Departure [Squad One]

Natsuru was awakened by Simon's presence knocking on the door in her family's manor as one of her servants retrieved her. It was perhaps too early, at least for Natsuru, having spent the longest part of the night reading manga in her bed to drown out the sorrows from her recent spill with Simon. It would be awkward to see him again, though Natsuru would never let that show. She was a master at deception when it came to keeping a stolid, emotionless personality. She opted to dress in her regular fashion, not changing much about her appearance aside from adding a pair of fuzzy socks beneath her stockings. She was already quite warm with the clothing Ryuko had provided her. After all it was designed to keep her comfortable for long days on a trail. Natsuru wears black sandals which cover both feet securely and tightly providing comfort and protection. This is matched with a pair of dark gray steel shin guards. The shin guards covered the tops of her feet all the way up to her lower knees. This was matched with a pair of black stockings which covered her feet and extended above her knees. Although made from cloth they were somewhat thick and provided minor protection. Natsuru wears black undergarments which are concealed by a long, black loincloth which extends just to the sides of her knees on the front and back still providing suitable coverage. Around her right thigh she wears a simple, small black leather belt. Attached on the belt is a dark gray lacquered scabbard sized for a tanto. Another black belt is worn around her waist which serves to hold her quiver located around her back side.

A mesh, sleeveless undershirt covered her body as a set of riveted mail is worn over the undershirt. As her primary top she wears a simple black leotard fitted to her body type. Naturally, her mail shirt beneath her top extends slightly down her upper arm adding some additional protection. On both hands Natsuru wears a pair of long fingerless gloves which extends just below her elbows made with the same material of cloth and quality as her stockings. These are backed by a pair of soft leather arm guards protecting her forearm and back hand leaving a small soft part on her wrist still allowing flexibility. Her bow is worn across her chest with the front of the bow between her bosom and the string running across her back, the natural properties of the bow clinging itself to her body. Over her torso is a black cloak that extended down to the backs of her knees with a down hood, the mantel thick and well-insulated.

Natsuru has very fair skin with an almost ink-like navy blue hair, which matches her eyes in the same regards. Her hair runs down her back inside of the cloak's cover down to her rear end with a few bunches of hair touching down her breasts. Standing at 5'10 she has a very slender frame which maximizes her role as an archer giving her a statuesque vibe. Alas, a highly decorated Indian-style necklace made of silver and ruby was worn around her neck resting atop her chest serving as a relish for the stunning Kunoichi.

Given thirty minutes she was ready, not even opting to shower this morning as she used showering last night as an excuse. She was by no means smelling, though she was not exactly fresh. She would follow the clone at a close pace, opting to swing by the market for breakfast before making her way to the gates. In her right hand she held a pair of steamed buns in wax paper as in her other was an already half-eaten bun. It was filled with pork mince and cabbage mixture, which was common for filling. Eventually, after forty five minutes since Simon sent out hi clone, did the two make it to the city gates. Natsuru's facial expression was emotionless as her eyes fixed on the horizon not acknowledging or greeting Simon despite his presence. She stood still and silently ate her breakfast waiting for her allies to arrive.

Shimiko was all ready to go. She waltzed in to the area that Natsuru and Sakata waited. The lass was more than dressed for the occasion with an outfit that emphasized style and comfort. She wore a white buttoned down dress shirt made of a thicker material than she'd normally wear with chainmail underneath. She wore a gold and black patterned tie and capped it off with a thick black trenchcoat. Sakata's golden scarf was tied around her throat keeping it safe from the elements. She wore her typical red mini-skirt but with Ryuko's knight stockings to keep her legs insulated and protected from the cold. The material was remarkably well insulated but comfortable and flexible. It was in black, one of her favorite colors and it went well with her skirt. Shimiko's fingers were kept warm by a pair of ultra thin black knight gloves.  Over the right glove she would be wearing what appeared to be an second glove, this one stretching to her elbow but with a thin layer of metallic plating and complex technical equipment. Shimiko looked down at her marvelous new construction and flexed her fingers. Kālīkoroshimasu....I'm a genius! she cooed silently to herself as she skipped to Sakata in her normal cheerful way. Appearance-wise she was much the same although her hair had grown longer and her pigtails now draped past her shoulders. There was a bit more volume on her body but she knew she still had a long ways to grow.

