Sugar? Yes. One or Two Servings?

[Takahashi Aki]

3:42pm. Sousuke stared at the clock. His next appointment was coming. He closed up the budgeting book which was more of a tome than anything else. While Sousuke was no longer the Kazekage, he was still doing the budgeting and balancing various projects. Getting Katuso to understand the numbers was a difficult thing. He understood that they were important, but that was about it. Thankfully he had Shizune to help him in between several things. At first Sousuke had underestimated the woman at keeping up, then he would come to find out quickly enough that Shizune was indeed capable of keeping up with Sousuke's 'fast talk garble' as some would call it.

Sousuke's 3:45pm appointment was with an heiress who would stand to inherit a Storm Lord title. It was sort of an odd thing, considering that the title Lord was more for a male, but the person in question was an heiress which meant that the title should be Storm Lady. Sousuke liked tradition, and that is what made up part of who he was, but there was some small quirks he had issue with. Sousuke approached the book shelf in his office and placed the tome inside. Once he had done that a glass would shift over the bookshelf closing it in. He would then tap a series of digits on a number panel and the bookshelf would pull itself into the wall, and a stove would next emerge. Sousuke blinked as he was considering how best to engage with this child-heiress. Tea. Everyone liked tea right? Sousuke liked coffee. So he would make a pot of both tea and coffee.

3:42:59. His guest would be arriving in one second. The tea and the coffee were not ready yet, but that didn't matter much overly. Wait. The heir was a child. Maybe tea and coffee wasn't the correct thing to serve. Well child might not be the most correct term. Not-quite-yet adult-for-some-time. That was perhaps the best term to use here. Teenager? Maybe. Was Nabushin even coming? Sousuke in a mental panic returned to his desk and began to go through his written appointments. Was Nabushin coming?

 

[Kazumi]

The thing about being important was that your time was so valuable that even you did not have any time for your own time. During the periods of Suzume's time that she did not assume that she would fail in disgrace, she despised the mere thought of having her entire life consumed by this sort of responsibility. Emergencies arose, appointments had to be deferred, but in this case Nabushin still had his representative to send along with his regards for the Steward. Now, as she walked down the hallway towards the Steward's office, alone, she considered turning around and claiming that she too had an emergency arose... she could do that right? She would just have to think of a plausible enough excuse.

The next minute came and went and before she realized it, she was standing outside the door to his office. "Damn..." she quietly muttered to herself as she stared at the door, "I guess I might as well, but what do I even say?" She was about to meet the legend in person. She had never met a Kage in person, even if they were an ex-Kage, not where they were actually talking directly to her. She pulled an old pocket watch from a small pocket on her hip and looked at the time, she was not allowed to have electronic devices on her for the most part, they kept breaking and replacing them was getting prohibitively expensive. 3:42 and thirty seconds until the meeting.

She had been told by Nabushin that the Steward was a stickler for appointments, she didn't expect the next set of instructions he gave her. It was a quick primer on how to act and talk around the man, hastily given due to the nature of the emergency he had to tend to, but one of them was to arrive exactly on the dot. Apparently the Steward was a very prompt person, and it would be in her best interests to stay on his good side and appeal to his quirks. It made sense, but the pressure of it all was causing her heart to race and her palms to sweat.

She spent the next twenty seconds trying to slow her breathing and reherse what she would say to him. This was just another minor note for him, a short meeting to introduce her and be on with it, but for her this was the pinnacle of her entire month. She had heard so many things about him and while she knew some of them to be exaggerations, like how he was a mechanical construct and how he never slept, some of it had to be true.

Taking one final deep breath, she closed the watch at five seconds till, slipped it away and put her hand onto the door's handle. Counting down the last few seconds in her head as he heart raced almost twice as quickly. Three. Two. One. Forgetting to even knock in her haste to be prompt, she opened the door with a bit too much force and had to pull to keep it from slamming open. Looking a little startled from the mistake, she quickly removed her hand from the door and stepped inside. Seeing the Steward himself at the desk took her breath from her and her mouth drooped open slightly as she pondered the concept of what words were and how one formed sounds into them.

When a few awkward seconds would pass after unceremoniously barging into the room, even if it was perfectly on time. Unable to say anything she simply bowed her body to a ninety degree angle, her arms at her sides in a gesture of deep respect, buying her time for her brain to reboot in the process. After a long bow she quickly straightened herself and opened her mouth to speak once again. "Oushi-Ouja Suzume. Heir to the title of the Storm Lord of the Oushi-Ouja branch of the Toraono clan, my lord Kage!" She had rehearsed the introduction so many times before that she managed to get it out without her brain's assistance, but it would have helped to keep her from making that slip at the end. To her, he was still the Kage. Katuso was the rightful heir, but that was relatively recent and as such, she didn't catch her mistake until a few words into Sousuke's eventual response.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would stand up from his desk and walk over to Suzume. He made his assessment of her. Like most young people, she seemed to be taken aback by him. "Takahashi Sousuke the third. Steward of the Realm."<i></i> He spoke pleasantly as he returned to bow of equal respect. He did something curious in that he smiled for a mere four seconds. He motioned for her to have a seat. He would take note of her concern and perhaps pressure. "Nabushin isn't here."<i></i> He spoke more for himself. "Tell me, did he go on about the whole ... machine bit? It was a joke once told in his presence, but Nabushin like myself tends to take things a bit too seriously?"<i></i> He inquired. This was one of those weird moments. Sousuke had a hard time reading Nabushin at times. He was a large physical man, he like Sousuke wasn't into the whole metaphors thing. Sousuke would motion to the coffee pot and the tea pot on the stove. "I'm brewing both a pot of coffee, more for myself, and a pot of tea. Would you prefer either? I also have alternative drinks ... of a fruity overly sugar variety."<i></i> He offered. At the very least this wasn't like Teke who was more likely to inquire for a large glass of human blood to drink. Teke had standards most children or teenagers ... did not have.

