On Etiquette, social survival and resources [class]

[Yamaryuu Sora]

while writing the lesson had picked up some pace, Yukiko had spaced out a bit while writing, and was Thus a bit behind in the information.
She the quickly took another paper and wrote Down the notes told by Hikari and written on the board,
'Did she say something about a short quiz?. damn, I hope I have noted everything and did not miss too much'
this was something she had never learned, and although she had given the impression of knowing a lot at the beginning of the class, she in reality, only knew what she had said. nothing else, this quiz would be hard, she thought to herself while writing..
but even though she tried, she still found her self spacing a bit, looking out the Windows and on the other students, only to return whenever Hikari told of a new suffix,

“I realize,” Hikari said, “That was a lot of information, so do you have any questions? Any titles you’d like clarified? Anything you’d like repeated?”

Yukiko spaced back.. looked around, no one was raising a hand, or had any questions.
'damn, I'm gonna be either the top girl or the stupidest one and nothing in between'
She raised her hand, and waited for Hikari to pick her.
she then said without completely being able to subdue her nervousness in the voice
"I don't quite get The titles Oishasan, Houshi, Shachou and Buchou, are they also able to stand alone?, like Sensei? or should they be used like San as a suffix?"
She then sat back down ready to note down the answer, finally subduing her nervousness, albeit too late to hide it from the class. but at least her handwriting would be readable and not shakily

At the end of the lesson she would bring up her assignment to the desk

[MFT:276 words]

 

[Hotaka Kyo]

Kyo winced at the improper name he had given, from his family it would have required another round of training, which meant more time healing. He still found it odd that others didn't train as seriously as his family did, especially those that were to become the next generation of representatives of the village as the other children would. He was just the representative of their clan, and some of the attitudes and positions taken by the other students showed that the training they received was lax in comparison for some reason. Perhaps it was simply that his family required more than the village did, perhaps it was the secrets of the styles taught, or perhaps the others just didn't have the viciousness that was required in training.

Hotaka Kyo

During negotiations of any kind, especially when it involves figures of a public office. This can be the case of accepting a contract, reporting, Discussing intent, planning an acceptable outcome or various other instances where interaction with the public is required. The establishment of good relations outside of the village would nearly at all times require commitment from a well-spoken individual who observes the proper etiquette in these instances.

Kyo turned his attention back to the instructor as he finished writing his own ideas that had been requested, it wasn't much but he was more interested in paying attention to the rest of the lecture than he was in providing a larger more in depth answer to the question they had been asked. He listened as she went over most everything on the board, he frowned as he went of –Heika, she said it meant female royalty and then went on to say when she described it that it could be used to address a king or emperor as well as the female positions. Deciding that it was simply one of those that referred more to the receivers perception than the speakers intention he filed it away for future reference, he watched the rest of the class, taking note that the only one to ask any questions was Hayabusa and that Yukimura seemed to be taking notes on everything that was said and even seemed to be amending his answer that he was providing to the instructor based on new information. The arrival that had entered after he had appeared to have finished the assignment as well, though he seemed to be waiting as Kyo was to turn the paper in at the end of class rather than interrupting it once more.

The boy simply waited, the question Yukiko had asked was a reasonable one, and he was interested in how the instructor would respond. The more he learned of his superiors that taught at the academy, the less he would need to learn about them when it came time to deal with them in the "real world".

[Sorry for the delay]

[mft: 480 words]

 

[Airo Kuroyama]

As the lecture persisted, Ai had a hard time epaying attention. She drifted from her fantasy, dream world back to reality with little to no effort. As a result, she fell short on the information being presented by Tanaka-sensei. She heard little bits and pieces as the lesson went on, things like, Heika is equivalent to princess as far as honorifics are concerned, and when referring to someone of high achievement or intelligence, you can use -hakase. Ai had resolved to be a studious...student, but this was proving difficult. She tapped her wooden desk with a pencil and fought her own eyelids that seemed to be increasing in weight.

"Well this all is dreadfully interesting..." Ai muttered to herself, still bored. "I didn't know it'd be like this..." she said under her breath.

Ai took to scribbling on a spare piece of paper, and she drew the symbol that was brandished on the headband of the Cloud Shinobi. Her mind was now free to wander, only slipping back to her head to hear slight bits from the lecture. She thought to the future, when she would be a shinobi. She would protect her family's hereditary homeland, her skills as a Kunoichi would strike wonder into the hearts of young hopeful academy students. She then thought about the road to get there and realized, she needed to be a ninja in reality, not her childish mind's eye. With that resolution, she decided it would be good for her to ask at least a couple questions. She raised her hand and asked about a couple of the titles she didn't quite understand.

"Tanaka-sensei, Can you explain -denka and -kakka in further detail? Can you refer to foreign royalty with -kakka? And as for -denka, what determines if they are sover...soverin...sovereign?" Ai said with difficulty, she blushed at her mispronunciation.

{Sorry for such a late post...}

{MFT - 310}

 

[Yukari]

Hikari nodded at Yukiko, "Good question. The answer is yes, it is perfectly acceptable to use most of these as a stand-alone title. Most titles are acceptable to use alone, without the mention of a family name. They might also be used as a suffix. For example, business owner Aya Kiho might be called Aya Shachou, or simply Shachou by one of his subordinates, while the president of his company might be called Bachou. There is no negative connotation to the word Bachou, unlike with Kohai, as Bachou connotes an actual position in a company rather than their position in relation to the speaker."

"Tanaka-sensei, Can you explain -denka and -kakka in further detail? Can you refer to foreign royalty with -kakka? And as for -denka, what determines if they are sover...soverin...sovereign?"

