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Post by NAKIGAHARA JUN on Feb 28, 2011 12:29:02 GMT -5
“Its probably for the best,” she said, twirling her pipe about her fingertips in order to dump out the ashes, “This forest is supposed to be very dangerous as you venture forth. Not that I have seen them, but they say oni and akuma roam these darkened woods at night. My charms tend to keep Setsugetsuka Shrine safe from the supernatural and my traps keep humans at bay.
“I have thought about leaving, but after so much time in this forest, I don’t know that I could lead a life in a town amongst a bunch of people... I’m a bit of a loner by nature and the past decade has done nothing for my social skills.” She laughed a bit, “But this is my home, I’ve grown to enjoy its charms.”
She nodded, “Usually every boys’ dream, not usually the lifestyle a normal girl wants to get involved in. I sort of fell into it, dressed like a man, wore a mask,” She made her voice deep and booming, “and talked in a really deep scary voice.” She laughed, in disbelieve that that was how she used to get by. “But trust me, I’m as much as a badass now as I was then. I might be better off, my sight isn’t narrowed by a mask. The Shichinihonto no Samurai is what they called me, the Samurai of Seven Blades. Though it was really only five, it was still pretty impressive.”
What could she say, she liked talking about herself! |
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Post by TAKAMI SHIRO on Feb 28, 2011 13:32:35 GMT -5
"Booby traps at a shrine... Something tells me that you've already encountered a bit of hosility here." He looked from the red-tressed woman and out onto the river. It relaxed him a bit and his hand moved a little ways away from his musket strap.
The man blinked as he kept himself from zoning out and stayed focused on what she was saying. He looked over at the woman as she changed her voice and he stifled a laugh, which eventually gave way to him actually laughing. He put his hands behind him and leaned back, using his hands for support he looked back out at the moving water. "You know, that wasn't that bad. I prefer your regular voice though. I hear enough bombastic voices on a daily basis."
Shiro felt somewhat comfortable around the woman. He wasn't sure if it was actually her, or the scenary in front of him, but it caused his to take the musket from his back. He laid the firearm across his lap with the barrel facing the opposite direction of the woman. "If not being able to interact with people is what you're referring to, I've gotta let you know that you're doing a pretty good job right now." He pulled out his ammunition pouch and set it on the ground next to him as he paused. He went through the process of loading his weapon and spoke without really looking up at the woman, "Besides. Taonori is pretty small. I like it. Its a pretty quiet place and noone really knows about it. If they do, they come to play on the sand and be on their way."
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Post by NAKIGAHARA JUN on Feb 28, 2011 13:50:53 GMT -5
“A bit? Some hot shot shogun who wouldn’t stop blabbing about uniting Japan tried to kidnap me because of some apparent ‘girl that can kick his ass’ fetish. He almost got me to his castle but he didn’t take it into account that I could, well, kick his ass. Up until then I really had no problems from the outside world, aside from like I said, the occasional swordsman seeking me out.” She removed her sandals and dipped her legs in the brisk water as she did earlier, “You know I’m a bit famous around these parts, its a well known fact that a skilled samurai lives in these woods.
She covered her her entire face with her hands, looking between her fingers to make some sort of makeshift hand mask, making the same booming voice, “You don’t prefer taking orders from one like this?!” She burst out laughing, the thought that people feared her act was incredible to her, but it worked at the time, and her scariness allowed her to go to different bath houses to extend her cover. You have to work with what you’ve got sometimes. “Who talks to you like that?”
“I suppose I’m bearable in a one on one situation, I do journey into town every now and again to pick up supplies that I can’t make on my own... like sake, and... well mostly sake. It’s not like I’ve been in complete solitude all this time. Your home sounds nice. Perhaps someday I could visit.”
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Post by TAKAMI SHIRO on Feb 28, 2011 15:09:23 GMT -5
He laughed as she made her makeshift mask and spoke in her false voice. He closed his ammuntions pouch and put it back into his pocket and looked over at her. This woman was really something else. He was a bit shocked at her change, yet was relieved at the same time. He had honestly hoped that the tough voice he encountered at first was a defense mechanism. His relief to learn that it was, was nearly impossible to measure.