"Ah ... and before we go further, Sousuke will be fine."<i></i> He would state. Sousuke would take his seat across from Suzume. He stared at her through one eye mainly because due to a recent fight he was healing from he had lost an eye. His right eye was covered with a metallic plate which was simply sitting on his face. Some might have made the remark he looked like a pirate considering he wore a single golden looped earring on his right. The earring was a finger ring that once belonged to a vertically challenged person. Suffice to say Sousuke looked like he had done as usual, get into a fight with something, and lost another piece of himself. First time it was the arm, the second time it was the legs, now it was an eye. Perhaps the rumors about him were becoming true over time. "Tell me, if you inherit the Storm Lord title - wouldn't it be Storm Lady?"<i></i> A simple enough question.

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume appeared visibly surprised when Sousuke spoke on the missing Nabushin. Of course the two knew each other. Had he time to accompany her, this would have likely turned into the two reminiscing on old times as two old people usually did. The Steward was not as old as Nabushin, but age in the shinobi profession was mercurial, people tended to not live long in this line of work. "Huh- Oh, Umm... coffee?" She did not have a taste for the stuff, but it was the more adult of the two drinks, and if he was drinking it then she would be damned if she did not join in. "Coffee is good. Only little kids need sweet things." Truthfully she would have appreciated such, but she was here as an adult representative of her clan and couldn't afford to be seen as a child, even if she was only fourteen.

Suzume stood there awkwardly for a short while, not sure if she was supposed to go over to the machine that the had indicated or if there was some other expectation of her. When he moved and made his way to sit, she belatedly followed suit in the appropriate seat across from him. "Oh, yes, Sousuke. Of course. Me too." She replied hastily, pausing a second before quickly correcting herself as she stumbled through her words, "Suzume I mean! Not Sousuke. I mean unless you wanted to for some reason." It made sense in her head as she pointed out that he could do whatever he wanted, but in hindsight it caused her stomach to knot from the intensely awkward statement.

Sitting straight and stiff in her seat, she stared straight forward at him, trying her best to shake her casual air and give a more stately visage, one that she innately lacked in any conceivable fashion. "I.. I am not sure. There has not been a Storm Lady before. It has always been the men who have been chosen by the Ox King." Suzume shifted awkwardly in her seat, her hands fiddling with one another, her gaze shifting from being locked to his face and then to wandering the room aimlessly. "Oh, yes! Storm Lord Nabushin had important business to attend to and... and he gives his sincerest apologies for not making his appointment with you here... today." This too sounded like something she had rehearsed multiple times before the meeting.

"So umm..." She was not sure what she was supposed to say, Nabushin did not have time to give her a full set of instructions as to what the full purpose of the meeting, and here she was wasting the time of one of the most important men in the village. "Comfy," she suddenly commented, waiting a few seconds before she once again hurriedly continued her thought, "the chair. Must be very expensive." She shifted nervously before looking around the room, unable to make eye contact, "everything seems pretty expensive." She was not used to the frivolities of expensive architecture of furniture. The Oushi-Ouja were not as decorative as the other branches, tending towards simplistic furnishings and living in comparison to the Byakko and the others.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke's expression soured slightly when Suzumu spoke of how little children need sweet things. He turned his head slightly as the panel in the wall came down revealing a series of sweets for the purposes of devouring. He looked to the cheesecake and the 'donuts' that he had heard so much about. "That's a respectable opinion."<i></i> He spoke as he reached out taking the desserts, and the plates and placed them on the desk proper now. "I'm just going to put these here... and ... well I'm going to try one. You see these ringed cake things... they're supposedly called donuts. I did some work sometime ago for a farmer, and took no fee. His wife sent these to me, and I've yet to try one."<i></i> Sousuke held the sugared good in an awkward thing. Sousuke understood that Suzumu was a teenager, and he had seen them eat sugary good from time to time. He tore the donut in two and looked at the innards of the donut. It might have seem funny seeing an adult such as Sousuke looking at such a thing with such a scientific eye to it. He would then eat one half of the donut before playing the other half down on a plate. He would then get up and pour for the two of them coffee. He carried over the coffee cups along with sugar, cream, and milk which was on a platter.

