[Deleted]

A hot springs was an unlikely occurrence for Sozin to have turned up at, because it was a luxury and luxury was not a thing that this particular man could not afford: frugal and poor, even for a councilman. Akira had learned at an expense that it had to do with a history of past gambling, and that as a result a large portion of any type of salary was being taken and it would continue to be that way for a while. So, he had to either do additional work, or get his needs taken care for him by using his political advantages, like taking advantage of the hospitality of an allied country - all the while actually doing his job. This efficiency is what had led him to some of the smaller countries, ones with less shinobi, less regulation and more diverse backgrounds.

He had, however, finished doing a task for a client and did need to write a report, but the opportunity had arisen for him to stay at that client's many estates that happened to be around the area.

"Welcome to Aozora Ryokan! We don't have any private rooms left. Are you here for our baths?" The woman behind the counter asked. "I've been offered a room here by Tatsumisho-san?" Sozin would ask. "Junichi Sozin? That's right! We can definitely get you set up here." So apparently they did have rooms for those who were special. Well. Special enough when they were having work done for them, and it also likely helped that he was a councillor of a larger militarised nation than where he was currently.

So - a key was given, and a room he was led to. Did he himself deserve a break? Would the brain nor chide him for his choices, having a relaxation session instead of performing for his Lord? Did he not deserve a break either? It was a hard sell, but like all bodies - they needed to rest in some fashion. If not physically: then mentally. The boons their lord gave was more than enough for him to survive, so as he entered the room - he put his things down, kept the door open and began to pray by the bed that was open in the middle of the room. It was good enough, but he set his head down across the bed, hands held up in prayer whilst he knelt.

It was best to come prepared if not at all. Asking for forgiveness in transgression, accepting of his error in humanity as all humans were imperfect and how he would do any bidding if called upon. Unknowing if it fell to deaf ears or not, he could not assume to know the powers of the Gods. But - it did free him of some Guilt, knowing that he would stand to attention if he were ordered to from afar.

The night was long, but in the recent couple of weeks that he'd had, emotionally (since believe it or not, he did have emotions) needed to have a break. Hopefully there would be a way to expunge it, so that he could continue his mission with a clear mind and a clear conscience.

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{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - Beautiful first post!

"Ran-san! We've been expecting you!"

The voice of a young hostess dressed in a clothed yukata greeted Ryuujin Shiina at the entrance of Aozora Ryokan. It was quite an honor to have someone wait and attend to you before you even stepped foot into an establishment. It went to show just how often the purple-haired woman frequented the place and how much money she spent there. She had always had the air of a sophisticated individual, although spend lavishly she did not. She spent mostly other people's money, wealthy diplomats who knew no better than to cross paths with her. Under the stage name Ran, meaning purple orchids, she had found herself in many bars, restaurants and ryokans during the years she had been a neukenin, usually spending the night talking to lonely men who only wanted a person to lend an ear. Sometimes there were men who wanted more though, to which she used her smooth talking to defer, those who went too far down the road of mere infatuation to the façade she carefully crafted. Some would say that she was like a hostess, selling her time and beauty for money, to which she readily disagreed.

She wasn't selling her time and beauty for money. She was selling them for knowledge.

As a neukenin, she had learned the ways of the trade. There was never a handbook written for how a neukenin was to survive without the protection of a village and a country. In fact, it was because there was a lack of one that she learned to think on her feet, to use the two things she was born with (beauty and words) to her advantage. Shiina learned that there was more to the world than just getting what she wanted through brute strength. Of course, as a shinobi she fared well, well above most one would say, and would never back down against a challenge if it was thrown her way. But there were other ways, more softer and approachable that she could achieve the same outcome -- which was to get as much intellect as she could.

Why did she need so much knowledge?

The question begged a simple answer. She wanted to be equipped, to be well-rounded in the social and political side of things. She no longer belonged to a village, didn't have to swear allegiance and loyalty to a kage and its council. She was free to do whatever she pleased, so long as she still had a head on her shoulders. This gave her a serious advantage, being able to meet all sorts of people and make connections that could possibly benefit her in the future. And that was how she came to be Ran, a sophisticated and somewhat cold woman with extreme beauty, and how her name would resonate through the lands. It had taken years to perfect this image and identity, but not without its rewards.

