospital rooms. Once inside he'd sit on the bed, twiddling his thumbs. Little did he know he'd be someone else's experiment today as well, but in a different way. Prospective medics would sometimes be given minor tasks, and in this case it would be dealing with the already coagulated and almost stale wound on his unruly form. What's more, the familiar face... Or lack thereof, would come as a little surprise.

OC: I know, I know... It'll get better as I go on.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Kumomi had started to spend more time in the Omni Prime Medical Facility and with that meant more responsibility. Though she wasn't a Med-Nin the hospital wouldn't turn down the help from someone studying to become one. As per usual Kumomi would be seen wearing an all black dress, tights, shoes, sleeves, everything.. Something that was unusual today was the fact that on top of her black dress the young girl wore a white apron, equipped with some basic medicinal tools, and a white Hijab. Her makeup was also different. Her eyes had a slight gold shimmer to them and her plum lips weren't matte, but glossy. Her cheeks also had a softer feel to them, perhaps it was the lack of contour under her warm blush. Over all she seemed softer and warmer than her usual self, perhaps it was due to the fact she had to deal with people or maybe it was just a good day... No one would know for sure.

Nonetheless she was on rounds, basic checkups on non-emergency room patients before the doctors could see them. She had already seen three students who were playing ninja and had shuriken stuck in each other. She wasn't amused but she still had a smile on her face as she pulled out the ninja tools before the numbing effects of anesthetics could take affect. She didn't enjoy the fact that the kids were in pain, but the idea of them learning to stop acting like hoodlums made her want to smile. She had to see an old woman who was run over by a Dune Bug, probably one she had brought to the Academy not too long ago, but that stayed to herself. This next patient had some sort of crusty wound on his side that needed to be looked at. She let out a sigh as she made it to the room and reached to grab the empty clipboard. Basic information was already written on it, including the name of someone she knew. Raising an eyebrow the girl knocked on the door before entering to acknowledge that someone was here to see him. As she approached Jin'ichi she kept her revealed face glued to the clipboard to ask him basic question.

"Hello Jin'ichi, how are you? I see you have a nice little cut on yourself. I'm going to need you to answer a few question before continuing. First i need an approximate on your age, height, and weight. Just for statistics, ya know? Secondly What exactly seems to be bothering you the most? Is there pain? Internal pain? Is there any damage to your chakra system?"<i></i>

As she spoke the girl's puppets began to flutter out of her sleeves. About twenty small Mosquitoes landed on the man and started to crawl towards the wound. Each of them began to glow green as they began to emit restoration chakra to clean and investigate the attack. Each of the mosquitoes began to carefully remove parts of the coagulation that wasn't needed for the wounds overall well being. The kunoichi made her way over to the bedside and she reached into a nearby cabinet. She pulled out a gown before looking back over to the young Takahashi.

"Two options, take off you shirt and lay still or sedation, this thing, and incisions. Up to you. Either way I am going to have to check to see if there is tissue damage that could prevent the effective use of your muscle tissue. Won't take long then I will need you to demonstrate different chakra manipulations to verify that your system isn't damaged. if it is that could take a bit to fix."<i></i>

 

[Takahashi]

Patience was never really his thing, and though he hadn't been waiting very long boredom was already starting to set in. Thoughts of leaving the building and sorting it out himself back at the hotel room came to him, but those thoughts would be interrupted. The sound of a knock at the door would pull him out of his head an back into reality, his now pale eyes would dart towards the figure that entered. He wouldn't be the first to speak, instead soaking in the details and logging them away without plans for the future but mainly out of habit. It didn't take long for him to figure out who she was, having only ever come across one person so heavily clothed in all of Sunagakure. A little smirk etched its way onto his face, noting the changes in her makeup and overall disposition in comparison to their mission together not long ago. He couldn't see her behind that clipboard, but the Hijab alone was more than enough.

