[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: Living in the Village Hidden in the Leaves for thirteen years of her life should have made Rinka accustomed to its peculiarities, but somehow she was always baffled by the sheer quantity of foliage that made its way to the front of her shrine. Each day she swept the street outside, then went in to dust and mop and burn her incense, and by the time she was finished and stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, her street was once again littered with leaves. It might have been frustrating on some days more than others, but Rinka also knew the value of taking her time and watching the passers-by walking to and fro past her shrine. Faces that she might not otherwise have seen, neighbors she might not otherwise have greeted; opportunities to resolve a problem that she had been picking at for some months with no success. "Kai-kun,” Rinka called from the doorway to her shrine, lifted a heavily-jeweled hand in greeting. Her voice was low and gentle, yet still clearly audible from a few meters away; there was an accent to her tone that demarcated her as a foreigner still, even after all these years. "Could you help me with something for a moment? There’s a fox up in my rafters, and I could use a hand getting the poor dear down.” Uchiha, Kai -- 226

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[Uchiha, Kai]

Kai was out on a walk today. His mind had really been thinking pretty heavily on his family- Something he often thought of, but recently doubled down on when he had a small fight with his sister. It wasn't anything serious, just a couple of small bruises and a cut across his thigh, but he didn't really think much of that. He knew she got angry at him, he knew she was jealous. He just had to try and understand her better.

It was his fault for doing so well, right? Shaking his head, it was more complicated than that, obviously, but when he heard words spoken to him from nearby, he almost jumped out of his skin. Not that she'd see that- It was metaphorical, of course. In reality, he was looking as bored and lazy as ever, just doing his usual trot around the village to keep himself healthy.

"Eh? Rinka-senpai..." He stretched out, really stretching himself as he heard her request, wondering if maybe he could just... Run away or something, and not have to deal with this. He kind of didn't want her to see his injuries anyways. But, whatever. He had his good-boy hat on today as he walked up to the Senju and her shrine, running a hand across his face.

"Sure." How hard could it be anyways. It was just a fox, right? Those things were... Easy, for a Shinobi. Right? Riight? He stepped up to her and looked over the shrine behind her with a hum.

"So, how do we get it out?" He questioned. Kai himself was dressed rather casually today- A pair of cargo pants and his signature Uchiha branded hoodie- And of course, unarmed outside of his pouch, which contained some spare shinobi tools. He didn't really feel like carrying around a bunch of heavy armor and a giant glaive everywhere- That was kind of silly.

Still, a glaive might have helped get this thing out of what was presumably the rafters, as he stood up in front of his Senju superior.

[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: "Oh, thank you,” Rinka said warmly, and gestured for the boy to follow her inside. "I had been considering using Mokuton restraints to get it down safely, but my constructs tend to be… unwieldy in tight spaces, and I didn’t want to scare it.” The interior of the shrine was more spacious than one might assume from its modest exterior: it had high ceilings with an intricate pattern of rafters, the support structures an artistic expression in their own right. The windows were tall and wide, covered not with glass but carefully nurtured climbing vines that grew luscious and green. On the cusp of winter, Rinka’s shrine was a bubble of vibrant, protected nature, as if blessed by otherworldly power to remain healthy and strong even as the first hints of frost arrived on the wind. Rinka looked up to where there were a number of birds’ nests in the rafters, and slinking along towards a sleeping bluejay was a small orange fox, ears pinned back and claws gripped tight to the wooden beam. She left the door to the shrine open, an easy escape for the fox should it manage to make its way to the ground level. "I just don’t think it would be able to jump down without injuring itself,” Rinka said. "If you can go up and encourage it off the beam, I’ll be able to catch it from below without hurting it.” Uchiha, Kai -- 237

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[Uchiha, Kai]

She didn't have control over her Mokuton? As a Jounin? That seemed hard to believe... But he didn't question it. He simply followed her inside, staring up at the fox as he placed his hand above his head.

"Yeah. I can do that, I suppose." His eyes turned to the rest of the building. It was rather pretty, but in truth, Kai rarely understood the significance of Shrines. Though, that said, his formal education on such things was lacking, but at least it looked nice.

"Just keep your arms open, and ready." He said softly to the woman as he stepped forward and began to climb up- Slowly- Onto the rafters. It was a bit of a trip up, but being a Shinobi meant that things like this might as well have been done in ones sleep.

The important thing here was scaring the... Fox. Who was still attempting to approach a sleeping bird. Once Kai was in position, a good distance away, he decided to call out.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" His shout was loud and bellowing, likely scaring the birds as well. But it was a two fold maneuver. Not only would the birds get out of here, away from the fox, but it'd scare the Fox, hopefully into either stalling up or falling down.

At least, that was the idea, anyways.