Dressed in a dark purple silk kimono tied with a gold and black obi, the young woman walked behind the hostess, through the entrance of the ryokan. She could tell even before she stepped foot in the establishment that it was busy tonight, and was further confirmed of this when the hostess mentioned how they had sold their last private room for the night. Two other hostesses joined her and carried Shiina's bags to her room, while the girl who had waited for her outside ushered her to a little lounge area for guests to enjoy a welcome drink. A bottle of hot sake heated in a little bowl of boiling water over a small fire sat at one of the tables, prepared by the ryokan for the woman.

She was going to enjoy a nice evening of peace and relaxation.

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

For a time he kept praying - not taking notice of those passing. Why else would he need to? Eventually that peace was disturbed by a voice, causing him to look from his sedentary position and stand up.

"Once you're concluded here, please follow me where we invite you to some of our complimentary Sake in our warming welcome lounge! I will wait outside." The woman had appeared from before, and Sozin wouldn't make her wait. The man glanced at the rest of his room and the amenities it provided but otherwise got changed. He did take advantage of the branded robes they'd provided so that he could later enjoy the springs themselves. They weren't uncomfortable, but they were made of a material that would soak up any moisture from his skin if he put them back on after his visit, a method to maintain cleanliness he supposed where it would be easier to change sheets than replace them.

The Herald was eventually led into an open lounge, where others were taking advantage of the pleasure these placed provided: all with their own Sake, soaking in the warmth. Light chatter marked the lounge like a pleasing swan, or similar analogy that could describe the atmosphere as a sweet note from a Shakuhachi. Initially Sozin was sat: given his drink, and left to be. He'd taken a deep breath, running his hand down his chest and on to his thigh and against the coarse material. All things considered this was luxury for him, even more than the quarter's he was provided during his visits to allied nations.

'I need to do more tasks for these people.' Was the thought there: or at least more people like them.

Sozin would stare, then squint - and then back to normal. Probably the only indication of thoughts running through his mind. His mouth opened and then closed. She was similar, familiar, but not the same person. Sozin stood up, and took a nearby seat - quite directly intending to talk to her.

"You look extraordinarily like Sunagakure's former Hancho, Oonakayama Kasumi. Are you related?" Sozin would ask, there was reason for both Sozin and Akira to have that knowledge, but a sister? Her darker skin obviously appealed to Akira. They were in a similar place, having met at a hot-spring before as well. Apples tended not to fall too far from the tree.

But, it always helped to know when to take advantage of a potential benefit, as he nursed a Sake that he didn't intend on drinking in his chest, atop the robe and its positioning showing off a lithe and lean - but not muscular chest. "I'm sorry if I've interrupted your peace..." he offered, by way of politeness. He didn't have any particular game of charm to him, so the tone came across as being polite.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - 

Shiina shifted her kimono slightly before taking a seat at the table. One of the ryokan workers quickly came towards her table with a white cloth. Wrapping her cloth hand around the piping hot sake bottle, the girl took it out of the hot water, pouring the liquid into the small sake cup she had brought to the table with her in her other hand. She placed the cup cautiously on the table, sliding it gently until it reached Shiina, before retiring to the back of the ryokan to resume her other duties. The soft sounds of a koto playing in the distance was soothing to the ears, which provided the perfect compliment to the sake she was about to consume. Taking the cup into her own hand with as much caution as the girl who had served it to her, she wouldn't hesitate to down the cup, throwing her head back with as much grace as her attire called for.

The warm liquid reached the back of her throat, the familiar sensation of high alcohol content filled her senses. But hot sake was very different from other alcohol; it provided a sensation that not only warmed the body, but made it dangerous because of how easy it was to take in. There was not the bitter aftertaste or acidic taste within the mouth as other alcohol seemed to have. It gave a slight burning sensation as the liquid traveled down the throat and finally settled in the stomach, a burn that made one want to drink one cup after another. It was also this sensation which had made the woman love hot sake in the winter, having been first introduced to it by one of her long-lasting civilian friends she met during her travels. It was this sensation that brought her the warmth she sought after, not only to warm her body, but her soul.