The blonde placed a lingering kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. This was now a genuine and regular custom whenever they met and it would feel just the same as it would all those other times. The girl's heart would flutter, her cheeks would grow crimson with blush, and her heart would sing. Yet this time an extra dash of powered sugar was sprinkled on the already magical moment that had become her hello kisses to Sakata. This topping came in the form of the realization that she had performed the affectionate gesture in front of her (former?) rival. Shimiko had told herself that she wouldn't be petty to Natsuru now that she had Sakata by her side. They had abandoned their quarrels and the two were now friends. She didn't hold grudges and she genuinely wanted to be on good terms with the Senou. After all it was at Natsuru's urging that she had the conversation with Sakata that ended up with them being drawn so close. It wouldn't be right for her to weaponize her relationship with him to make her friend feel a certain type of way. Unfortunately despite her desperate desire to maintain maturity and pleasantry, the inevitable specter of teenage haughtiness and superiority had crossed her mind more than once. She didn't think she was doing anything to lord her victory over Natsuru but on a subconscious level it was there. Her kiss had lingered a hair too long, her eye drifting to the corner of her vision to look at the Senou's reaction, there was a bit more bounce to her step and the "Hi Sakataaa-kun~" was drawn out with a bit more emphasis than was standard for even this happy-go-lucky Chinoike.

After she had kissed him, Shimiko skipped over to Natsuru and wrapped her arms around the taller girl and gave her a tight embrace. "Hi Nat-chan!". The suffixes were more Ryuko's thing and she tended to only dole them out when the Vestal Priestess was around. But today she wanted to show how much she appreciated her boyfriend and her teammate. She had heard bits and pieces of the mission in the Valley from her brother's old contacts in ANBU who again wanted to be owed a future favor from the darling Chinoike. Apparently the mission had turned into a battle of survival from which Kumo was lucky to have escaped unscathed. The story terrified her and it had been one of the reasons why she sped up her timetable for making her comrades' weapons. It was also the reason why she had created Kālīkoroshimasu and had vowed to grow stronger under the training of her sensei. She would protect Ryuko and Natsuru on this mission to Frost and be there for them in a way she couldn't at the Valley.

She pointed a finger in the direction they'd be traveling and said confidently:

"Land of Frost here we come!"

As Ryuko made her way to the gates she trudged down thought the streets, forcing one foot in font of the next.  This was the first time she’d ever be traveling outside the land of lightning so she should have been more excited at the prospect of seeing unknown lands and meeting new people but instead she found herself depressed because of recent events.

She’d tried to ignore it, burying herself in busywork but ultimately the pain of having Nozomi ripped away had caught up, leaving her feeling much more lethargic then her usual self.  The worst part was how could she even explain why she was feeling like this.  Even if she tried telling her friends she doubted they would understand her infatuation when she could barely understand it herself.

Bad enough that Nozomi was from another village, but she had gone missing from her home and allied herself with someone who had marked themselves as an powerful enemy.  The fact they’d barely spoken two words to each other make her longing to see the girl all the stranger.   All she could say for certain was when she’d tried to heal Nozomi from what should have been a fatal wound the two had forged a mysterious and powerful bound with each other.  

The color in her life seemed just a bit duller without the other girl around.  Forcing a smile onto her face so that the others wouldn’t noticed her sullen state Ryuko began to sign, loud enough that the group would be able to hear her as she approached.   Man did it feel weird for her to be the last one here when she was usually so diligent.