"No I just like your regular voice," He stated in a matter-of-fact tone and shrugged, "Besides.. I don't take orders from people anymore. They tell me my job and I don't interact with them again until its done so I can collect my pay. I just work with a lot of men and their voices are naturally that way."
The mercenary scratched the back of his neck for a moment, and smiled at her comment about his home. He nodded in agreement and ran his finger along the designs on his musket. He even got to a point where there were notches engraved in the stock and he narrowed his eyes at. "Yeah, Taonori is a real nice place. You should come back with me. I'll bring you back here whenever you're ready." He said smiling over to her.
He lifted his musket and aimed out over the water, seeing a few trees on the other side of the river. He blinked and grinned and without noticing it, spoke aloud "I wonder if I can hit one of those in the center of the trunk from here.." Without another moment's hesistation he turned his head to her, the musket still aiming out at the trees, "How far do you think that is from us?"
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Post by NAKIGAHARA JUN on Feb 28, 2011 15:31:35 GMT -5
The more she spoke with this mercenary, the more the idea of leaving her shrine appealed to her. If not only for a while, it would be good to broaden her horizons for the first time in a decade. This and with the threat of war looming over the horizon, she would be sitting in the middle of a pressure cooker over the course of the next few months. New sights, new sake... but what of her shrine?
Though it had become somewhat of a prison to her it was certainly a part of her. Then again the Setsugetsuka Shrine was prepared to fend off a small army, and any fool who ignored her sign stepped foot on in this clearing would be hit harder than they could possibly imagine.
“Could you hit it? Probably... I assume that if you carry around such a ridiculous instrument you’d better be able to use it. I certainly couldn’t, my sight is not as good as it could be.” She said, pulling down the lower eyelid of her blinded eye and sticking out her tongue, an akanbe.
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Post by TAKAMI SHIRO on Feb 28, 2011 15:46:35 GMT -5
He blinked and looked at the woman and raised his eyebrow. "Probably?" He chuckled at the thought. Just as she prided herself with her swordsmanship, he did the same with his marksmanship. He was often known to hit his targets as long as he could see them. He grinned and turned back towards the tree, putting his musket back into its firing position. "Alright then.. how about this.. You come to Taonori with me. If I can hit that tree, you stay there for a few months with me.. if not. You can leave when you like. Deal?"
Right after he made his proposition he stuck his tongue back out at the rounin, stood to his feet, and aimed once more. Aligning the top of his barrel with what he could see was a little above the center of the tree's trunk. He knew that she would think about the offer for a while and before waiting on her to answer, her inhaled deeply and let it all out in a sigh. After doing so, his arms stilled and his shot was lined up how he wanted and he pulled the trigger. A puff of smoke appeared from the weapon as the bullet was fired, along with a loud "bang".
He looked down at the woman and loosened the strap of his musket again, slinging the unloaded weapon across his chest again. "Well. There a walk way over there or de we have to get wet?" He asked looking at the river for a moment.
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Post by NAKIGAHARA JUN on Feb 28, 2011 15:51:54 GMT -5
“Fine.”
Nakigahara answered rather quickly, seeing as she had been pondering the thought for most of the conversation and over the last few days. “If you hit it, I will stay with you.”
She watched him steady his breath and shoot, the bang caused her to jump slightly, surprising her, even though she had known it was coming. “And we’re going to have to get wet!”
With these words she shoved the mercenary into the river, dropping her sword and jumping in after him.
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Post by TAKAMI SHIRO on Feb 28, 2011 16:04:32 GMT -5
He blinked as he felt her hands pushing against him. From instinct, Shiro threw his musket onto the ground and reached into his pocket and threw his ammunition pouch next to it, just as he hit the water. Making a splash, the large mercenary surfaced and looked around for the woman. I can't believe she did that. He thought to himself and then after a moment he grinned, Then again.. yeah I can.