Taking the cloth that was now on the table, she poured herself another cup, throwing her head back once more as she emptied it as quickly as she had poured it. The tingling feeling that made her blood flow and warm was addicting. And she would continue to be lost in the drink if she wasn't interrupted at that very moment, realizing that a man had walked up to her table. Setting her sake cup down softly, Shiina would listen to the man. It sounded oddly like a very poorly rehearsed pick-up line, and it was when she looked up to acknowledge the speaker did she understand that whether he was genuinely asking her the question because she looked very familiar or whether it was just a means to strike a conversation, that all didn't matter. He was one handsome man, tall and fair skinned, dressed in the robes provided by the ryokan.

"I believe you have mistaken. I have never traveled to Kaze no Kuni, and subsequently have never met this person of whom you speak of." And yet, her senses heightened at the possibility of being able to gather more intellect. "However, I am most intrigued at the reason behind your inquiry. Do I resemble this Kasumi person of which you speak of?" She motioned for the man to sit down opposite her. "While I have no idea who she is, I am most intrigued to know more..." her voice was merely above a whisper as her eyes locked on his. "Alas, where are my manners. My name is Ran."

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

He would try to believe her even if it didn't appear to be at this time. Lying - was a tool in the arsenal of most Shinobi. Her looks were too similar to discount, but little positive could come from challenging that fact. "I see," her rebuttal seemed - well. All of the information that he'd said answered her query. "Yes, you look like Sunagakure's former Jonin Hancho." He repeated, lowering his voice.

Akira certainly thought that it matched: whether or not it would pass to the likes of her daughter or husband, or internal people in which they relied upon for the day to day duties of the office of their second in command, was not answerable. "Junichi Sozin - Councilman of Kusagakure. Free of home and enemy eyes." He smiled; noting that they were in one of the fewer countries in which their regulations prohibited contact of the kind. It did not fall to him that her name was purple orchid, it matched her hair: was it intentional, chosen, or a by-product of her hair?

"Funnily enough, I'd met her in a Ryokan as well..." Was it dangerous to place Sozin and Akira in the same place, metaphorically? He judged it not to be. "Certainly a sight for sore eyes in the harshness of life." He was indirectly complimenting her by making the comparison. The factor of differentiation, though: was their age. This one was younger, less indications of age. "What brings you to this corner of the world, Ran-san?" Sozin remained polite, while he leaned forward to place the Sake down. Not toward her: just to put it away from himself. He had... no intention to drink. His voice and tone remained soft, silky and with a lilt: the main characterisation of his person.

The workers were coming around with canapes: small treats of things. But that was something that Sozin had never heard of. Being offered one from a tray, Sozin would look at the person: then at the item: a ball of ... chocolate? No. Not quite. "What is this?" Sozin would inquire, picking one up. "It's called a chestnut. If you peel off the skin, the inside is edible." The worker was helpful, her tone was joyful. "Hm. Arigato." Why not, right?

He tried it, it was... soft. Buttery - nutty and earthy. Not bad, not good.

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{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - 

It seemed that Shiina had missed the important part of the man's statement, having stated previously that the person she reminded him of was Sunagakure's Jonin Hancho. An important rank, she mused, trying to recall whether her own village had anyone in that position. But then again, she had left the village for a few years now, her memory of who held which positions was slowly beginning to fade. Her eyes lit up a fraction as the man continued to speak, telling her of his rank as a councilman in the village. "Wow, it seems you hold a very high position in your village..." her voice continued to be just above a whisper. "What does being a councilman entail? Are you extremely important?" The second question was more so a tease, although his answer would provide her with some context as to how to approach him. "My name is Ran, Miitake Ran." The woman lied, knowing that it was all-the-more imperative for her to lie now that he had told her that he was a council member in his village.