The Steward observed an unease present in the future Storm Lady. She did not look comfortable. Her gaze was shifting about in the room. In a way she reminded him of a very young version of himself. That sense of dread, anxiety and nervousness when dealing with people. He listened to her speak, and attempt to make small talk. Sousuke quietly would place before her a plate with both a donut and a piece of cheese cake with a fork. He got up and poured a fruity drink for her as well and placed that before her. "Expensive? Not overly. I've built most of the furniture here and supported several smaller business owners by doing so. The designing took some time to do, but it wasn't as expensive as one may think. Kuro had imported most of his furniture and perhaps bought most of his from the Diamond district."<i></i> Sousuke would again take a seat. He would lean back and make his observations of Suzume. He was silent for a moment, and began speaking. "You spoke not needing of any sweets, but there was a hesitation and yet an appreciation of my offer. This is the first time we're meeting as one Lord to one Lady. You wish to be taken seriously, and not to be seen as a child. You are so concerned about this that you decided to dive deep into the unknown by taking the offer of coffee instead of a sweetened drink."<i></i> He could have spoken about her nervousness but that might embarrass her even further. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his metallic hand. Being a teenager, or an adult who had great parents or great shoes to fill was difficult. Sousuke still lived in the shadow of his father and all of his great works. "One can be wise, respected, and still have some child-like qualities."<i></i>

Sousuke would lower his hand and open his eyes. "There's a number of scars on your arm. Not the easiest to see considering the tone, but most of them are cuts from wind jutsu. The question is ... are you like me in the context that you allow these wounds to remind you of your mistakes, or if it is something to improve your image?"<i></i> He considered it. He would offer his theory, "I would think it adds to your desire to be taken seriously."<i></i> He would pour cream into the coffee and add two sugar cubes to it. He stirred the sugar in making it dissolved. He would take the other half of the donut and he would proceed to dunk it into the coffee. "With all of that said,"<i></i> He paused, "I fully intend to take your position very seriously, but it's something you will grow into when the time comes. Now why don't you make some observations about me, or ask me a couple of questions to ease the tension?"<i></i>

 

[Kazumi]

Seeing a grown adult treat a donut as if it were some sort of alien entity was easily enough to break Suzume out of her self-imposed shell. She even snickered slightly after he informed her of what the strange and exotic food was called. Without giving it any thought, she immediately blurted out, "well of course it is a donut. Seriously?" She sounded amused and even a little embarrassed for him, until she remembered who it was she was speaking to and immediately clammed back up again. He would eat his donut half in peace as she bit her lip, ruminating over the inappropriate comment she had made.

When he returned to the desk with the coffee and various other confectionery offerings she muttered out a quiet word of thanks. In an attempt to look normal she reached out and took hold of her coffee cup and attempted to sip lightly at it, incidentally taking it a bit too much too quickly. She winced back from the burning sensation on her tongue and lips and quickly put the cup back down on the table, her face puckering as the painful heat faded away, leaving a slight numb sensation. She proceeded to listen in silence as he spoke, taking an opportunity in the break of is speech as he rubbed his forehead to reach out and take the donut on her small plate. He was doing his best to help her feel comfortable, but in truth it kept reminding her how young she was compared to the Great Steward. He was saying the right things, but that only reinforced her feeling of inadequacy for the role she was supposed to be grooming for.

She brought the donut up to take a bite when he brought up the faded scar lines on her arms. Her mouth drooped open slightly, a mere moment from taking a bite before she drew it away and slowly set it back down on the plate, any vestiges of appetite immediately fading. The scars no longer brought her the deeply seated fear they once did, though the nightmares still kept her awake some nights, but instead they twisted her stomach in an emotion she couldn't explain. Her right hand reached up and covered over the most prominent line on her left bicep, subconsciously rubbing it slightly. "Remind... I guess." She paused a moment as he went to dunk his final donut half, "they had said the bleeding was too severe to focus on healing it good enough to remove the scar. I mean... I guess I can't complain." It was obviously a topic of unease for her, but it was equally obvious that she was trying to conquer that unsettled feeling that it brought upon her.

"So," she hesitated a moment, thinking of what exactly to say. For better or worse, she did not appear nervous any longer. Painful memories had a way of drawing thoughts too far inward to be concerned over such trivial things as making a complete fool of one's self in front of one of their idols. "Have you ever been..." she paused once again, searching for some word to describe her feelings, "conflicted about killing someone that deserved it? Not, I mean, not like subjectively but like they were such a terrible person that they just deserved to not die, but to die a hundred more times?" It didn't take a long leap of logic to connect the last topic to this one. Suzume looked up from the food sitting before her and over towards Sousuke, genuinely curious for his answer.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Suzumu asked him if he was being serious about the whole donut thing. Sousuke would indeed nod his head. "Quite serious."<i></i> He eyed the rest of them, and nodded his head. "It was quite delicious."<i></i> Sousuke would add as he considered taking another donut. He could certainly have another one, and indeed he would take another one. He would place the donut on the plate. He listened to Suzumu explain why she kept the scars. It seemed that the child kept them as a memory, but more importantly the cuts at that particular time could not be healed to what one might deem perfection. It was a small reminder of that medical technology had limits. Sousuke detected the unease, but he would not push the topic any further.