[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: Such a helpful young man. Rinka set her broom aside, leaning it up against a nearby bench, and followed Kai with whisper-soft footsteps below where he was making his way up to the rafters. He shouted, sending the birds tweeting and rushing away with a frantic flap of electric-blue wings—and startling the fox near out of its skin. It yelped and jumped up, twisting in place to try to face the thing that had snuck up on it, but knocked over the nest in the process lost its balance on the rafter. It hung on briefly with its forepaws, trying to scrabble back up, but after a moment of intense effort it faltered and fell into Rinka’s waiting arms. The sudden burst of noise from Kai and the birds and the nest and the fox set off a dog barking next door—a terribly temperamental thing with razor-sharp ears and a distaste for anything of notable volume. The barking didn’t help the poor fox’s panic, twisting and struggling against Rinka’s hold. "There, there,” Rinka said softly, adjusting her grip on the creature until she was holding it pressed against her chest like a little baby. Its heart was pounding, its ears flattened against its head as it squirmed for purchase. "You’re okay, sweet thing. You’re just fine.” Once the fox’s breathing had slowed, Rinka gave it a gentle pat on the back and placed it down on the ground; it yipped, then darted outside, presumably in search of easier prey. She dusted her hands on her long creamy skirt and looked up at Kai. "Thank you very much,” she said warmly. "I don’t think I could have managed that quite so deftly on my own.” Uchiha, Kai -- 284

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[Uchiha, Kai]

As the fox fell, Kai sighed in relief. At least that problem was over with. His eyes narrowedfor a moment as he heard a dog barking next door, before he slowly slid off the large wooden structure and onto his feet. That was... Unsettling. But thankfully, it wasn't triggering. That was the funny thing about trauma.

It didn't always pop off full swing. He adjusted the bracelet on his arm, looking over it as Rinka spoke to him.

"Ah? I mean... I just yelled at a fox. Not exactly the most... Cunning of plans..." He muttered, scratching at his head. He didn't feel very helpful. If anything, he felt he'd just scared off a bunch of birds.

"...Do you have any water?" He was feeling a bit parched from his walk. Maybe some rest would do him good here, at this simple little shrine, as he looked around at the scenery. He hoped the birds would come back- And his mind tried to block out the barking dog next door as best it could. Of course, someone like Rinka would have noticed the narrowing of his eyes when the dog started barking, if she was paying attention, but at this point, he seemed more interested in rubbing his strange, red bracelet.

[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: "A plan doesn’t need to be cunning to be effective,” Rinka replied, smiling. "If that were true, I doubt any tactician would have ever penned a textbook.” The bluejays had fluttered down and towards the window curtained with vines, seeking sanctuary in the sunlight outside; but once they realized that the impending threat had passed, they hopped back into the shrine, tweeting anxiously as they picked through the tattered remains of their nest to salvage what they could. "Water? Of course. Here, sit.” She gestured to one of the benches, padded with soft brown cushions—not pews like one might see in a church, but something wider and more sturdier, big and comfortable enough to lay down and fall asleep on should it be necessary. Four neat rows of them lined the main hall of the shrine, a place for people to rest and recover from their travels, while an offering box and a gleaming bell sat nestled in the heart of the shrine. In the very back was a wall lined with rows of hanging ema, crafted from a rich red wood and lovingly hand-painted with different patterns and characters; beside them sat little boxes of omamori. Incense burned at strategic locations, the smoky scent of oud permeating the air in a way that was notable but not overwhelming. Rinka briefly disappeared through a door in the back, then returned with two cups of crystal-clear water, as fresh and cold as if it had just been pulled from a mountain spring. She sat beside Kai, setting her cup down on the floor, and weaved three handseals at a leisurely pace, as if that itself were an act of worship. A sharp wooden spike emerged from her palm, its size and weight making it more akin to a greatsword than the katana-like shape typical of the Cutting Technique. She pulled a kunai from a pouch on her hip and began shaving splinters of wood from the construct, tossing them to the bluejays as they began reconstructing the ruins of their nest. "Your bracelet is lovely,” Rinka said as she worked, teal eyes glancing sidelong at Kai worrying the braided red string. "Did you make it yourself?” Uchiha, Kai -- 365

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[Uchiha, Kai]

Grabbing the cup for himself, his eyes idly glanced around at the building they surrounded themselves with. A shrine... But he couldn't really guess as to what. Life? Nature? A god? Eyes closed, Kai would sip at the water, finally glancing away from his bracelet for a moment as he mentally worked out what this building really was for- Or who, for that matter.

When the Senju brought up his bracelet, he smiled faintly and looked down at it, rubbing his hand along it.

"Ah... No. My girlfriend, in Kusagakure... She made this for me." He muttered, almost at a whisper as he looked down at it. He placed the wrist holding it close to his heart.

"It's a ward against evil. Whenever things seem... Dark, or memories return of... My past, I think back to this, and her. It helps me get through it." The trauma, that is. Unspoken, unheard. Like a lingering shadow, it always followed him, regardless of how far he ran, or how much he hid.

"She's a good craftsman, isn't she? I'm really lucky to have someone like her." He said in a relaxed tone as he sipped more at his water, a slight smile on his face. On of the joys in his life. He rubbed at one of the rather rough bruises on his face after putting the glass down, sighing.