As he was greeted and asked a few basic questions, he already begun to regret his decision. There was always something about doctors and hospitals that made him feel uncomfortable, maybe it was a subconscious distrust of medical profession in general. Though he had lived in a more or less urban environment, his lineage included tribal peoples and their home remedies. Things were a bit different in a Shinobi hospital though, and for the better. "All business from the start? No 'Hello'? Damn... I'm alright, thanks for askin'. Well then, my name's Takahashi Jin'ichi as you know. I'm twenty six years old."</COLOR><i></i> His age would come as a surprise to most, since more often than not folks assumed him to be in his late teens at best. "I should be... I unno, like five feet nine inches? Weight... One sixty tops, taking into account beers and junk food..."<i></i> He fell silent as he watched the familiar mechanical insects make their way over to him, and with the shirt already riding up a it from his constant toying with the wound, they'd land and start working. Something about their movements were tickling, and she could see him squint an eye and bite his lip a little as he tried not to wriggle.

She gave him two options, both of which made his brow raise. "Pain's minor, I just kinda wanna make sure it doesn't get infected or somethin' like that."<i></i> He added. Complying with her following statements before speaking any further, he would sigh and pull his shirt up off. Letting it drop onto the bed, she'd notice that though he seemed fit and lean he was covered in scars. It would make one question just how many times he'd gotten himself injured, but most of the scars seemed years old which meant they couldn't have been from his recent Shinobi antics. Some of them were small, likely scrapes, but others were long former gashes that left indentations upon his skin. He had endured a lot already throughout his lifetime, and perhaps his pain meter had been broken in the process. The stale wound should have been causing him far more discomfort, at least that an outside person could see and point out. Yet, he seemed to treat it as another unfortunate little thing. "Is layin' down really necessary?"

Tilting his head to the side and reaching over to pull down the clipboard from her face, unless she pulled away, then he'd go on. "How would I know what my chakra system is like? I don't really know how to manipulate it like you're talkin' about any way. Whenever I pull somethin' off... It just kinda happens. I gotta' get pissed or super focused or whatever." He fell silent, unexpectedly pausing as he looked at her face up close for the first time. His own eyes were no longer the vivid bloody color they had been when the two had first met, and if she hadn't noticed before she'd notice it then. Suddenly letting his hand fall back to his side and his eyes avert to his wound, he started up again. <COLOR color="red">"It ain't like I went to the academy or anythin' like that. I don't spit fire, I don't walk on water, I don't know how to do any of that shit. Just never really had the time to learn I guess."<i></i> Shrugging a little, and playing off his own handicap as a situation that he just had to deal with he'd carefully shift and lay back, with his arms behind his head. "Besides, it looks like your bug-thingies don't need me to do any weird magic shit any way."<i></i> There was a slight tone of resentment, most likely at the fact he couldn't do what even a twelve year old student was capable of.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

She raised an eyebrow at the remarks of the man. Was she supposed to carry conversation with him? It's not like they friends or anything. They were teammates for a makeshift mission, and that was the extent of the preexisting relationship. As he spoke the kunoichi wrote down all of the information he said. As he question the two options with a look she shot one right back at him. She didn't have the time to deal with someone's sass. She watched as the man took of his shirt and she saw the countless scars. Kumomi let out a sigh, this was going to be work.

"Yes. It is necessary"<i></i>

She continued to jot a few things on her clipboard as the young looking man moved the clipboard from her face. As he did so the fae he would see would not be that of amusement. As she continued to finalize her analysis she walked over to a nearby countertop to lay the clipboard down. As she did she also laid a metallic caterpillar on it and made a single handseal. Art of the Micro-Puppet: Caterpillar Copy Jutsu The words began to shimmer blue with chakra and they made doubles that peeled off of the paper and wrapped themselves around the caterpillar, slowly turning into a cocoon. She turned over to the ninja that apparently couldn't use ninjutsu. She let out a sigh of discontent.