The hostess had then brought over some chestnuts, a buttery and soft snack that wasn't readily available to everyone in the village. Roasted chestnuts had a certain way to preparation, and depending on the quality of the nut, it could vary in taste and texture. She had the luxury of having a chestnut that was very sweet, the aromatics that came from the nut overpowering all other human added properties throughout the cooking process. She had also had very poor quality chestnuts, which left a very bitter aftertaste. This one seemed to be alright, not the best but certainly not the worst. As she finished it, the woman turned back to the conversation at hand. "I've always been quite the person for traveling. I enjoy seeing the world, meeting people, and sharing my passions." This wasn't really that far off from the truth, she acknowledged. Shiina loved alcohol and tea, and enjoyed meeting people who shared those passions.

Although she was more inclined to enjoy meeting people who could benefit her with intel as well.

Of course, she left that part out of her answer, especially because she knew now that she was dealing with a shinobi of rank and authority. Every word that came from her mouth must be scrutinized and accessed before she spoke, even more so than her interactions with others. "And you? What brings you here?" She tried to play it off as a nonchalant question, though it peaked her interest what brought a man such as himself to this part of the world. "It seems a little far out for you, if I remember correctly?" The woman was horrible at geography, and even more horrible at directions.

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

"Is it?" Sozin didn't agree: in actuality he was a civilian paper pusher. Yes, he had sway in matters of military but no more than that of the Jonin Hancho. There was some relating to the militaristic matters of the council. But - specifically militaristic made for the War Council, actual say so related to the Jonin Hancho or the Kage themselves, and absolute authority came from the Daimyo.

But, he was also there relating to diplomatic affairs between other affairs: carrying across the messages and the will of Kusagakure no Sato by the decisions made by his superiors. It was a politician's role: something which, a time ago, he'd played the part as an orator. Now, he just carried messages and acted within prescribed limits - and his own agenda. That much, was proactive. "Well. Ran-san. I talk to influential people and I make decisions that affect the lives of thousands of people, but so do a lot of others. I suppose that makes it so? Who am I to say?" It was easy to say that he was being proud, arrogant: when he was being factual. It wasn't as simple as that - but things rarely were. The man wrapped his fingers together, resting atop his belly.

He nodded when she spoke of her passion - many people did. He'd liked to have done that himself in another lifetime. But - it was not so. "I've run rather dry of passion, lately - can I ask what yours are?" It was a genuine question for a man trying to relax himself. Everything he'd liked had dried up.

"It's not as far as you would think, but owing to world relations, it's a long route." It was referring to Iwagakure and Amegakure being in the way of Bird country. If she had a good grasp of geography and world relationships, she might've known that he had to go through Hi no Kuni, River country and then Kaze no Kuni to get there without any enemy interference. "And money talks - so, perhaps like you, we all take work to better our own lives." Again another honest answer, though he wouldn't regard how the only way he was sat there today was because of good will and not because he could personally afford it.

But, he smiled - not to her, but as his focus softened on the peripheral world around him, the smile slowly disappeared.

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[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - 

If ever she had met someone who was actually 'difficult' to talk to according to her standards, it would be Sozin. It wasn't that he was boring, in fact, quite the contrary, he seemed like such an interesting character. What caught her off-guard was how much of her intellectual equal, if she dared to make such a comparison, he was to her. If not, her superior, she thought to herself. The words parting his lips seemed philosophical in their own right, which to a lot of people who were not sophisticated as they were, it would fall to deaf ears. She had the privilege of having one too many such conversations, where she had questioned whether there was a brain in the others' head to process thought, that she knew a smart person when she met one.

And this man was more than smart...

She couldn't help but wonder though, even as he spoke, what this feeling was that he seemed to be giving her with his mere words. He wasn't saying anything exotic or out of ordinary, and yet the way he phrased his words, it just seemed different than most. "My passions lie in alcohol and tea, even though those two things don't seem to have any connection with one another aside from the obvious fact that they are both liquids." She had admittedly been one of those people who decided to travel the world and meet people who shared her passion of either or. "Why have you run dry of passion, if I may ask?" She had hit that point in her life one too many times, but then again, it was more so imposed on her when people were constantly trying to have her head, especially when she first became a neukenin.