"Of course Kuroyama chan. Denka is used... for example in Hoshigakure, they have a monarchy. Their sovereign ruler is Queen Ekaterina, Denka might be used for her daughter or heir- though to my knowledge she has no children yet. As I recall, her preference, was junha, simply because that was the equivalent of the word King in her language, and as sovereign ruler, she took that title. If you ever have to have relations with a queen or king, and do not know their preferred honorific, it is appropriate to use the words 'lady" or 'lord' King or Queen, to address them until you figure out or are told their preferred honorific. If you ever find yourself addressing the Shogun, you might address him as Shogun kakka. Kakka as far as I have heard the term, is not a stand-alone honorific. A sovereign is someone like our Shogun, or Ekaterina junha, who is the ruler of an entire country. It means there is no one they answer to before their God or Gods if they even have any. Generally this rank is determined by birth or revolution."

Hikari scanned the room, waiting a moment for any more questions before nodding, "Alright. Here is the quiz- after this we'll move on to another topic- You are assigned to gate duty, There appears a woman dressed in worn but clearly very fine garb. She is alone. She claims that she is the Kage of a village you have heard of. She demands that you take her immediately to meet with Hayata sama. What do you do? How do you address her? Keep in mind that you should not leave your post except in the most dire of circumstances, and the fact that you have no proof that she is who she says she is. For our purposes, I will also tell you that it is not our policy to allow entrance to anyone who does not have a passport, and that Hayata sama is a very busy man."

[Each of you should answer this quiz. Also, please be quicker about posting. I waited for you this time, but I'd like to keep this thread moving at a more reasonable pace. Feel free to PM me with excuses- I would rather hear from you about why you are late posting than wonder. If you are worried about bothering me, don't. I'm a nice lady, and perfectly willing to talk to you about your crummy day, limited WiFi connection, or your sick grandma.]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

Yukiko noted Down the answer to her question.. and did the same with the other answer..

for the quiz.. she wondered for a while... but with the added notes about no proof and not leaving your post.. she decided her answer..
she raised her hand, and if she was picked, she would answer with:
"as I don't have any proof, and the person does not have any passport, I would address her as Dono for the sake of obtaining proof of her position and because it would be prudent to speak to her in that way if proof of her position is provided, if none is provided, i would have to let her stay where she was until someone was able to relay a message to a higher ranking person that could decide on behalf of the city if she would be allowed to enter.. otherwise she would be rejected or positioned to wait.. nothing more.
I would under no circumstances let her pass without documentation or the go from a superior."

 

[Kumori]

Everyone had questions, everyone seemed so smart, yet Miko sat in silence staring at the wall. He had phased out just a couple of minutes after he turned in his work, Hikari had already said everything she had to say, and was no explaining what the others could not understand. “One day I’m going to show them all… how big I can be, how strong I can be, how smart I can be.” – Miko shifted from staring at the white wall, towards his wooden desk. He noticed the imperfections in the carvings, like miniature highways and canyons intersecting each other. The stylistic imperfections in the wood were very similar to those people had in their fingers, a way to recognize something, with no way to copy it. “We can transform into others, but we can’t copy their chakra network… could it be the same with fingerprints? With the small imperfections of the body? As much as we look, as much as we can know someone or something, we can’t really implant in our mind every little detail…”- He had drifted out of reality and into his own world, deep in his mind.

Jun looked at Miko, trying to make out his thoughts. It wasn’t that hard for his twin, who’d lived with him all his life, to know what Miko was bored, and had resorted to taking shelter in his mind.

“Miko…”- Jun said, as he pinched his brother’s arm, trying to wake him up. “Pay attention, we’re going to have a test.”

"Alright. Here is the quiz- after this we'll move on to another topic- You are assigned to gate duty, There appears a woman dressed in worn but clearly very fine garb. She is alone. She claims that she is the Kage of a village you have heard of. She demands that you take her immediately to meet with Hayata sama. What do you do? How do you address her? Keep in mind that you should not leave your post except in the most dire of circumstances, and the fact that you have no proof that she is who she says she is. For our purposes, I will also tell you that it is not our policy to allow entrance to anyone who does not have a passport, and that Hayata sama is a very busy man." – Hikari relayed the question, and it was the twin’s duty to answer it in given time.

They waited till someone else answered the question, and then, while everyone was quiet, thinking of an answer that wouldn’t get them to fail, both twins proceeded to write an answer in a piece of paper. This was supposed to be a quiz, not a discussion.

The woman claims to be the kage of a village I have heard of, but still I do not know much about it. This presents a delicate topic because of the woman’s mentality. There no way for us to know what she is thinking, how her thoughts might change, how receptive she is, or even how she might respond to different situations.
I cannot leave my post due to the fact that I would leave he gates unprotected  This stays unchanged.
I cannot let the woman in, for she does not carry a passport or a way of identification  This stays unchanged.
Due to me being in gate duty, I should have a communicator.  I would use this to message someone of higher rank, who can identify the woman and/or let her in, releasing me from the decision.
Finally, given the circumstance that she wears fine garments, she is most likely of high status.  I would address her, as –dono.

Miko did not agree with Jun in any sense; instead, he responded:

I owe nothing to this woman who claims to be someone of high status, yet does not carry any form of identification. By continuing to ask questions, I would only sunder my decision in the end. Due to this, I’d decline her entrance “respectfully”.
If she is who she claims to be, she should know the rules by which we abide. She knows the name of the raikage, and wants to meet with him “immediately”; this proves to be a threat rather than a simple request. I wouldn’t let her persuade me, but due to the circumstance in the village, I shouldn’t be alone in gate duty. There would be others there, who would most likely contact high-command. Of course, as a shinobi, I have the necessary decision making skills to protect the village above all costs. As to how I would address her: There is no need. In this situation I don’t need to mention her name or rank, therefor there is no need to address her in any way; just question, and respond, nothing more.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

With a few notes written down Masaru readied himself for the quiz. He knew it would be more difficult than the introduction he had to go through, but he didn't expect a hypothetical situation. Despite this he knew that the situation was something that could occur at any moment in the field, and Masaru felt compelled to give the best possible answer which meant he had to be thorough.