"I am going to patch you up and help you with that."<i></i>

She walked over to the wound and weaved a few seals to summon the restorative power of the Mystical Hands Jutsu. This plus the Mosquitoes gave enough energy to seal up the wound with absolutely minimal scarring, especially compared to the scar ridden body. Picking the man's shirt up and handing it to him his wound would be completely healed. She took a few steps away before turning to face the boy.

"Would you like aid in chakra manipulation? It's not hard to pick up... I could even help you pick up elemental jutsu if you would like."<i></i>

 

[Takahashi]

His words and actions seemed far less formal than when they'd been on a mission, simply because they weren't on one. Jin'ichi had a way of separating his work life from his personal one, and refused to define himself by his profession. He was far more than just a ninja in the employ of the Kazekage, he was a human being. Unlike many in the village, he was a foreigner despite his last name and couldn't realistically call anyone a friend. However; friendship wasn't something he even pretended to be looking for, which made his casual banter all the more strange to others. As far as he was concerned, regardless of a person's rank or status they were no better or worse off than him save for the actions they chose to commit. Following orders wasn't something anyone could get him to do if he was off the clock, much less trying to get on his superior's good sides. He had bigger things on his mind... Things that crept back in as he laid there with his eyes transfixed upon an uninteresting spot on the wall.

He'd been pleased to see that Kumomi had maintained a bit of her spunk and attitude outside of the mission, meaning she hadn't been putting up much a facade if any. While he was unable to manipulate his own Chakra, it would have been erroneous to think that he wasn't sensitive to the spiritual energy. He could feel goosebumps raising along his forearm as energy emanated from her form and powered the mechanical caterpillar, which he noticed from the corner of his eyes. There was so much about the Shinobi world that he hadn't seen, and yet rather than seem to be in awe he appeared to be slightly bitter about it. The only signs of this would be the narrowed gaze, and how he seemed to almost wave her off with his nonchalant behavior. He showed even little interest as the warmth traveled from her glowing palms and seeped into his wound, that would be closed and healed up in practically no time at all. It wasn't until she held out his shirt that his attention would return to her, sitting up and slouching as he pulled the garment from her hand. If that was all there was, he would have likely thanked her in some seemingly ungrateful way and vacated the building, but she said something interesting...

Raising a brow now, and looking at her with the first quizzical expression she'd ever seen on his face, he finally responded. Of course, that was after a few seconds of awkward silence and a penetrating gaze. "What's the catch?" Spoken like a true cynic. Before she could answer right away, he'd give his own reasons. "I ain't exactly turnin' you down, but nothing's free... Least of all people's time. It's not like you'd gain from it." His casual attitude seemed to fade, perhaps itself having been a facade. Carefully thinking to himself, he didn't want to push away an opportunity he very much needed but at the same time wasn't sure he could trust. Jin'ichi didn't even know what his natural affinities were, and if anything his death would have allowed resources to be diverted towards more powerful allies. Then again, his mind worked in ways that others simply did not and throughout their mission he had shown his tactical prowess in so many ways. However; it wasn't as if he had expected anyone to care enough to notice what he had or hadn't done so long as they all made it back alive.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Kumomi looked at the man and sighed, bringing her hand up to rub her forehead as the other hand found itself on her hips. Why did everyone think there was always some sorta catch. Why couldn't she just be helpful to a fellow Suna Nin, but then again it shouldn't be a surprise. There were so many crooks and thieves and scum that lived in this village. Dropping her arm she continued her job as Jin'ichi questioned her motives. She walked over to the caterpillar which was now entombed in a chakra woven shell. She placed it in a pocket of hers and returned the clipboard to the tiny container on the doorway.

"Easy, if I can help someone become a better shinobi then in turn I can help this village's over all strength. After the battle with Magnetica we could use every single shinobi at their best ability."<i></i>

As she spoke she raised a palm to demonstrate chakra manipulation. Her hand began to glow blue with basic chakra concentration.

"If you do want to try and learn I could show you the basic non-elemental chakra manipulation before actual elemental. Concentrate on the tip of your fingers, both mentally and physically. By combining physical strength and spiritual strength you'd be able to weave it into chakra."<i></i>

The glow diminished as she closed her hand and dropped her arm. She took a couple of steps towards the door before stopping.