"Am I right to assume that you are quite money-focused, or at least money-driven?" She was of course referring to his statement of how money often drove the world to do things. The woman would then flag one of the hostess to the table, asking for another bottle of sake. "Would you join me in a drink, Sozin-san? I prefer atsukan or hot sake, but if you wish to have something else, please don't hesitate." Another desire to simply get to know this rather mysterious man, she hoped he would take her up on the drink offer. From her memory, a little alcohol always seemed to go a long way in these social circumstances.

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

Alcohol and tea? He had been a fan of tea once. Alcohol - he couldn't stand. There had been a time for both things. But, it allowed Sozin to ask a follow up question which was usually good for showing interest in people.

So, the age old question. "Do you have a particular temperature you like your steeping?" He had drunk tea non-stop before, and it was one of the great debates among tea drinkers. Some advocated a higher temperature for a lower period, before transferring to a cup that was of a particular kind to provide the 'best' quality tasting was best. Others said a lower temperature, longer steep, same cup was adequate because tea was tea and tea leaves were going to produce a certain flavour based on its quality.

But, those were now pointless facts inside his mind that remained. He didn't find those as being great passions, but he supposed - it was a vice and vices came in many forms from smoking to food to training. Toward the end of his last life, he'd been into woodworking: but had since not performed any of those things. Sozin was always... so busy.

But the question was returned on him - why? Why indeed. It was difficult to just say that he had died and was reborn, so clearly that would not cut it as a response. "Bad things happen to Shinobi whether we like it or not." It was a sad smile that he produced - but he wasn't bothered in the slightest. Sozin would let Ran infer that all she liked while being soft on her features. But the follow up question - on his focus. Sozin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ran-san. I don't drink and I'm not motivated by money. Money can be a means to an end, I mean-" He used his hands to gesture around him. "I'm comforted, calm: this is pleasing. This is facilitated by money, so I can't say there is zero motivation." But Sozin leant forward. "But, good company is both infrequent and invaluable in my line of work." Everyone wanted something, and the woman in return seemed to have wits about her: perhaps he'd drawn an inference too quickly about the type of people who frequented these places, but would try to keep his mind open about it.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - 

"Do you have a particular temperature you like your steeping?"

The century-long debate of a question was not one that surprised Shiina. In fact, through her travels, she had practically been asked by everyone who heard her love of tea. Giving a wane smile, she glanced at Sozin. "I suppose since neither you or I are that particular about tea, at least not a tea professional I assume, I'll answer this question as truthfully as my mind allows. I have no preference, although I cannot stand lukewarm tea." She grimaced even at the thought. "There are much more important questions than that one that people seem to have no trouble agreeing on when it comes to tea though, but my vice is anything that is prepared with care." She leaned forward to match Sozin, "For care is far more important than the temperature. With care comes attention to detail, which then makes whether you have tea in one cup or transfer it into another a point not worthy of discussion."

She was a matcha tea lover, having been graced with the teachings of a tea master for a couple of years to learn the art. She learned that there was more to tea than just the tea itself, that the atmosphere, the ometanashi (hospitality) a host showed their guest and the timing of drinking tea all played factors that either consciously or subconsciously affected the drinker. "Of course, I am not ignoring the fact that the tea leaves and where it originates, as well as the cultivation time and processes play a factor to a good cup of tea. I simply expect that a debate about things like temperature of the water be the last on people's minds for debating purposes." Shiina leaned back against her chair, having caught the man's obvious dislike of alcohol. This was no deal-breaker, in terms of them being friends, for not all of her friends enjoyed it the way or to the degree that she did.

But it was what he said after that peaked her interest.

"I suppose that is true. Money is after all, never a means to an end, but subsidiary and compliment to what we have." She didn't fail to notice that this man chose his words rather carefully. In fact, as she had noticed since the beginning of their conversation, he chose his words too carefully, one would think, but it was the intellect he showed that truly amazed her. "And you are most correct about good company. Those who walk the earth thinking too little seem to be the majority nowadays. I hope I am deemed as the good company to which you speak of though..."