Masaru sat still for a moment, imagining the scenario in his head before writing his answer. It wasn't something he absolutely had to do, but he figured it would help him form a concrete and accurate response. Thinking back on his training with Haruka and the days his mother spent eagerly telling him about her occupation, he was sure that he could answer the question to the best of his abilities.

Despite not having any proof to confirm that she is in fact the Kage of a village it would be unwise to address her with anything other than -sama, because there is a chance that she is who she claims to be the consequences of addressing her rudely would do a disservice to Kumogakure.

After greeting her I would ask for her passport. Should she have her passport I would radio someone from Torre to come and escort her to the tower, afterwords asking her to patiently wait for her escort. If she does not have her passport while still demanding entrance I would politely ask her to wait while I radio in for a superior to come and assess the situation and make the appropriate decision. First I would radio for a Sennin, but should none be available the next thing I would do would be to call in the Guard Captain as it would be irresponsible to leave my post.

While the superior is on the way, I would say something along the lines of: “I am very sorry for the inconvenience [Blank]-sama, but as I'm sure you are already aware here in Kumogakure we cannot authorize entrance for anyone who does not have a passport.” I would also make it clear that one of my superiors was on the way who could better help her with what she needs.

 

[Hotaka Kyo]

Kyo listened to the instructor as she answered the question and talked to the other students, she explained the titles and then gave more information about titles. It was always interesting to learn how others viewed things and how they would try and teach those views to those around them. Of course, as things were explained it turned out that she had responded well, and that he could count on the instructor to be more serious and straightforward than his last instructor had been. He wasn't entirely sure which of the two styles that he preferred, they were both effective in their own way, though he knew that the more by the book approach was easier to anticipate and work with or around. Hikari then went on to provide the quiz she had spoken about, she spoke of an unknown approaching the gate and requesting access, the unknown person demanded to immediately meet with Hayata-Sama, and she wanted to know what they would do. Kyo didn't spare a moment to think as he began to write his own answer to the question.

I would greet the woman, ask her name and what she wished to be addressed as, request that she provide her passport. I would inform her that she must wait while I bring this up to to my supervisor as I am unable to deal with this situation on my own. I would then radio to inform command that we have a person who claims to be the Kage of a village and that she wishes to speak to Hayata-Sama and request a supervisor to come and deal with the situation . If she was without passport I would instead radio to inform command that there is a person that lacked a passport attempting to gain entry into the village and request orders. I would inform the woman politely that we in Kumogakure do not allow those without a passport entrance into the village, and that command has been notified and would deal with her and her needs in a proper fashion. I would not attempt to escalate the situation on my own, and would allow someone more suited to the task to deal with her.

 

[Airo Kuroyama]

With her questions answered, Ai let her head rest in her hands. She bore a satisfied look on her face and watched the rest of the class with renewed curiosity. She watched the only other girl in the room-besides Tanaka-sensei- as she had her question answered and wondered what she was like as a person. She didn't have any other female friends, she only had one really, Yuki-kun. As Ai returned to reality, Tanaka-sensei explained what the quiz she mentioned earlier was to be.

"Alright. Here is the quiz- after this we'll move on to another topic- You are assigned to gate duty, There appears a woman dressed in worn but clearly very fine garb. She is alone. She claims that she is the Kage of a village you have heard of. She demands that you take her immediately to meet with Hayata sama. What do you do? How do you address her? Keep in mind that you should not leave your post except in the most dire of circumstances, and the fact that you have no proof that she is who she says she is. For our purposes, I will also tell you that it is not our policy to allow entrance to anyone who does not have a passport, and that Hayata sama is a very busy man." She said at the head of the class.

Ai decided to quickly jot down her answer. She didn't drag it out to long, since she wasn't a girl of many words.

If she had a passport, I would allow her entrance into the village, as long as everything was in order. But, in this case she has no proof of her identity or status, so for the time being, I would refer to her as -dono, I believe. If she didn't have correct paperwork for entering the village, then I would most likely radio a superior, and ask what to do or ask they come themselves. If they are legitimate in their claims, I would give directions to Torre Celeste, then let them deal with it.

 

[Yukari]

"Alright, good. I'm glad you are thinking that way. You see, this example is not only an example. This is something that could happen to you. This is something that happened to me when I was... sixteen. The Hoshikage came to our village with no identification and no guard. She came with a message that our Sennin who was my uncle, and my very first teacher, a mednin, had been tried and found guilty of murder. My superiors were gone- I see some of you writing this down, I'm sorry, I forgot to say, yes this is a quiz, but this is a learning experience for the whole class. Please tell me your answers audibly." She looked around, "Tanaka brothers. Say you are stationed on that wall together. You have each other and a headset perhaps... All of you should get a headset. You can buy them relatively cheaply in the shops. They are an essential part of your duty. Anyway. Jun, Miko, you each have a headset. This woman, approaches. What do you do? Pretend I am her. In fact..." Hikari paused, did the hand signs for the transformation jutsu, and altered herself to appear perhaps very foreign to the students.

"I used a simple jutsu to change my appearance." Hikari held up a finger, "Each of you should address me as if I were the Yukikage. You may use each other. You may use your notes. Ask for my passport. Ask for any verification I have of my name. Refer to current events. You are being graded on your manners. I haven't given you a class on gate guardianship, so don't worry about proper procedures beyond the obvious, and what I've told you. Simply treat Bibian of Yukigkure with the respect her position deserves." She said, "I will pretend to be a foreign Kage and you will address me, and react to me as if I were. Jun and Miko, I have faith that you will do well. Now,"

She took a breath, "Hello, Guardians of Kumogakure. I am Bibian, Kage of Yukigakure no sato. I come with news for the ears of your Raikage. With respect I must demand entrance. My mission is very important." Hikari said, not bothering to alter her voice, but standing in a different way, emulating Shima Haruka in her stance.


[I forgot to say in my last post that I'd like you to give your answers orally. Group learning. This should be relatively quick. We'll move on next round, probably. Just do your best. If you have questions about gate procedure, or something for your post, ask me. It isn't super important for this because you aren't being 'quizzed' on your knowledge of that, but on how you treat this "diplomatic situation". Good luck. I'm here if you need me to answer anything.]