[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: "Oh, how sweet." Rinka's lips curved into a soft smile as she carefully dissected her own creation, strips of bark peeling away to reveal warm red wood that she broke off into thin, lightweight twigs. Anxious tweeting morphed into excited chirping, the delicate sounds slicing through the haze of incense. "That's very thoughtful of her, to give you such an anchor. We should all be so fortunate to receive this kind of care." When her branch had been scraped into nothing but scraps and shards of wood suitable for a nest, Rinka put away her kunai and shifted on the bench, crossing her legs at the knee as she leaned down to retrieve her own cup of water. "Everyone has things they would rather not remember, but memories... they are as spirits." Fingers traced the wooden cup, smooth and lacquered and carved with the Senju clan's crest. "They never truly leave you. They only grow easier to live with, given time and care and anchors." Teal eyes lifted to catch Kai's distant gaze, bringing him back to the present. Slowly, to give him time to pull away if he did not want to be touched, Rinka reached for his chin, tilting his head just so to get a better look at one of the bruises that marred his cheek. "Are your spirits growing easier to live with?" she asked. "A poltergeist seems to haunt you still." Uchiha, Kai -- 236

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[Uchiha, Kai]

He was grabbed by the chin, which made him sigh as he let her look over his bruises. He ran a hand through his own hair as he contemplated on what exactly he wanted to tell her about his life. She had been kind to him, he didn't really have a good reason not to tell her, other than that it was private... Ah, whatever.

"A little bit, but not much. The bruises... Are unrelated. Just... My sisters way of showing she cares." He smiled, but that was the kind of smile even a child could see through. He was hurting. But he pushed that weight aside as he worked back on the trauma that afflicted him.

"I still think about that day though. A lot... What I could have done differently. Of how I messed up. Sometimes, it comes in nightmares- And then something happens, and triggers an entire episode, and I just..." He leaned his head down into his hands as he stared at the ground, rubbing his head as he tried to cope with the exhaustion of just talking about it.

It wasn't an easy thing to talk about at all... But that much was obvious with how much he struggled to speak on it.

[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: Rinka hummed, a noncommittal sound as she released Kai’s chin, though her gaze lingered on the bruise. She was quiet as he spoke, head tilting just so, expression soft and sympathetic. When he scrubbed at his head, she laid a hand gently on his back, rubbing at the tension drawn tight across his shoulder blades. There was a pause, as though waiting to see if Kai was mustering up the will to say more… but he struggled to get the words out, if he even wanted to at all. "You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to,” Rinka said softly, stroking his back in gentle, repetitive motions. "But sometimes a fear is made smaller when spoken aloud, and my role in this village is to listen, if you want to be heard.” The fox had slunk back into the shrine, lingering in the threshold, white-capped ears twitching as its black eyes slid from Kai to Rinka to the pair of birds rebuilding their nest. "Before your beloved crafted your ward, how did you handle these episodes?” There was no judgment in her tone: only seeking to understand and aid. "What are you experiencing, how long do they last?” Uchiha, Kai -- 200

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[Uchiha, Kai]

He thought back on it as he sat there, almost questioning how he'd respond to that. Fear is made smaller when spoken aloud? Maybe to her. He didn't quite feel the same, as he cowered up on the bench, even as she aimed to touch him.

His eyes would wander to the fox- And he'd stare, watching it move around.

"I'd just... Deal with it. That's the thing... I didn't..." He shook his head.

"I just cried it out. I cried until the pain stopped. Until my heart calmed down. Until it all calmed down." He almost said in a damn whisper, as his eyes turned to the ground. It hurt just to talk about.

"I hate how helpless I was. And I hate that I know it's going to happen again." He said, as he placed his head in his hands.

"I just want to be strong enough to deal with it next time." He muttered, almost to himself, as he shivered in fear.

[senju rinka]

KICHIJOTEN PRESENTS: Rinka offered no empty promises or false reassurance that there would not be a next time, that it would not happen again, that this boy would not experience so significant and so painful a loss again in his lifetime. Undoubtedly he would. How to address such a potent fear so grounded in reality? What was the remedy for anxiety with such a tangible, immediate source? "You’ve made it this far,” Rinka said softly. "Even if you think you can’t keep going, you will.” She shifted in place, turning to face Kai directly, and placed a gentle pressure on his back, a wordless indication for him to do the same. "Your ward is in service to something called grounding,” she said. Gently but firmly she commanded his attention; catching his gaze, taking his hands and holding them between her own, smooth and warm and lightly fragranced. "It is a useful tool, and your beloved is both wise and kind for crafting it for you. But there are other tools you can use as well—techniques that will help you listen to your body and the earth around you, instead of the fear that plagues your mind.” She described, clearly and concisely, a few different methods: the importance of engaging all five senses, naming the things he could see and hear and feel and taste and smell. Repetitive physical movement, like pacing or worrying his ward; significant but harmless sensation like holding an ice cube or dunking his face in ice cold water; tensing and relaxing all the muscles of his body one by one, to sink into the connection between his body and mind. Keeping a list of these methods on hand so that the action is rote and routine when the mind is in crisis. "The panic and pain may not completely subside in the moment,” she said. "But if you can ground yourself enough to keep your wits about you, and get to a space and a person who is safe, then that is all you need to do.” Uchiha, Kai -- 339

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