Like he had said, she would allow him to give him a question. She asked him a curious question one that was curious in nature. Sousuke had to think about it for a moment. He had an answer for her. On the outskirts of Sousuke's mind Kaito lingered. He despised the man entirely. Yes, Sousuke would admit the man was wrong, and he had grievances. He gave Sousuke and Katuso the information needed to reclaim the surface. It still irked Sousuke. For a while Sousuke had gone quiet. His gaze fixated upon the ceiling of the room as his mind played back the final moments of the battle in the dojo. The intense and severe hatred he had for Kaito, and how he had cut the man down with the Black Blade. "In a way, yes once upon a time with the leader of the Cabal. I will admit Katuso's decision to keep him alive has bettered all of us."<i></i> He considered the question further. Shouki came to mind in fact, but he had been killed twice now. That was a different sort of thing. "I have had an odd experience of once killing a person, only for them to return and cause problems once again. Ishii Shouki."<i></i> Sousuke spoke the name. His features seemed darken as he mentioned the man. Now that he thought about it, he hated Shouki more than he hated Kaito. Of the two, Kaito had proven to be highly resourceful. "I will say the person in question was of that deplorable religion called Jashin."<i></i> The worst part was that Jashin was true, and Mother Suna was not. Of the two deities one of them was at the very least true in their original purposes and or grand design. Sousuke drank his coffee and fell silent for a moment longer. "This person has suffered two deaths, but I am ... I am not going to be surprised if he returns again for a third time or a fourth, or a fifth."<i></i>

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume was quickly beginning to regret asking the question. It was a dumb question to ask. There were many more acceptable answers, such as how the weather was on the surface, had he read any good books lately, or anything that was not as emotionally charged as killing a person! So, lamenting in the absurdity of her question, she stared awkwardly ahead as he stared upwards, possibly thinking for an excuse to cut this meeting short. She began to look nervously around the room when he suddenly spoke, almost causing her chair to scoot from the force of being caught unaware.

Shouki? The name sounded familiar, as if she had heard it in passing once or twice before, but Suzume was not invested in external politics, and the exact details of such were only heard in passing comments and whispers. If her attention was not fixated on Sousuke before, the mention of Jashin quickly locked it in place. "You... you mean you didn't actually kill him? That was what you meant?" The only context she knew of Jashin was a passing mention by that abomination, and the merest hint that he too might still be alive chilled her blood. "Wait wait," she suddenly interjected, her nerves quickly forgotten as she leaned forward, "Jashin isn't a person?" As far as she knew, Jashin was a person, perhaps a lord or powerful noble in some country she was unfamiliar with. She caught herself leaning forward a bit too far onto the table and slowly eased herself back, remembering who she was talking to. "I... Sorry. Could you tell me more of... that?" If her face spoke true, she was nervously curious to hear more, eager and yet somewhat frightened.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"I've killed Shouki the first time with genjutsu. Gambunta, the great toad, put Shouki in his mouth and digested him. Most people do not survive that. Shouki did."<i></i> Sousuke explained as he was calling upon the memories. It wasn't something he really wanted to do, but the question was asked, so he had to do what was necessary to give the eventual Storm Lady an education about the most deplorable religion which was worshipped by their enemy. "One would think digestion by a giant toad would constitute as death because of stomach acid and the melting of human flesh... but no Shouki had to cut himself out of Gaumbunta, and he proceeded to hug and adore me for the good time I showed him. It was quite revolting."<i></i> For a few moments it seemed like Sousuke was legitimately disturbed by the whole scenario given his facial expression which was a borderline grimace. "The second time he was killed, in was in the Ranger Order Hall, and his body decayed and Jashin spoke through his rotting skull which turned into earthworms and other insects."<i></i> The troubled look remained. Sousuke would remember the dark voice laughing and what it had said unto him and the others when they had bested Shouki. For several moments Sousuke went silent and leaned back into his chair. He wasn't blinking, or anything he just sat there as he was perhaps in a state of shell-shock from it all.

Shouki brought out the worst in him, and it stood to be that way for a long time. Shouki had murdered what seemed to be countless Sungakurian residences, but in reality Sousuke had kept track over the years. It was an obsession really to put that man out of commission, and to keep it that way. Sousuke had the ground where he died concentrated by various members of religious organizations. Sousuke honestly did not believe any of it would work, Shouki would return simply because he could. It wouldn't bother Sousuke in the slightest if Shouki just at will reanimated his body got up and started killing again. Certainly Jashin was more of an active god than the supposed one in Sungakure being Mother Suna. Sousuke shook his head and seemed to snap out of this long silence. "That happens from time to time."<i></i> He spoke. Exhausted nerves? PTSD? Who truly knew what it was anymore. "Jashin is a dark god, he's very much about suffering and immortality. He grants his followers the ability to ... take incredible amounts of punishment, and to return that damage that they take unto others. They make use of blood rituals and seals."<i></i> For a time Sousuke considered if Jashin was in fact an Ancient, but he could not prove or disprove of that fact. "Always be careful of bleeding before a Jashinist, they will take your blood and use it against you."<i></i>

[MFT]

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume tried to listen quietly, but her smart mouth got the better of her and chimed in of its own accord during his first brief pause, "If he got out, then didn't he like... not die?" No quip came after Sousuke reported Shouki's second death, a look of revulsion plainly appearing on her face as he spoke of skulls and worms. Her eyes averted from his, a knot appearing in her stomach. "so he could be..." she muttered quietly, thinking aloud as they both momentarily bathed in their own dark memories. Suzume joined in on the long silence, genuine worry slowly creeping in as the moments dragged ever onward.