[It seems I gave the impression that this post was a request for only one student. It was not. Iy was for everyone]
[MFT 300+]

 

[Kumori]

Both brothers were sure of their answers, it was finally time for the class to end, their tests had been handed over… or so they thought. There was silence for a second or two, as their teacher for the day quickly scanned the paper, as if deciding the best course of action for the situation.

“I'm sorry, I forgot to say - yes this is a quiz, but this is a learning experience for the whole class. Please tell me your answers audibly.” – Hikari finally spoke, breaking the doubt that dwelled in the twin’s minds.

“Well… that was a waste” – Miko thought, becoming impatient. He knew what was to come, he knew that Hikari was about to bring him down as soon as her eyes met his. His heart started racing; perhaps, just maybe he wouldn’t pass this class.

Hikari proceeded to ask a question directly to both Miko and Jun. They glanced at each other, and then returned focus back to Hikari, as she continued to relay the question. They were to pretend Hikari was a foreign Kage, arriving at the gates, probably without a passport.

"Each of you should address me as if I were the Yukikage. You may use each other. You may use your notes. Ask for my passport. Ask for any verification I have of my name. Refer to current events. You are being graded on your manners. I haven't given you a class on gate guardianship, so don't worry about proper procedures beyond the obvious, and what I've told you. Simply treat Bibian of Yukigkure with the respect her position deserves. I will pretend to be a foreign Kage and you will address me, and react to me as if I were. Jun and Miko, I have faith that you will do well. Now."

She took a deep breath and then began her act- "Hello, Guardians of Kumogakure. I am Bibian, Kage of Yukigakure no sato. I come with news for the ears of your Raikage. With respect I must demand entrance. My mission is very important."

Both boys were confused due to the turn of events. Miko was getting desperate; he knew he wouldn’t pass if this kept up. All the words she had mentioned from the beginning of the class were now gone, he couldn’t remember a single one aside from sensei and sama; yet there was no way in hell he would call someone else –sama, aside from maybe the Raikage.

Jun, knowing this, was the first to speak, deliberately saving his brother from the shame of failure. “Ah, Yukikage-sama, is it?” – He would take a deep breath before proceeding with his act “I am honored by your presence, but - you’ll have to forgive us, we were not expecting you.”

Miko, knowing that if he didn’t say anything, he would fail, tried to add in to his brother’s act, taking advantage of the moment of silence between sentences. “Do you have a passport, or any document to facilitate identification?”

“I apologize, but we must follow protocol. Show us your passport and we’ll send you on your way to Torre Celeste.” – Jun said at last.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
((IF she doesn’t have the required documentation.))

“I’m really sorry, but we’ll have to deny your passage for the moment being.”- Jun, again, is the first to speak. “I understand that you carry important news…”- He would say, addressing the Yukikage.

Seconds later, cunning as always, Miko would take a step back and quietly contact high command with his headset, asking for assistance in order to identify the foreign woman. He would explain the situation and hope for the best.

 

[Hotaka Kyo]

Kyo frowned as he set the paper to the side, he had assumed as apparently the others had that she had wanted the answer put on paper, apparently she would rather avoid the reading and wanted them to answer as if she was the visiting Kage. While it wouldn't change his answer much, it did mean that he had to speak once more, which wasn't something that he liked to do. He had already spoken more than he normally did while in this class, though he supposed that was to be expected in a class on etiquette and social survival. Take a breath and letting it out he waited for his turn to come along, he watched as Miko and Jun answered the quiz themselves, he monitored how they approached the situation and what they did. He felt that it could have gone better than it had, but that was because it would be easier for him due to their being two of them. Because he did not have a partner he would have to make an assumption that for whatever reason he was going to be alone at the gate when the woman arrived, perhaps due to some type of emergency or orders that caused the rest of the guards to be pulled away, though he did not know of any cases where that would be possible, especially not when one of the most dangerous things in the world was a foreign ninja.

Kyo waited for Jun and Miko to finish their own answer, and once he was certain they were indeed finished he stepped forward and began his own answer by giving the woman a bow, he kept his eyes on the woman while he did so though, "Greetings Bibian-sama, I must adhere to protocol and ask to see your passport." Kyo paused a moment, "If she were to inform me that she does not have a passport I would reply as follows, Very well Bibian-sama, I shall have to contact the Sennin on duty about this, please wait." Kyo took two steps back and then keeping an eye on the woman and the general area of the gate she stood in as he pulled his actual headset on and spoke into it, though he did not turn it on, "This is Hotaka Kyo, I have a woman named Bibian-sama without a passport who wishes entrance to the village. She claims to be the Kage of Yukigakure no sato and that she has come to speak with the Raikage. Please advise my course of action." Kyo paused before continuing, "I would wait for an answer and depending upon that answer I would tell Bibian-sama the following, I have contacted a superior, please wait until they arrive. Or whatever it is I'm instructed to do."

Kyo finished the "call" and took another few steps back looking to the other students waiting to see how they would deal with the verbal quiz. As he stood there he pushed his headset back down underneath his collar once more, hiding it from the sight of the others. He took a moment to adjust it after it was hidden so that it would be more comfortable, though he never once took his eyes off the instructor and the other students as he awaited their answers.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

As she spoke Masaru made sure his papers were in order, readying himself to get up to turn in his answer and leave when the instructor stated her intention of the quiz. Masaru's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. He would rather someone who held the position of instructor be specific when it came to something so important as a quiz, and apparently the rest of the class felt the same. He could hear some students shifting at her mention of this, apparently he wasn't the only one who thought the class was finished.

Still he would play his part. Despite such an instructor he was still required to do as she said. There was nothing to be gained from not completing the class, overall it would have been just a huge waste of time which would prove far more annoying. He glanced at his paper a few times, then to the front where the twins had begun giving their answer.

