[Nara Shikajin]

the worst case scenario is you

The wrapping of bandages, the sound of gauze being ripped from its packaging, the soft hum of a healing technique at work. Injuries and illness occurred the world over and not all were fortunate to belong to a large village with a hospital to treat them. No, most lived outside of those walls and made due with what the land provided and what skills they could muster but sometimes that just wasn't enough. Sometimes you needed more but paying for services would have taken some of these places multiple lifetimes and so they relied on aid.

Shikajin had taken an oath to save lives whenever he could and he made it a point to perform outreach to the more rural parts of the world when he could. It was tough considering that there was always something going on in the village hospital so finding time to be away was easier said than done but helping others was something that he cared deeply about so a way was found. The chunin had spent the last few days performing check ups and minor procedures for those who lived here and while he wished there was more he could offer he was but one man. Still, a healthy person was a happy one and they'd make do until someone could make it out next.

With everything and everyone situated in the village the Nara would prepare to take his leave from the small village, dark hues scanned a small map of the country to chart a path back home. He was a few days journey from the Fire Country border and it was perhaps the first time he missed the abundance of trees and greenery that covered the land compared to the mostly barren rocky outcrops that stretched in every direction at his current location. No matter, less sights meant fewer distractions on the road home.

The path was solemn yet quaint. Plenty of time to be alone with one's thoughts or think about absolutely nothing, a beaten path into the dirt that had been traveled on by hundreds, if not thousands over the years; nowhere near as maintained as those at home but it made due none the less.

Ryuujin Shiina @two @three | ### | whoop whoop

KRATOS

[Ryuujin Shiina]

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

TAG - Muramasa Uemon



NOTES - 

The woman among women as one person called her some time ago found her way around the small village. It was definitely slightly underwhelming of a place and not one where a geisha like herself would imagine to have to be called in to do a performance. But alas, she had been, by one of her former clients she had performed for once before, when she had still been a geisha of her geisha house. Having heard her departure from the house, the man had sent a letter to the woman herself, asking that she extend her services to a small family gathering of one of his closest friends. Although she was never one to accept these invitations and requests, she thought she would make an exception this time. Then again, the family gathering was of one man who was meeting his fiancée's parents, so it was important enough to be made an exception regardless of how she felt.

And as such, Shiina had trekked from Kaminari no Kuni and performed at the dinner, a good four hour affair. Being of ill health from being poisoned, she barely managed to maintain her performance and stature during the dinner and had retired early from the event to rest before returning back to the ryokan she was staying at. It was of course not necessary for her to stay for the entire duration of every event, but she always did out of respect, even when her performance portion ended. The last thing she remembered was seeing the young man ask the girl's father for the daughter's hand in marriage. A bittersweet moment, she thought to herself, and she remembered herself smiling when the old man agreed, though slightly reluctant.

Now that she made her way out of the ryokan, the woman was clothed in a silk kimono of black and purple, a half transparent beige and white veil covered most of her face so that only her forehead and her eyes were truly visible. She always wore a veil when she ventured outside, so as to hide her face and subsequently her identity. Shiina ventured out of the village gates, stifling a yawn as she walked slightly aimlessly around, noticing that she was met with landscapes that were not unlike what she had seen in her own country.

MADE BY MIZO

[Nara Shikajin]

the worst case scenario is you

Back roads in a small country did not afford the opportunity to pass by a lot of people Shikajin surmised so he was surprised to see one dressed so.. ornately not far from him. He had heard wind of some performance during his stay in the village but between it being a rather private affair and the man choosing to prepare things for the next day's examinations caused him to miss it, so while he didn't know who the performer was or what they looked it every context clue pointed to this being her.

In years past the Nara may have very well kept to himself or at the most give a passing nod as he continued on, but he had been wanting to get better with his bedside manner and unfortunately that came with actually having to talk to people. Being matter of fact was useful in getting across information in a timely manner, something that was of utmost important to people in his field, but it often dipped into the macabre when it came to presenting said facts to patients and their families, and on more than one occasion the chunin had been 'encouraged' to lighten up his delivery by those above him. So practice is what he would do.