Her attention snapped from the bare wall and back to Sousuke as he eventually broke the silence, ripping her momentarily away from her own ruminations. He proceeded to give her a small lesson in Jashinists, which she now was attributing to all whom worshiped him, whomever he was. Sousuke's final warning hit her rather hard, as the phantom pain from her cuts flared up. Was that why he had cut her up so badly? For some dark ritual? Did he do something to her, or did she get saved at the last moment before she had become a sacrifice to this Jashin? With luck, she would never truly know the answers to those questions, as the only one who possessed that knowledge was dead.

"I... I killed a Jashin," she commented, still sounding as if she were thinking aloud, but loudly enough to catch his attention. "I can't remember..." she paused another moment, "remember exactly what he said, but he had mentioned something about him, Jashin I mean." As far as she knew, Jashin was the name of the religion and the supposed god it worshiped. "Is he real? This Jashin, I mean. I've heard people outside of Wind Country believe in a lot of things. Oblivious of the truths or the existence of Mother Suna. Is it fake like theirs, or real like her?" The question was serious, for to Suzume, Mother Suna was as real as any deity could be, even if she had never personally felt her touch.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would raise an eyebrow at the mention of Suzumu having killed a member of the Jashinist faith. Each individual had a varying level of faith in Jashin, and those who were 'closest' to him were the most empowered. "What did he or she actually say?"<i></i> Sousuke would ask Suzume. Sousuke was very much interested in what this person had said, "Was he or she in league with Sora?"<i></i> Came the follow up question. Sousuke had knowledge of how to bring down a member of the faith. Most of the time it came to overwhelming them with genjutsu. Where would she have actually battled against a member of the Jashinist faith? "If you're ... willing to do so, I would ask that you share your experience with this member of the faith. Where, when, who, why?"<i></i> Sousuke would begin to eat the other half of the donut he had. He ate in silence as he awaited the narrative to be provided to him.

When he was asked if Jashin was real, Sousuke folded his fingers. His metallic fingers intertwining with his flesh fingers. "Jashin is very real unfortunately."<i></i> He began, "There are many beings in Wind Country, for good and for evil. Some of them have acquired an amass of attention. Whether or not they are truly gods or goddesses are up for debate. I suppose it boils down to ... raw ability. When Shouki was defeated Sennin Kazuki tried to ... make use of his body and create another minion for himself like a Dark Sage would. A voice came out from Shouki that was not his own, and so it prevented Kazuki from his power set to assimilate Shouki into his army."<i></i> He described the event to the best his memory would let him. "Either way Jashin is just another thing out there for us as a city state to deal with."<i></i> Jashin wasn't the only thing they would have to deal with. Mother Suna was another thing that would in time have to be dealt with. The problem was what her agenda was, and yes Katuso told him to put his conflict with her in the past. He hadn't raised arms against her, but still he was suspicious of her. It was disheartening really, that the one thing that meant the most to this city state was a falsehood.

 

[Kazumi]

As Sousuke began to prod for more details behind the supposed Jashinist that she had slain, she appeared to retract into her shell. "I... don't remember what exactly I just remember the word coming up when he was angry." Suzume was not the best in terms of memory, and the events had replayed over and over in her mind so much that they had become distorted and warped away many of the minor details. "He was.. in league with Suna." That was what the ANBU had told her, and when she had read over the file she learned much more than she ever wished to. She knew that the village was complacent in many of the man's actions, but as she looked at the Steward, she told herself that he must not have known. "I umm.. I am sorry, but I can't say everything but... He was a scientist or researcher or... something, he worked with genetic experiments for the village. His file said he had done many many horrible things that the village had overlooked at the time because they were advantageous."

Suzume paused, getting quiet for a moment as she tried to recall what all she had head and tried to decide what she was supposed to tell and what she wasn't. Sousuke was the Steward, he was, as far as she was concerned, her Kage, but the ANBU had saved her life and she wasn't going to offer him up on a platter should he have breached some protocol she wasn't aware of. "Eventually things got bad enough that they locked him up in the Obsidian Palace. I don't remember how long he was there, but eventually he got out somehow." Suzume paused, reflexively reaching for the more comforting of the two beverages before her, forsaking her desire to appear more adult as she wet her mouth with the drink. "I bumped into him while on p... while walking though the Red Lights. That was when I got these," she set the drink down and gestured to her arm as he pulled up the sleeve slightly to reveal more faint white scars.

"He umm..." Sousuke could tell it was getting difficult for her to continue, but she pressed on regardless, keeping her voice from shaking too heavily. "pinned me, and killed a random guy who happened to walk by. Some... stuff happeend and this ANBU happened by and saved me." A small smirk came to her face, surviving the incident being the small silver lining of the experience. "Then there was the hospital for a few days, but then I got a note from the ANBU, and he brought me out into the desert at some abandoned building and Mukuro," she paused a moment, as if the name itself burned her tongue, "that was his name, the Jashin guy. He was there and alive, burned up really bad but still alive. I swore he was dead before but... but anyway, so-" she took a quick breath, the memories being a little too recent to be easily suppressed.

"So, the ANBU wanted to exact justice or something for the... things. I wasn't really sure at the time, but then that man started taunting me and I ended up stabbing him in the leg and... I don't really know what happened, but he started to get huge, his arm and muscles. He grabbed my neck and nearly crushed it but I managed to reach out and grabbed his head and-" Suzume's hands gribbed the hem of her skirt, still smelling the odor of burning flesh and hair. "and electrocuted him... I-I had to, I mean, he was going to kill me!" It didn't occur to her until just that moment that what she had done was technically murder, as far as she understood it. "I... Ka.. the ANBU healed my neck and put the man's body in some sort of scroll. That was the last I have seen of that thing since."