Without a signal he looked over to the trees where he fired his bullet and started swimming that way. He was anxious to see how he did, though he disguised it. He was pretty confident in his abilities, and this would be a test for himself. He hadn't fired his musket at a far target in a long time... and the fact that if he hit the tree that she'd stay with him in Taonori played a big role in his anxiety as well.
Reaching the other side of the river, Shiro pulled himself on to the land and waited there for Nakigahara, just in case she needed his held getting out of the river. He had a feeling that she wouldn't need his help, nor accept it, but he was gonna wait around just in case. He did look for the tree though, using his peripheral vision for any straches on bark. He grinned as he saw something, from where he was standing it looked to be a round indention in one of the trunks, though he kept it to himself until the woman surfaced.
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Post by NAKIGAHARA JUN on Feb 28, 2011 23:44:46 GMT -5
He was right to assume that she would not need or want his help, dragging herself out of the river and emerging drenched in the cold water, causing her clothing to stick to her skin, intensifying the coldness. The sensation littered her skin with goosebumps, as it took a few seconds for her to adjust to the temperature.
Ringing out what she could from her clothing, she kept walking towards the tree to see whether or not the mercenary had hit his target, standing beside him and squinting her right eye to try to focus her vision on the tree... she couldn’t see a thing.
“Shall we then?” She proceeded onward.
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Post by TAKAMI SHIRO on Feb 28, 2011 23:58:52 GMT -5
Shiro nodded and looked her over, liking the way her clothes stuck to her body. He chuckled and whisteled at her teasingly and started walking towards the tree. He stopped a little bit in front of the tree as he could clearly see the hole that his bullet made in the trunk. He moved closer and put his hand against it, prying the bullet from the trunk. "Well well... Looks like you're coming to Taonori."
He smiled at her and held out his hand for her to hand her the bullet. He couldn't have used a trick because he left his pouch back on the shore, throwing them out of his pocket quickly when she pushed him in to the river and the bullet was still warm. He was impressed that he was still able to hit a target from that great of a distance, even if it was a still target.
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Post by NAKIGAHARA JUN on Mar 1, 2011 0:20:45 GMT -5
His playful whistle was received with a less than playful punch to the jaw from Nakigahara’s left hand. This was no rascally love tap from the average fragile woman, this was a stiff hit from the hardened fist of a trained warrior. Shaking off her hand, she continued her walk as they approached the tree.
“I guess I am. Give me a chance to pack up some things, we should leave before nightfall. I’d be safe, but I don’t have any lucky charms for you.” She nodded, turning around and walking in a serpentine pattern and back to her shrine. While there, she proceeded to grab all seven of her blades, a bag of raggedy clothing, her lightweight armor, and a large container of what would appear to be sake.
Before leaving, the shrine she kneeled down and said a silent prayer, putting out the candles which were lit on her alter like table. “Here goes nothing...” She said as she exited the curtains, knowing that if her home were destroyed, it would take a few hundred men down with it.
Seeing the tall mercenary, she through her bag at him. “Bakayarou! Be a gentleman. Jeez.” |
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Post by TAKAMI SHIRO on Mar 1, 2011 0:28:16 GMT -5
The hit landed home and the mercenary didn't show it, but on the inside he started to laugh. He put his hand on the spot that was hit by the woman and grinned. Well well. This'll be very very interesting. He thought to himself as she acknowledged her going with him.
He followed her back to her shrine, slinging his musket across his chest again and putting his rounds in his pocket. He rubbed the spot on his jaw that she had hit earlier and he whistled a song that he knew too well as he waited on her to come back out of the shrine. He sighed as he closed his eyes and tied his katana to his sash, glad that he had so little to get ready with.
Hearing her voice, Shiro turned to look at the door of the shrine. As the bag flew at him, the mercenary caught it without trouble and slung it over his shoulder. "I am a gentleman.. and the name is Takami Shiro." He said as he gave her a smile, waiting on her to lead the path, knowing that he'd probably fall prey to another booby trap if he tried to lead.
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