Masaru eyed them carefully, taking particular interest only because the instructor had given such high praises. He guessed easily enough that they knew each other, but probably more on the lines of something more intimate than a regular student-teacher relationship. Their act wasn't enough to interest him however, and he chose to watch the instructor again. She had transformed herself to be someone unrecognizable, which would probably help a few of the students out when acting out their answers. While most about her was foreign he noticed that she still sounded the same when addressing them, and he couldn't help but focus on her posture. Something about the way she now carried herself was different, yet not alarmingly so. He felt some sort of comfort while looking at the stance, like the way his mother stood or rather his cousin.

He hardly realized he had been leaning forward until he heard a foreign noise. Straightening himself, Masaru glanced toward the source of the sound and noticed that another student was giving their answer. So lost in his thoughts was he that he had hardly noticed, it was obvious he needed to give more attention to gaining better focus. Masaru closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to clear his head of thoughts. The only thing he ought to focus on was this demonstration, it was crucial to his overall pass or fail of the class and he would not tolerate failure.

When the other student was done Masaru stood and made his way forward. Standing before the unfamiliar face he began with a deep bow. “Good day, Bibian-sama, and welcome to Kumogakure no Sato.” Masaru rose to face her once again, this time putting on a smile in an attempt at friendliness. “Forgive my rudeness, but as you must know here in Kumogakure our standard procedure is to check the passports of all incoming guests. If I may, would you please show me your passport, Bibian-sama?” Masaru paused for a beat before continuing, “I must also inform you, as is protocol, that should you not have your passport with you today I will not be able to grant you entrance into the village; however, as you have an important message for our Raikage I would be happy to contact one of our Sennin for you.”

He paused, thinking for a moment, before addressing her again. “If you could give me a moment, Bibian-sama, I will contact someone from Torre Celeste who can better help you.”

Masaru bowed once more to her before taking a few paces back. He raised his hand to his neck, as if he were wearing a headset, and made look like he was contacting command. “This is Shinomiya Masaru. There is a woman at the gate named Bibian-sama who claims to be the kage of Yukigakure no Sato. She says she is on a mission to speak with the Raikage. If there is an available Sennin could I request they meet me at the gate to verify her identity or to escort her to Torre Celeste.” Masaru nodded a few times as if receiving orders, then turned and approached the woman again, bowing once more. “Excuse me, Bibian-sama, but one of my superiors is on their way to better help you with your situation, if you could please be patient until they arrive,” Masaru stood straight again and backed up to let the other students perform.

[MFT]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

Yukiko followed the others as they acted out the meeting, For Yukiko, this was going to be hard, it was difficult enough to to speak up in class, but to act out a scenario, that would be pretty much impossible.. and to make matters worse, Hikari, the reason why she felt a bit at ease in a forum like this, had transformed herself to look like someone else. Miko and Jun did well, what else was to be expected, Both Kyo and Masaru did too..
when Masaru was finished, Yukiko could feel her hands starting to tremble. 'dammit, And it was going soo well until now' Yukiko thought.
she managed to get up and go in front of the now altered Hikari, while she went, she noticed her hair getting more and more frizzy, as she got ready to talk, it began to crackle for each movement she made. 'this nervousness is definitely something I need to Work on!' she thought.
"*cough* W-w-wel---- *cough* Welcome to Komogakure, m-may I s-see your passport miss?"
Yukiko would raise a hand to receive the passport.
"A-as she would introduce herself, I would change my attitude from neutral to r-respectful"
if s-she does not have a passport I would say: I-..... I am sorry to inform you Dono that the r-rules here in K-k.... Komugakure is to not let anyone without a passport into the city.... H- However i will inform my senin that y-you are here and he will relay your message, or have the a-a...... Authority to supercede the rules if needed be."
"e-excuse me dono while I call"
Yukiko would then slightly bow at her, and then walk a few steps back, making sure not to touch anyone while she did.
"I- I would then return and inform her if the senin was on her way, or I should take the message and relay it, or wait for being replaced and able to relay the message personally"
Yukiko would then Bow Again as to finish her "act" and slowly but surely move back to her seat, hair crackling and frizzy all over..

[MFT 351 Words]

 

[Airo Kuroyama]

When Ai put the last period on the paper, she looked over her work and was ready to present her hand and give in her assignment. She stopped however, when Tanaka Sensei began to address the class.

"Alright, good. I'm glad you are thinking that way. You see, this example is not only an example. This is something that could happen to you. This is something that happened to me when I was... sixteen. The Hoshikage came to our village with no identification and no guard. She came with a message that our Sennin who was my uncle, and my very first teacher, a mednin, had been tried and found guilty of murder. My superiors were gone- I see some of you writing this down, I'm sorry, I forgot to say, yes this is a quiz, but this is a learning experience for the whole class. Please tell me your answers audibly." Ai stared forward, semi-upset that she had written her answer seemingly for naught. Tanaka-sensei continued. "Tanaka brothers. Say you are stationed on that wall together. You have each other and a headset perhaps... All of you should get a headset. You can buy them relatively cheaply in the shops. They are an essential part of your duty. Anyway. Jun, Miko, you each have a headset. This woman, approaches. What do you do? Pretend I am her. In fact..."

Ai jumped at the sudden 'Poof!' and a new person was standing where Tanaka-sensei had just moments before. It took a few seconds, but Airo realized that the official looking person was Tanaka-sensei, just transformed with a jutsu.

"I see," Ai said out loud to herself "a more...group oriented assignment now, I like it." Ai said smiling.

Ai watched as the majority of the classroom made their way towards the front of the room. Each playing out the scenario, each a bit differently, some nervous, others seemingly annoyed. Ai elected to go last or at least close to last, she wanted to work off of the other students' performances. She took key things from each one of the students, how they addressed her, what they did as far as policy, so on and so forth, she was confident in her soon-to-be answer, but nervous about her acting. She'd never played pretend as a kid or acted in any other instance, and quite frankly, she found make believe rather ridiculous. She didn't find deluding yourself for the sake of entertainment to be well, entertaining. Regardless, she was required to in this class, so she'd give it her best.