"So? It's up to you..."<i></i>

 

[Takahashi]

Body language said far more than words ever could, and it was easy for people to overlook the subtleties of an individual. He however; had a knack for it that remained unannounced at large. The exasperation and frustration towards himself was noted, but more than that he had a feeling that some gain could be gleaned on her behalf from his personal growth. What could be considered a worthwhile effort to some could just as easily be seen as asinine buffoonery to another. He might not have had an understanding of energy manipulation, but his instincts and his eyes saw him through most everything. The words copied from the sheet of paper and wrapped around the small marionette had formed a shell, only to be stored away in her pocket. The reasoning behind her generous offer, or at least the reason she gave, made sense from a purely logical point of view. However; almost never was it that people used their logic and their logic alone...

He was silent as he watched her exhibit mastery of the art, listening to further details of the proposition. With the illuminating force in her hands fading from sight, and her retreating steps threatening to take the offer off the table he'd appear to cave. "If I wanted you to leave, or didn't want your help I'd just say so." His tone was calm, and his somewhat deep voice carried its raspy undertone to the puppeteers ears with ease. Scooting forward and landing on his feet, he'd slip the shirt over his head and tug it down. No longer topless, and with his sleeves rolled down, the myriad of cicatrices marring his form were hidden again. "People are always talkin' about spiritual energy... This nonphysical part of a person... The source of our emotions and character; the soul."</COLOR><i></i> The heavy ebony combat boots on his feet strangely made little to no sound as he approached. <COLOR color="red">"...But I never hear anyone talkin' about the soul itself. That vague shit doesn't count... All they seem to know is that it's a form of energy, to be used up or taken away. Who says I even have a soul, or enough of it left to burn?

The tone may have seemed to change, but in truth merely returned to the contemplative state before her arrival. He had quickly picked up on the businesslike way in which his potential benefactor viewed him. Though he might not have been on duty, he could see that the young woman was clearly in the midst of performing her's. The pale irises would darken, becoming a dull gray like old stones. Unable to view his own transformation from his first-person view, he could still feel an intangible disturbance welling inside his chest. In almost complete opposition the statements he'd made, a pervasive energetic force filled the room like an invisible fog. The air felt dense and disheartening to those sensitive to the alterations in atmospheric pressure, a pressure that would dwindle as quickly as it had spiked. Inside of himself there were so many things locked away, feelings and concerns stifled and smothered indiscriminately. It would become clear, that it wasn't that he didn't lack in energy... Not so much as he lacked cohesion between his physical and transcendental selves.

Raising his right hand and looking into his palm, notice the small indentation from where he'd previously grabbed an enemy blade earlier in the day. The wound had healed in an unnatural and swift manner once Ruka's potion was poured upon it, stinging as it stretched the tissue and forced cell regeneration. Now... Now it seemed as though it had been eons ago. Placing his left hand over the upturned underside of his forearm, his right hand would flex its fingers before opening and closing. Letting his hand relax he'd close his eyes and inhale slowly through his nostrils, and exhale through his mouth. The scent of ash could faintly be acknowledged, and once he opened his eyes he'd look down at an unchanged situation. His spiritual energies weren't visible to the naked eye, subtler and not nearly as concentrated as Kumomi's. Instead, with her sensitivity she'd be able to feel the energy flooding out from his body in all directions. There was no discernible focal point, and it appeared that the Chakra would simply flow out of him instead of settling in any one area. He was unstable, and just like he, his energy was unruly and unwilling to submit to an undisciplined shell.