This was all far more than Sousuke likely ever wanted to hear, but it felt cathartic to get it off her chest. She had given some of the details to others, and while vocalizing it did not make the pain go away, it served to give her a little more strength to fight against it. Throughout her story, the girl's breathing and pulse had a marked increase, and she was nearly panting from the depth of the breaths she now drew in. "Do you think he will come back?" The Steward was a very wise man, if anyone would know the answer to her question it would certainly be him.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

While it wasn't perhaps the most visible on his face, there was concern present in the mind of the Steward of the Realm. He did not like how Suzume had said that the man in question was in 'league' with Suna. The problem was that the word used was the short form of Suna. It could have been that Suna in this particular case was Mother Suna. Sousuke knew that Suna herself disliked Shouki, but when it came to Ancients and gods, who knew exactly who was in league with that. Shouki tortured Suna when Sousuke was trying to save her. One would think that the followers torturing an individual would lead to a terrible relationship between a god-like entity and a god in itself. "I did not permit any genetic experiments."<i></i> Sousuke spoke, it was frustrating to know how many things were going on in the village without his knowledge.

Sousuke looked at the injuries she had, and listened to the story continue. It was disheartening. Sousuke's expression for second to second sometimes shifted to a frown or perhaps even a grimace. Sousuke would offer the child another donut. In all of this he could tell that the more this narrative was unfolding, the more Suzume was getting uncomfortable about it. Sousuke would attempt to put the subject to rest, and to at least provide some form of comfort in words. "Self defense and murder are two different things, was this your first kill? Jashin and his followers are a morally insane. They are a cancer, and they need to be removed or dealt with. Sungakure is a better place due to this development."<i></i> He expression returned to its truest of neutral looks as he spoke of it. The follow up question was perhaps one of the hardest ones to answer. "Jashin's power depends on one's faithfulness to the god. The more faithful they are the more powerful they become. I've encountered another Jashin outside of Shouki, the bastard son of the Daimyo, his power was ... not as potent as Shouki's."<i></i> He attempted to explain, he would pause for a moment as he considered it further. "He may come back, but if he does you can make a Jashin have a very miserable state of existence with genjutsu. Jashin's followers desire to feel pain, and to share pain. Genjutsu can take away their ability to feel things."<i></i> Sousuke recalled Shouki's frustration when he could no longer feel anything, and in that he was very upset about the whole situation. "Perhaps there is something less depressing you would wish to speak to me about?"<i></i>

 

[Kazumi]

It was a comforting thought that one of her idols was supportive of her actions, intentional or otherwise. She offered him up a small nod of appreciation and understanding, trying to force a smile, but only barely managing. He even offered her a little bit of advice, though that advice in particular did not help to ease her concerns, only further serving to remind her of her inadequacies. Eventually the man attempted a shift of topic, a flush of embarrassment radiating from Suzume's face as she realized how much of a bother this must all have been for him. "Oh, y-yeah, of course."

She inspected the table top again, as if taking in the food atop it for the first time. Taking the coffee, which, while not cold, was considerably cooler than it had been when Sousuke first served it., she held it clasped between both hands. "My apologies for the Storm Lord's vacancy." She kept her words as regal as she could manage, though her inexperience only served to make her attempts almost sound like mockery. "Wait did I..." she suddenly interjected, unsure if she had already dispensed the apology. Her mind was still rattled from the earlier discovery and the presence of the ex-kage was not making her mind work with any degree of clarity.

"How are..." she took a moment to glance around the room, searching for an appropriate topic of conversation that must have seen sitting on a shelf nearby. Suddenly an idea came to her, a topic that the Steward and Nabushin might have actually discussed, and one she knew next to nothing about. "the situation with the Daimyo? All I have heard are rumors and stuff." Politics disinterested her, and even small scale village politics would be a difficult thing for her to swallow, but if there ever was a better time to acclimate herself with them, it would be while Nabushin was still alive and kicking. A bit of confidence roiled within her, having done a suitable topic shift, as she had been requested. With a small smirk, she took a sip of the coffee, her face contorting slightly from the sudden stark bitterness that heartily clashed with her earlier drink.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke tapped his fingers on the desk. In his attempt to change the topic of conversation it seemed that again they would return to the concept of Jashin because that is what the Daimyo prayed to. He would give Suzume a very serious look. "The Daimyo, it is not well known, but he is a practitioner of Jashin. Oddly enough his son has been a practitioner longer than he has been."<i></i> Sousuke would state quite bluntly. He would blink a few times. "Were you intending to return to this topic by proxy...? I have to think not, but sometimes the mind unconsciously makes a decision to peruse knowledge."<i></i> Sousuke had to honestly consider it for a moment. He would look to Suzume fully expectant of an answer of the child.