Preparing herself, Ai stood after the latest student to perform, Hayabusa Yukiko, found their seat. She made her way to the front and eyed up the foreign looking woman at the head of the room. Her skin was dark and she wore a plethora of fancy, official looking attire that seemed to suit her well; or at least Tanaka-sensei made the look work, but Ai doubted the real deal wasn't far off, if not better. When Ai took her place in front of Tanaka-sensei and began the scenario.

"Hello Bibian-sama," Ai said making eye contact and sounding as polite and respectful as possible "I'm sure your news for Hayata-sama is of the up most importance, but before we proceed, can you present you're passport or some other verification to your identity? It's standard policy, I'm sure you understand." Ai said, smiling. She then moved on to the instance in which Bibian did not have any verification. "If you don't have any of these, I'm afraid I will have to deny you entry into the village until I can radio my superiors and sort out this situation" Ai finished stepping back to look like she was radioing for superiors.

When Ai finished, she quickly rerturned to her seat not wishing to be in the public eye any longer than necessary.

{MFT ~ 648}

 

[Yukari]

Hikari- in the guise of Bibian, tossed her head imperiously as Jun told her that they were not expecting her. "Of course not. If I were expected, I would have arrived with a dozen warriors and an honor guard. No, there is an emergency. I must speak to Hayata sama!"

“Do you have a passport, or any document to facilitate identification?” Miko asked, getting a word in, in-between his brother's breaths.

Jun followed up with, “I apologize, but we must follow protocol. Show us your passport and we’ll send you on your way to Torre Celeste.”

Hikari smiled at Miko, glad to see him stepping up, "Yes, I have this." She pulled from her breast pocket, her own passport. "No need for apologies. I understand well the need for security, even if it is inconvenient."

She said bowing to the boys slightly. "Good job." She told them, speaking as Herself, "Jun your honorifics were very good. I appreciate that you were polite. Miko, very good, you took initiative by asking for a passport or identification. That was very insiteful. Most shinobi or people affiliated with them will have a passport you can check, but sometimes, non-shinobi, have identifiers specific to their home regions. Did you learn that from someone or was that an intuitive leap?" She asked.

Next up was Hotaka Kyo. Hikari turned to him, willingly, and repeated the process. "I am Yukikage Bibian of Yukigakure. I must see your Raikage immediately! It is an emergency!"

"If she were to inform me that she does not have a passport I would reply as follows, Very well Bibian-sama, I shall have to contact the Sennin on duty about this, please wait."

"As you seem to be leaning toward this course of action, I'll say that this time she does not have a passport." Hikari told him, "Very well, young one. Please hurry."

The boy spoke as if he were actually reporting an incident. Hikari made a mental note to commend the way he handled it. "I would wait for an answer and depending upon that answer I would tell Bibian-sama the following, I have contacted a superior, please wait until they arrive. Or whatever it is I'm instructed to do."

"Very good Kyo kun. You spoke very well. I can appreciate that you contacted a Sennin, however, you should know, Kumogakure has several offices in place beneath the Sennin, which would be more appropriate to call in this situation. The Deathwatch Captain- who is the captain of the gates, the Chief Ambassador- a position I held once upon a time, but which is currently vacant, or even the Spymaster, as she might have some idea on who this woman was. Failing them, your choice to call the Sennin- who would be me, is appropriate. Good work."

"Next?" Hikari gazed around the room, saying her introduction and waiting for the next person to "greet" her.

Masaru rose to the occasion this time. “Good day, Bibian-sama, and welcome to Kumogakure no Sato.” this time he smiled.

"Good day...?" She said, drawing out the last word as if asking what his name was.

“Forgive my rudeness, but as you must know here in Kumogakure our standard procedure is to check the passports of all incoming guests. If I may, would you please show me your passport, Bibian-sama?”

"Of course, there is no rudeness in following procedure. Thank you for being so attentive." She said. "I must impress upon you, however that here is an emergency, so I need to ask that we be as quick as possible."

“I must also inform you, as is protocol, that should you not have your passport with you today I will not be able to grant you entrance into the village; however, as you have an important message for our Raikage I would be happy to contact one of our Sennin for you.”

"Ah, of course, but I have this," She produced a piece of jewelry from her pocket, "This is a symbol of my office. I also have letters of discourse between your Raikage and myself. I do not have my passport, as I was forced to leave my village very quickly, and without a proper escort, but I believe these serve well as identifiers." She said, then, out of character, "This kind of case is a discresionary call, but one that you might want to leave to someone else."

He paused, thinking for a moment, before addressing her again. “If you could give me a moment, Bibian-sama, I will contact someone from Torre Celeste who can better help you.” Masaru then spoke as if radioing a superior. He requested a Sennin to escort her- something Hikari nodded at and approved of, and then he addressed her again, asking for patience and assuring that there was someone on the way.

"Very good Masaru kun. You did something very practical. You asked for a sennin to come and escort her. Politically that is very wise. It makes the guest feel important and attended to, in spite of the delay. Your polite manner is nothing less that what I would expect of a relative of Shima dono, yet still, it is to be commended. I'd like to talk to you after class about something- don't worry, it's good." She smiled.

"Next- ah, Yukiko." She smiled, and repeated her lines.

The small Santaru was clearly nervous. Hikari nodded encouragingly, and handed over the passport, and the girl nervously played her part. Hikari nodded approvingly as she spoke "I will inform my senin that y-you are here and he will relay your message, or have the a-a...... Authority to supercede the rules if needed be. E-excuse me dono while I call"

"Very good, Yukiko chan." She said, "It is good that you recognize that there is sometimes a need for the rules to be superseded. You are doing well. You should find a way to relax when you speak to strangers. Picture them naked... or maybe imagine them as someone you know." She shrugged, "Different things work for different people." She then nodded and motioned that it was okay for Yukiko to retreat.