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

And her answer showed to Sozin that she wasn't lying when she responded in the way she did. Sozin nodded. He also hated lukewarm tea. He'd remembered sitting over his desk, amassing cups on cups of the stuff - all half, or a quarter empty because they'd gotten lukewarm. She was well reasoned too - not bad, for someone she had just met. It was like he was being judged as well, as businessmen tended to when scoping out beneficial allies and deals, she had welcomed a conversation with grace, with humility - frankly, with skill. So when the ladies had come around with a drink, he used the two primary fingers to cut away from him. A 'no thank you' gesture.

Sozin nodded again, listening to hear her rather than waiting to reply. They agreed on that point, where money was the great facilitator to a comfier lifestyle, some people thought differently. Many - it was a conduit to all things great and all things evil it seemed. The village ran on it, the Daimyo provided it and the people paid it.

"I'd.... known herbalists. The type of people to grow things in greenhouses. They swear by leaf quality over how it's done. Only the very rich and very poor seem to care deeply about it, and the majority don't need to know notes, tones or whether a leaf is particularly 'herby' or 'citrusy'" Akira fondly remembered the conversation even if he had held his own views on it at the time. So when it came to her own engagement in their two-way conversation, he would nod - slowly blinking and reopening them

"Yes. Heh." Sozin chuckled very briefly, but who could know until the silences set in, if that would be comfortable or not? Sozin himself was comfortable with strangers in silence, he could not have said the same for other relationships, but this he knew at a minimum. So, she knew a bit about him - he had learned some of her hobbies. "And what is it you do, Ran-san?" Sozin would ask back of her.

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[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - 

Shiina nodded her head at Sozin's words, knowing full well what he meant. She could care less about tea leaves, where they were cultivated and everything in-between. She cared about how it would be brought o life, and how the drinker could possibly feel when they drank the tea. It was more about the emotions than the technicalities. She smiled at him waving away some sake, picking up on his dislike for the drink. She would however, welcome it, as she waved to the hostess to bring the drink originally meant for Sozin to her instead. "And what is this?" She looked at the clear liquid and immediately knew it was either atsukan or reishu. "It's reishu..." the colder of the two sake. Shiina nodded her head and motioned with her hand for the girl to put it down in front of her. Even though she often preferred atsukan on a cold day, reishu calmed her body in times of stress.

Was she stressed?

That was really an unknown, even to Shiina herself. Despite having an indication that she enjoyed Sozin's company, knowing his title had really caught her off-guard. There were many tough conversations to be had, she knew, and so it wasn't a surprise to her when he asked her about her occupation. Of course, the woman was not going to blurt out that she was a neukenin. Taking the cup of reishu in her hand, she threw her head back, the chilling liquid provided an almost electric surge to her throat and down to her stomach. "I deal with tea, on a regular basis. In fact, my occupation has almost everything to do with it." She put down her cup, knowing full well that she hadn't given the man a direct answer. It would be up to his interpretation and even any follow-up questions if he seemed truly interested.

For now, being vague was her only safe play.

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

"Tea? Here's me preaching to the choir, then." Sozin would laugh. Of all the people to talk to Tea about, it was the person who had made it their life.

People genuinely found things they wanted to do for life. His family had previously all been herbalists: and they were happy with that fact. Otehrs would be builders for thirty years, fourth or fifth generational blacksmiths. Eighth generation of shoemakers: the list went on and on for everything in the world. So, there were always valuable things for someone to dedicate their time to. "That is interesting, I feel as though I'd brought a person's work into their down time. I'm sorry for that."

But it was truthful: he didn't want always talk about political affiliation and discussions or have to talk about paperwork when he wasn't working. The benefit was that he was always working, so it wasn't entirely relevant. What did he want here out of the woman before him. Had he really come, to chat, or had he really expected it to be Kasumi? No, he told himself. Sozin had seen that it was not her from the get-go.

"I'm due to enter the waters soon, I was hoping, God willing, you'd like to join me? I haven't been in one in a long time." Sozin was being mature on the subject, and he would easily have found someone to talk to if at all in there if she did not - unless he was about to be peddled into a private one. Because he'd never been, he didn't have a reference for the routine in the establishment, if this was a place he couldn't afford then surely they'd be in a higher class than what he was used to? For intents and purposes, it would also tell him some of her personality and a judgement toward him. If he were found in wanting - a pervert, it would become so. If she were confident and a woman of integrity, she might've said no. If she was a woman of integrity and just generally uninterested, then she might've also said no. People tended to have boundless variations of personalities that meant he couldn't have fully known what her response might've been.