"Which rumors are you referring to? There's quite a few to be honest. The concept of the country having a slave trade? Yes. That is true sadly. I have been ... intercepting their caravans and freeing them."<i></i> He paused and considered another rumor. "There is also the rumor that ... the Daimyo is amassing a force of individuals to replace us ... or perhaps the rumor that it was him who hired the Cabal to attack us?"<i></i> There were numerous rumors. "I will say that indeed the Daimyo is indeed trying to destroy us, and yes we declared war against them out in the open. His war against us was declared in secret since before even I was born."<i></i> The Steward would add. "Are those the rumors you were wishing to confirm?"<i></i>

 

[Kazumi]

Sousuke's stare bore down onto Suzume, shrinking her already small frame down to an even diminutive form. Hearing that the leader that your village supposedly swore fealty to, as the ruler of the country they resided it, was a follower was a blow to one's world, but the accusative stare that Sousuke was giving her made that seem almost insignificant in comparison. "N-n-n-no, I-I promise!" It would have been a sneaky tactic to be sure, but it was one her conscious mind was not adept enough to make. "I... I just, you had mentioned him and I.. I was just curious."

Feeling like she was six inches high at best, Suzume closed her mouth and stared down at the table as Sousuke rolled off one harsh truth after another. The Oushi-Ouja clan were not only physically protective of her, but information was also difficult to come by, even if they were not intentionally dulling her knowledge of the world. "I... I had just." Slaves, Cults, the Cabal, War? That was a lot of harsh facts to give a hardened veteran, much less a nervous girl trying to impress her idol. "I had.. heard he was coming to visit." She had far forgotten where she had heard that, such trivialities had long since scattered to the winds under his stare.

Suzume shifted awkwardly and nervously in her chair, suddenly feeling very very along without one of the clansmen to protect her, even if she cursed their presence at any other opportunity. Without warning, she suddenly stood up from her chair and gave Sousuke a deep rigid bow of respect, her eyes slightly reddened from self back tears. He hadn't truthfully done much, but even a passing remark from one so revered can have strong repercussions for those who hold them in such high regard. "I-I'll send Storm Lord Nabushin your regard and... I am sure he will want a meeting with you h-himself soon." She raised herself up from her bow, adding in a less formal tone, " And... I am sorry, I... I didn't mean to." She wasn't going to cry, she told herself, biting her lips together as she looked over towards him, refusing to meet his gaze again.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

It would seem that Suzume was once again flustered? Distressed? Upset? The child stuttered on numerous occasions. Sousuke would answer the child when she had stated about the Daimyo visiting. Sousuke shook his head no. "I'm sorry to say this but ... you were misinformed about the Daimyo visiting us."<i></i> He clarified. "If he was visiting us the Daimyo would be visiting us with his army. If he ever did We would repel him and throw him out as we do not answer to him. Sungakure is its own independent city state in Wind Country, much like Soon's Sanctuary."<i></i> Sousuke observed Suzume. The heir to the Storm Lady title was very much ... well not informed. It would seem that she was receiving a firsthand lesson in wind country politics from the Steward.

Suzume would get up and bow, her gesture was overly rigid and too formal. This was not what Sousuke wanted. He caught glances of her eyes which were red, which meant that she was on the verge of crying. Sousuke got up from his chair and kneeled. The sound of clicking could be heard as his metallic legs bent. If she were looking at his feet, she would see that the Steward was far more machine like than merely just his arm. The Steward would put his hands on her shoulders. "You are the future of your clan. You stand to inherit the title and responsibilities that ... that ... that will take a significant amount of time to adjust to."<i></i> He spoke steadily. The Steward shook his head and hung it in shame. "We are living in turbulent and difficult times, but we will endure. Your clan's task is to protect you, but ... there are things you will need to learn sooner rather than later. As their clan head, they will protect you, but you must protect them as well. Sometimes you will need to learn things that are not easy to accept at first."<i></i> He explained. "I did not take it so well to learn that a slave trade exists in this Country still. It should have been abolished ... as it did after the defeat of Homura and Fuujin. I've been fighting this ... this cancerous thing in secret and in the dark."<i></i> He paused and exhaled. He released Suzume's shoulders. He remained kneeling. "Roku and Lord Katuso dragged my fight against the Daimyo into the light when they declared war. I may not truly agree with it, but it is something that has been done. When you fight something in the light, everything becomes crystal clear compared to the opaque nature of fighting things in the dark. It is and always be easier to conceal what one must in the dead of night. In the light everything becomes visible, your purpose, your reasons, those you care about. I've been fighting this slave war in the dead of night where my features and armours are hidden by the darkness of the night. It becomes easier in the context that I become difficult to track or ... my enemy becomes aware of who they're truly dealing with."<i></i> Did the Diamyo know it was the Steward of Sungakure who was shutting him down one block at a time. There was always this habit to underestimate the autistic or eccentric Steward of Sungakure. If Sousuke was left to his own devices he would in fact figure out a way to kill death itself. Who truly knew what Takahashi Sousuke the third was capable of?

"No. I know you did not mean to."<i></i> He shrugged. "Being the head of the clan means more than just being strong, it involves being clever and knowing politics. Now. Would you like me to educate you in the latter of the two?"<i></i> He almost formed a smile. "Postive sum gain, zero sum gain, negative positive gain."<i></i> All political theory, and for some very boring... Sousuke looked to Suzume trying to guage whether or not she was interested in his offer. More importantly this was his attempt to ... well, make better of a seemingly bad situation.