Not a moment after, Ai stood and began speaking. "Hello Bibian-sama," Ai said making eye contact and sounding as polite and respectful as possible. She might do well for the diplomatic corps as well, "I'm sure your news for Hayata-sama is of the up most importance, but before we proceed, can you present you're passport or some other verification to your identity? It's standard policy, I'm sure you understand."

"Of course young guardian." She pulled out her passport, "Very good." As the girl switched to the other scenario, Hikari nodded, "Ai chan, you seem very charming, and that will go a long way when dealing with foreign people. I have a few suggestions and comments for you as well. Your followup might need a bit of work. Your presence is very good. Your eye contact and respectful manner will be noted. I do like that you did that. You may need to assure the person that they are being attended to."

"Alright, very good, everyone. I'd like to move on now. There are Many more things involving etiquette that would be necessary and proper for you to learn. For example, gift giving. If you are invited somewhere, you may be expected to give a gift to your host. Something small and gratuitous would be the current style. In other places fruits are the norm. You are also expected to bow in certain circumstances. These things, however, are things you are likely already learning at home. If you have any questions about that, feel free to ask." She cast away the illusion of her appearance, then went to the board as she spoke, looking, again, like herself. She began to clear the words off the blackboard. "I would like to now tell you about some resources available to you as students, and potential career paths. Firstly: For all students, there is a small stipend which you will receive for attending classes. This, you can use for whatever you like, though I'd recommend you use it on equipment. You also get free meals at the barracks, where there is a free bed for you as well, all because you are a student. The village wants to take good care of you, and so do I. If any of you have questions, there are people like the headmaster, and myself who are available to talk to you. There will never be a time wherein you have no option besides sleeping in the streets, as long as you remain loyal to the village."

"And secondly, you have a variety of options for your career." She wrote on the board, the names of the three branches, "Firstly, there is ANBU, secondly Medical, and last but not least, there is my branch, Main. Right now, you are a part of Main Branch. You are in the Academic branch." She wrote, under Main, the name of the academy. "There is the Diplomatic corps- headed by the Chief Ambassador. Then there is Military Intelligence headed by Shima Haruka, the spymaster. There is the Deathwatch- the gates, who are closely allied with ANBU. There is the Merces Letifer, which is a sort of problem and solution branch. Within each is are a variety of positions some of you will eventually take. I am speaking to you now about your career because it is not so very far off. I know that many of you are very close to an exam, and I'll be honest, I have my eye on a few of you for certain positions. Regardless of my recommendation, the role you take will ultimately be decided by yourselves. Do you have any questions on the positions available to you?" She asked.


[MFT way more than 250]
[[I'm really tired right now, but I wanted to have this up for you guys- I felt like I'd be a jerk if I made you wait another day.]]

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Masaru observed the last two students give their responses. The first girl sounded as if she had little confidence with the amount of stuttering he heard, but whether it was due to little faith in her response or that she had to act it out in front of the class was anyone's guess. He thought it could be the latter due to the fact that she had made some points he failed to address much less think about. Most of the answers were relatively good, though he found some lacking, and he decided to jot down a few notes while the last girl was finishing up with her answer. His justification in the mastery of manners was that the shinobi ladder was made to climb, and the higher one rose the more chances they would get to be in the presence of those outranking them in both social and military standards and as such one could never be too prepared especially when a political situation was involved.

When all was said and done everyone had given their presentations receiving praise and recommendations alike. Aside from a few points he felt he had missed, Tanaka-sensei commended him on his response to which the boy nodded in thanks. The fact that he had managed to uphold the standards of the Shima was a great relief to him as he didn't want to disgrace the Clan nor his cousin in front of her superior and friend. For the first time since he arrived he allowed himself to relax with the news, but the feeling was short lived when Tanaka-sensei asked to see him after class. His interest was piqued instantly and the knowledge that it was something good made his mind race. Guesses were about the only thing a student like him could make as to what the Sennin would want with him so he put his thoughts on the back burner while the class continued.

The change of topic was a welcome one considering his circumstances. Being raised in the Shima household required knowledge and training in etiquette whereas information about the various paths of a shinobi was hard to come by without his cousin's guidance. Masaru's attention was solely focused on the board making mental notes here and there. While he was aware of the three branches he didn't have much exclusive info about any of them, the most he knew was that Haruka-sama was Spymaster and that his mother was affiliated with the Main Branch. Knowing that his cousin was under the Main Branch as well helped him a great deal in regards to his future as a shinobi. To be most useful to her he would have to be in her branch, and knowing that the test to become a Genin was drawing near he would eventually have to decide which one he was going to join regardless. This information made his decision easier.

Overall his joining of the class had been more productive than he initially thought it would be regardless of whether he started off on a bad note or not. Tanaka-sensei's explanation over the various divisions within her Branch was straightforward enough so that he didn't have any immediate questions, so he sat back in his seat with his hands clasped in front of him waiting to see if anyone needed elaboration. After all was said and done he was ready to hear what Tanaka-sensei had say.

[MFT]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

Having calmed herself Down, now that she were not in the front, and better yet, a forign person was not standing in front of the class.

As hikari was telling the class about the different branches, 3 peaked her interest, mainly because she did not know what they did.
That lead her to Raise her hand, even though she still had not completely gotten over the nervous attack, from earlier.

[when picked]

"Sensei, What does the Military intelligence, Merces Letifer and Deathwatch do?"
She had an idea of what the deathwatch did, but better not let it up for imagination.