"Pardon me, are you the performer I had heard about in the village these last couple of days?" Shikajin would call out to the woman. Part of him hoped that wouldn't be the case so he'd be able to continue on but there was a bit of curiosity regarding what she did and how she even ended up in such a remote location. He normally wasn't one to pry and usually loathed when done to him but there had been a softening of his void exterior as of late and every now and then a bit of social acumen popped out.

Ryuujin Shiina @two @three | ### | whoop whoop

KRATOS

[Ryuujin Shiina]

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

TAG - Muramasa Uemon



NOTES - 

The voice of someone calling out to her made the woman stop walking. Under any other circumstance, she would have ignored the person, for she was too tired to even think about entertaining others, but the question itself was an interesting one. She looked towards the source of the voice, coming face-to-face with a man with dark black hair. It seemed that he had heard of her performance, or at least heard of it, and was now questioning whether it was indeed her that had been the performer. Under the identity of Ran, she was a lot less guarded, despite not being entirely open either. She thought for a moment before giving him a nod. "Perhaps I am, although I'm not sure exactly what performance it is you speak of..." An ample answer to the question, she assumed.

It was indeed rare to see a woman walking alone at such a remote location, and even more rare to see one wearing the garments she wore. It didn't take a rocket scientist for her to understand that she indeed looked out of place, especially for a traveler. Shiina had met many travelers, men and women alike, who would prefer to wear much more comfortable garments than that of a kimono, and in truth if she had been a shinobi, she would too. But she was now a geisha, one who cared too much about upholding her identity and her reputation to let that go. Call it stubborness, or whatever, but she dared not let herself be seen in any other attire.

"And whom may I be speaking to?" The woman guessed that perhaps the man himself was a traveler too, although judging from his way of dress, that he could be anything from a traveler, a local to a shinobi. For a moment she entertained the third idea, though wouldn't haste to make any assumptions. The woman simply looked at him, from head to toe, doing her usual once over quietly. If he chose to disclose any information to affirm her thoughts, that would be great, but if not, she wasn't about to let him know that perhaps she knew more or was more than that of a mere performer.

At least not yet.

MADE BY MIZO

[Nara Shikajin]

the worst case scenario is you

Shikajin could not bring himself to understand why people answered in riddles. Yes, the world was full of strife and subterfuge and at time giving too much information could lead to trouble and one never knew when a situation like that could arise but it made things so much simpler when people just spoke plainly to each other; it was one of the reasons he and Kazuto were such good friends. Neither minced words and spoke their minds freely. Alas, being a medic afforded the man opportunity to interact with many different people and he couldn't assume that everyone he came across would adhere to his preferred conversation style so he had to learn to adapt.

"There was talk of a performance in the village the last few days. I wasn't privy to many of the details but it was the talk of the town between quite a few of the villagers." The man replied. Even in his station taking care of the ill and injured there was a definite buzz about a private performance. Kin to some of his patients would bring by stories of getting a glance of some ornate ensemble or hearing a chord or two from a fantastic musical piece. All pieces to a puzzle and the Nara may very well have stumbled upon the complete picture.

The woman would speak again, thankfully this time not in a riddle but a question of who this random man who had stopped her in the street was. It probably was a tad awkward thinking back on it so he'd try his best to right things to as normal a conversation as possible. "Nara Shikajin. I'm a medic from Konoha but I'm doing outreach to some of the smaller villages to attend to their sick and injured." He would reply. On more than one occasion people had wondered why someone from one of the major villages was so far from home and to keep it simple: a medic had a duty to help all who were in need and it was no secret that the more rural locations often had rough times getting formal medical help due to either how remote they were or lack of resources.

Ryuujin Shiina @two @three | ### | whoop whoop

KRATOS