[MFT]

 

[Kazumi]

Hearing him stand, her head tilted upwards slightly, just in time to see him kneeling in front of her. She still could not bring herself to meet his gaze, her eyes drawn down to the sound she heard come from his artificial legs. She used to think it was the coolest thing, that he was able to do so much with those wounds. She did not know how much of him had been replaced by prosthetic components, but sometimes she wondered if he would have been happier not having to stand back up and keep fighting. To be hurt so badly to be on the brink of death and to know that you can't let yourself just languish in your wounds, but to be forced to pick yourself back up time and time again.

The sudden touch of his hand on her shoulder's broke her mind away from their drifting thoughts, jolting her to look to him directly as he spoke, her eyes slightly red. "Why would you have to hide that?" She asked with passionate confusion, "no one in any of the countries would stand for that? If people knew that was going on...?" Her words drifted to silence as she thought on it. This was the smartest and most dedicated man in the village, as far as she was concerned, if he did it it was for a reason. Surely people wouldn't allow such a thing to persist, right? Who was she to question any of this.

Her eyes averted once more, straying over to the coffee machine as her idle thoughts tried to wrap her head around concepts far beyond her understanding of the world. That is until he started rambling random words about positives, negatives, gains and sums. Her gaze shifted back to him as she blankly mutters, "what?" Suzume proceeded to stare at him in confusion for a moment, lost in her own bewilderment before shaking herself back to attention. "I mean... I don't think I could. I don't think you should waste your valuable time on stuff like that. My.. situation at the academy aside, I am no where near as smart as you. As smart as any of you all, I can't even like... hold a candle to it." Part of her knew that was something she would have to learn, if she wasn't ejected from her tenuous position as Future Storm Lady, that is.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"The Daimyo has ... he's established himself with a strong foundation. People live in terror of it and do not rise up to fight it."<i></i> He began, "If the Daimyo knew what I was doing in the open, he would flip it to make it look like I was the one enslaving people. He would then proceed to send people into Sand and kidnap or hurt those I care for most. I've done battle with his son twice now, it is not outside of his logic to do so again."<i></i> The second part of her question he would answer, "People at the highest position in a country care little for what happens in other countries. People are willing to look the other way when money is involved, or maintaining the status quo. That ... is an unfortunate part in the political game. Unfortunately I do not know how well the Daimyo has made himself look to the other countries. He, perhaps, has made himself to look like a respectable leader who is ... trying to unify a country that is far too shattered."<i></i>

Sousuke shook his head. "Your situation at the academy is far better than mine. I'm certain your grades were better than mine at your age. Many people call me a genius, but people do not realize being a genius has a cost."<i></i> He would reach into his shirt pocket and produce a single silver ring. "Keep this safe for me won't you?"<i></i> It was a summoning contract ring he hand in his hands. He would open her hand and place it in her palm. "Should you ever wish to command the respect of many, you will need to learn politics. My family a long time ago established an agreement with a household of insects. Such an agreement was established through politics. That you need to be mindful of."<i></i> He would close her fingers around the summoning contract ring. "Most people like to forget that I had a learning disability ... and forget that I am autistic. If I didn't have those problems, what kind of a position would I be in then?"<i></i> He spoke trying to inspire her in what way he could. "Next Friday. Seven o'clock. You tell me where you wish to meet."<i></i>

(OOC: Giving Suzu access to the insect contract)

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume could only come to one realization as she listens to Sousuke speak of the Daimyo and his nefarious scheming: People were terrible. The man before her gave up much of his life, risking it time and time again, and people would just believe what some rich ruler said over him? Suzume couldn't understand it, but that was the way the harsh reality worked. Sunagakure was certainly not just the persecuted village that Suzume believed it to be, there was likely good reason for the Daimyo's fears, but that was far outside Suzume's sphere of understanding. As he finished, planting the notion that somehow the Daimyo could be seen as a great unifier, she could do nothing but shake her head in disgust.

As he reached into his shirt pocket, she quickly interjected, "I wouldn't be so certain about-" Her words were cut short as he produced the ring, eyeing its beauty and craftsmanship. Without protest he easily placed the item into her palm, she looked up to him to protest but the words died on her lips. Instead she looked back down of it, the mere though of all these political nuances gnawing at her brain. "Isn't it just a way to trick people into believing stuff that isn't true?" That was all it meant to her at the moment. Why couldn't people just see the objective truths and accept them for what they were? Sousuke and Sand is good. Daimyo and those people were bad. It had to simply be that simple.

Idly, she began to rub at the ring in her hand, unsure exactly what to say as he proposed a time to tutor her. Suddenly a quick rapt at the door was followed one of his assistants peeking inside. "Apologies my Lord Steward, but your four o'clock appointment is here. The caravan leader about the construction supplies you had wished for." If given any sort of affirmation, the assistant would give a respectful nod and vacate the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to take up so much of your time." Fifteen minutes was not much, but the meeting had simply intended to be a greeting and introduction. It certainly was not meant to grow in scope as far as it had. "Oh! Umm... I am going to be getting ready to head to Tea with Samejima Naoki later this week, for the tournament. Can we... can we schedule it for sometime right after that?" She saw the clock far behind Sousuke tick to one past four and she gave him a quick respectful bow, her hand tightening over the momentarily forgotten ring. "Thank you again for your understanding, sir." She would wait a few moments as he made his parting remarks before excusing herself out the cracked door, shifting past the rotund man that stood impatiently just outside Sousuke's office door.

[Topic Exiting]