But in the interest of a business man? He could thought she would say yes, or he would not have asked her. And - a fine woman too? A bonus.

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{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - @akira

NOTES - 

Shiina waved any and all apologies from Sozin. There was practically no need for any such thing, especially with her. "To be fair, I brought it upon myself, so you are not to blame. I suppose it comes with the job." She smiled at him reassuringly. Tea was almost her everything, if one discounted the shaminsen and dancing. It was one-third of her everything, to be exact. "I am a geisha, so I live and breathe tea. My personality can also be summed up with dancing and playing instruments." There had been a moment when Shiina had been extremely hesitant to tell people of this profession, especially given its connotations. She knew that those of the 'lower' class as she called it equated geisha to oiran but she assumed, given the sophistication Sozin displayed, that he was from that.

She nodded her head, at the idea of going to the hot springs. "Hot springs are a great way to relax the mind and body..." The woman practically lived in one, spending all of her riches at hostels such as this. She would stand up from her chair, allowing him to take the lead. She presumed that they were going to public bath, but one of the hostesses came up to their table at that precise moment, telling them that the public baths were all occupied and full. Shiina looked over at her new acquaintance. "What should we do then?" Of course they could each go to their own rooms and take a bath separately, seemingly the most sensible of choices. She then looked at the other patrons, her eyes wary. "There seems to be more and more people coming in. Would you mind coming to my room, or I can go to yours. We should finish this conversation..."

She was incredibly bold, suggesting that she invite herself into another man's room. Of course, this was a hotel, so it didn't sound too bad, but still she would be cautious and gage Sozin's reaction. The last thing she wanted to do was to upset him or turn him away, since there seemed to be so much more to him than what met her eye. Shiina stood there for a moment, waiting for his response. If they were to go upstairs, she would love to learn more about him and possibly his village, if he was willing to tell.

MADE BY MIZO

[Deleted]

Sozin would offer the woman a wry smile, only on account that he agreed. They were in a Ryokan, nobody needed to tell them that they were good for the body and the soul.

So, he went to get someone's attention, but she had done it first - with one of them coming over and he would lean back into a sedentary position as Ran did the talking. It was good timing, Sozin thought. It did provide a temporary damper to his mood when they'd been told no, but it wasn't the end of the world. He could wait, he could chat. But, sitting there with no drink, no vice and just his voice: he felt as though he were not partaking effectively in the 'lifestyle.'

So, when he wondered what her personality would be and how it would be inferred from his question, he was answered immediately. With what she'd said first - it first indicated at least, peace with the situation. But then it changed and became bold. Ran seemed to be bold - not a poor trait, but he did have another pressing thought.

'Is she an Oiran?' Sozin wondered if he hadn't just got himself into a burning money hole with no way to pay. But, it was the grace of the woman that he dismissed it, because when else would she have suggested it, if they were private? "Wherever it is you feel comfortable, Ran-san." Was his simple answer. The centerpiece bath in some of the rooms were spectacular, worthy of their own room - but then there was the smaller, half cut tubs made out of wood and pressed together with metal rings, with a metal pipe sticking out to beckon the hot water to come at all times: in all, it was generally better than the standard of living he was actually used to.

So if it was her suggestion they went to their room: sure, was he worried about poison? Certainly. But he was always worried about it, and it wasn't like he had been penned down particularly, not on the basis of appearance.

If she was out to steal his money, she wouldn't be very successful on the account that his pockets were empty. A sad fact. So - of course he was willing. But, he would take the contextual physical clues on if she wanted to lead or not - he could switch. If she'd indicated his room, he would lead. Inverse: she would lead. Sozin would make no comment on the boldness of the request, since he had been there first...

"I'm glad then that you get time off, I presume, from sales?" Sales seemed to be a hard gig. He couldn't do it - was too busy selling himself and his body for murder most of the time, he found it easy to be a Shinobi. It was harder than years previous but no less satisfying.

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