 

[Hotaka Kyo]

Kyo took the criticism in stride, only giving a nod to show that he had heard and understood it, his face a blank slate otherwise as he usually carried his stoic self. He watched as the next three students gave their own answers to the question, first up was Masaru with his own answer. The way he dealt with the problem of her trying to provide another means of identification other than the passport. He did well enough in Kyo's eyes, and apparently the instructors as well. Then it was Yukiko's turn, she was very nervous apparently and stuttered as she provided her answers. With the information being correct and the answers being fine he figured that she was simply embarrassed and not used to talking before a group of her peers, something she should get used to quickly as it would only happen more often as time went on. He spied Masaru taking notes after Yukiko's answers were provided, "Studious, willing to work on improving himself and not afraid to let others see him do it." he thought to himself as he turned back to watch the last student perform her own answer to the question. It went well, with no real problem being present, and with much more confidence than Yukiko had been able to muster.

With the verbal quiz being finished the instructor moved along to a new set of information and questions. She mentioned on gift giving, a form of etiquette that his clan did not engage in and he had little knowledge of. He listened to her explanation, making a mental note of what she said about it and the bowing. She then continued to say that these things where most likely being learned at home amongst their normal family training and to ask any questions if we needed them, while Kyo could stand to learn more about it he did not speak up, he preferred to learn on his own things that his family did not teach as part of their normal training, though he had no qualms about using what he learned from others. The instructor returned to her normal appearance, dismissing the transformation as she headed to the board, where she began to clear it of the words and speak about resources that were available for the students if they needed them. This time she spoke of things that he considered to be common knowledge, the stipend for attending class, the free meals in the barracks and the beds if they needed them for some reason. She claimed the village wished to take care of them, and that she did as well, though he realized it was more that they wanted to protect their investment rather than a care for them as a person. The training was expensive, as well as the time investment into each of them was extensive as well, not something you would squander away to save the price of a meal or bed. She continued on to tell them that they could ask questions of her, the headmaster and he assumed other instructors if they needed more information. She stressed loyalty to the village as being the price of these small things, and he supposed some may have been swayed by them if they had nothing before.

It was then that she changed topics to focus on their “careers”, writing a list of the three branches, ANBU, Medical and finally the main branch. She then listed underneath the branches several different sub-branches, starting with the Academy, then moving on to the diplomatic crops who were supposed to be headed by a chief ambassador, though she had said earlier that the position currently was empty, perhaps because the village did not care for its relations with the other villages, Kyo could not be certain. She continued on with Military Intelligence, which was headed by the spymaster who was currently Shima Haruka. She moved on to the Deathwatch, saying that they were closely allied to the ANBU, which spoke volumes of the political infighting that must be going on if she where to state it so matter-of-factly to a room full of students. She continued on with the Merces Letifer, claiming that they are problem and solution branch, which Kyo would have to question her about, he had thought that they had ceased to exist after the Kingslayer fiasco and the resulting war. As he understood it the “problem and solution” was simply assassinations of troublemakers and other similar activities, though perhaps that was a crude understanding of it. She told them that their selection of where they wished to attempt to be accepted was not too far off, and that she had her eye on several of them for certain positions. Kyo glanced to Miko and Jun at that comment, fairly certain that they were included in that statement, though he wondered if she had selected any of the others, perhaps Masaru was one and that was why he was taking notes and applying himself as he was in the class.

The instructor finished her speech asking if they had any questions about the paths before them, and while he had one, it seemed that Yukiko had one of her own, she asked about what Military intelligence, Merces Letifer and Deathwatch actually did. Kyo spoke up himself in response deciding to add his own, “Merces Letifer is as I understand it not a sub-branch as the others listed, after the war they were pretty much gutted. They have almost ceased to exist as far as I understand it.” He looked to their instructor after adding, “They were responsible for assassinations and worked closely with the ANBU to accomplish their missions at times. Am I to understand that they are actively recruiting currently then?” The young boy asked before looking over to Miko and Jun once more, this time more directly before returning his gaze to the instructor. It would be interesting to hear if he had his information wrong, and if they were so open about recruitment into their supposedly dwindled offices.

 

[Kumori]

Each of the students had their turn, starting with Miko and Jun, and ending with Kuroyama Airo. Most of them made really good points, not that Miko was paying any attention though; he couldn’t care less of what they were saying. His imagination was running wild with thoughts of fighting each of them, for some reason – that was the only thing he could think of in the last couple of days. His time in the academy was nearing an end, the genin exam was on their midst, and fighting was more than a simple possibility. He didn’t really mind the girls, he could read their faces as if they were an open book, but Kyo and Masaru – they had an air of mystery that he couldn’t get out of his mind. Kyo was a taijutsu user, he fought along with Miko’s weakness; he was a dangerous individual that Miko would rather have on his team. Masaru; he had just met him that day, and already the boy was surrounded by an impenetrable aura of mystery. He was a member of the Shima clan, a clan of spies, and he was the perfect example of this. Miko was still thinking of this, imagining a battle with both of them, when Hikari said that it was accustomed to give out gifts in diplomatic situations.

“Gifts… now that would be fun. I can’t help but imagine, what would be a good gift? Perhaps the severed head of a wanted shinobi? No… I would send that to the ANBU instead. Perhaps the severed head of a bird? That’s what cats do; perhaps it holds some kind of significance… Of maybe, just maybe, I could pour in a bottle the blood of a deer. They could drink it as an act of courage, that’s what hunters do when they get their first kill.” – with every passing second, he just got crazier and crazier. Diplomacy was not his strength.

Hikari continued the lecture by talking about the three branches, and how the main branch was divided. Yuuto had already told them this, and Miko was still undecided. The boy just needed a little push. He noticed Kyo looking at him, and he glanced back at him, meeting his eyes for a second before they both returned focus to Hikari.

“I know that many of you are very close to an exam, and I'll be honest, I have my eye on a few of you for certain positions. Regardless of my recommendation, the role you take will ultimately be decided by yourselves.” – Miko lowered his head and closed his eyes.

“I bet she’s talking about that Masaru guy… damn that Masaru guy, he just arrived.” – Miko smiled, pulling up his hood, still with facing the table. Again, he noticed Kyo glance at him; Miko already thought of Kyo like a friend, or at least a teammate, after the event at the forest.



(((OOC: Sorry for crappy post, I have my hands full.)))