"Tch-" He let his arms fall back to his sides, unaware of the negligibly soft breeze that barely shifted the papers and other almost weightless objects. "I'm not some prodigy. I'm willin' to learn, but you don't seriously think I'll get the hang of this right here and now... Do you?" Despite viewing no one as above or below him, it was clear that he didn't hold himself in very high regards either. It was easy to mistake his attitude and irreverence for cockiness, but could of also been disillusionment with the world at large, himself being no exception. His physical form was healthy enough, but it appeared that his spirit was damaged... Wounded and leaking. In the same way his body had been covered in former lacerations and lesions, his etheric body had been mutilated through experience and action. The unchecked energy made it easy to tap into for simple Taijutsu moves, usually powered by some underlying emotion to stoke the otherworldly flame inside. That was raw instinct and impulse, but control over the elements or even manifesting that energy in a tangible form required a completely different level of awareness. Shinobi were often aware of these things from an early age, the common man was not. A common man was what he seemed to be, if it weren't for the way in which his energy felt. Only describable as heterogeneous in nature.

OOC: I'm most likely being difficult here. Don't worry about playing this out one specific way or another, just honestly let it roll however Kumomi would respond otherwise. Even getting fed up and marching off could be a thing. There was a plan, but we don't have to stick to it. I like the RP, and kind of decided to get a little more creative with it. Even if this doesn't culminate with him gaining anything, it's an opportunity for character development I feel.

Basically, instead of an RP with a defined structure it'll just an a RP? If this stretches to say making an appointment for a thread at a later date in another location that's totally fine with me as well. A time skip to being off duty and practicing in another part of the hospital is an option too. So is anything you'll think up that I haven't. I need to get back into Takahashi's shoes, since I sort of took them off when I figured he'd be pushin' up daisies. Excuse the babbling comrade, it's almost five in the morning and yeah...

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

((OoC: sorry for the short post, I didn't know where else this would go ICly... so yeah))

The young Kunoichi let out a sigh, this wasn't going anywhere. The man was capable of creating chakra but manipulating it would be far more of a struggle than she originally thought. The young nurse walked around to varying parts of the room to clean it up for the next guest. She shook her head and gestured at the man as if saying it was time to leave.

"Well Jin'ichi, just so you know you have far more potential than you probably realize. As you probably know the Hospital is extremely short handed so if you don't mind..."<i></i>

She opened the door and stood there holding it open.

"If you would like... We can meet another time to help you explore your elemental and spiritual energies, but for right now I must get back to work."<i></i>

The girl would wait for his response and for him to leave the room before continuing to do her rounds.

[topic left unless stopped]

 

[Takahashi]

Both of them released a sigh at the same time, Jin'ichi having his delayed by a mere half second. As she silently began cleaning the room, he would tug down his sleeves and dust off his clothing. The subtle waves of energy that moved the most negligible of debris only barely, not enough for him to notice while he had busied himself failing the attempt. Once she was finished, he merely looked towards her from the corner of his eyes with a mild shrug. Potential... Who didn't have such a thing? Possibilities were ever present, it was a matter of finding the means to unlock it. More people than one could ever comprehend had passed through life without even scratching the surface of their own potential, so why would he? As far as he was concerned, 'Feel Good' conversations were a waste of time. He didn't want reassurance from anyone, he wanted results.

With a mild shrug he accepted the statement, and as she walked towards the door he followed. Once she spoke her last set of words he shrugged yet again and smirked as he looked over his shoulder back at her. "Don't sweat it too much, I'm sure you've got more than you can handle Kumomi. I'm a lil' bit of a savage and a moron. Ask anyone around the village." As what's become customary for him when it came to these topics, he spoke casually and as if jokingly. Giving a rather smug looking grin he would bow his head a little. "Thanks for all your help doc, with luck you won't see me in here again. Then again, don't mention my luck anymore..."<i></i> She hadn't mentioned it before, but if the thought of how unlucky he might have been ever crossed her might there would be a discouraging memory attached in the future. As he slipped out of the room and moved down the hall, he wondered to himself... "What's that chick plannin' to do with my information?" It was a question that would be answered at another time. The philosophical musings would return, and soon the little meeting with his once former teammate would be pushed to the back of his mind.

[Topic Left]​