Go Thundercats :

Today she had divested her usual shrine priestess attire for something more practical for the climate they would be heading to.  Her thick gambeson would do well for keeping her warm and was colored white for camouflage purposes.  Over it she wore her plain light gray mantel, a stark contrast to her usual one, it was unadorned with no clan marking on the back.   Her knight gloves and stockings where almost identical to Shimiko’s except they where colored a dark gray instead of black.

She hadn’t had time to make proper high quality armored footwhere so instead she’d elected for a normal pair of store bought white winter boots with black soles.  She had her usual set of gear on hand, the batons and Fuuma Shuriken kept from display by her cloak but she’d gone and added a wakizashi to round out the small arsenal she keep on her person at almost all times.

"Nat-chan, Shi-chan, Sakata-kun good morning. I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long." she said with a wanful smile. Reaching into her pouch she pulled something large out.  “Sorry. This was all I could manage on such short notice.” She apologized as she tossed him a mantel that was just like hers.  She’d meant to make a pair of stockings and gloves for him as well but there simply hadn’t been enough time to get them together. Still she had a portable sowing kit on hand so there was a possibility she could work on them while on the road since the trip would be a few days.

Natsuru finished her consumption simply crumbling the parchment wrap the buns came in and dropping them on the floor letting the gentle, occasional breeze dance and tumble the trash away into the wind. Normally she had at least some decency for the environment, even opting to utilize natural geothermal vents to power her factories over coal. But the simply did not have a care to give anymore. As Simon began to speak about the debriefing she turned her head towards his acknowledging his first sentence before looking away. She listened passively, somewhat, as she questioned whether volunteering to go was even worth it. Ryuko will greet us with her "happy-go-luck" behavior as usual...Shimiko will without a doubt try to boast herself like she's something special because Simon's dating her out of pity...and me? I was dumb enough to not be direct with Simon in the first place. As she snapped back to reality she heard a smidgen of what Simon had to say, most importantly "don't hurt anybody." "Okay." She said briefly in response before taking a couple paces forwards. Surely enough the other two would follow.

Her prediction was just what she expected for the most part. Shimiko was more enthusiastic as usual even having the audacity to try and hug her. She prodded her arm out just slightly to give a couple inches of space between her and Shimiko. Unlike Ryuko's hugs Shimiko felt like a Ruffle as her ridges pressed against her body. The former was at least squishy and had texture which made it more comfortable. She wondered how Simon managed to get off to a girl that had the body of a twelve year old boy, but the thought of those two actually doing it would simply make her more angsty than she already was. The brief exchange of gifts between Ryuko and Simon, and Shimiko's ongoing enthusiasm to get the mission underway was enough to let Natsuru know everyone was practically ready. "Let's not waste any time, then." Natsuru would exit the gates being on the opposite side from the village, and directly to the left the squad would find an armored vehicle.

It was built like a war wagon being fifteen feet wide and double that in length. It looked to be made purely out of iron, though in reality it was mostly wood with iron plating to reinforce its strength. The structure was lined with rubber and insulation to provide a weather-proof mode of transportation. Even without any heat source it could easily survive in Frost. Natsuru wanted to ensure whoever used this was comfortable and well fortified. "We will be taking this. There is no way in hell we would survive in Frost without not only shelter, but a
solid one. We will be approaching Frost through the Iyashi Highlands, which is the must rugged terrain and the coldest part of the land." Natsuru was curious if any of them knew anything about the Land of Frost. Natsuru opted to do a bit of research before building her wagon. She knew it was going to be bad, but no where near as bad as what she read. Nights frequent -20 to even -50 degrees Fahrenheit. On top of high winds your clothing would have done nothing. We would have literally froze to death on our first night. Either that or we charter a ship and take the long, safer way.

Natsuru was not entirely in favor of wasting time, as her opinion about this mission was already expressed in great detail to Simon. Approaching the wagon she climbed the small side ladder which led to the coach, which was where the door was. Pulling the key from her arm guard she unlocked the door and entered inside allowing the others to enter. Directly to the right was the control area with the most windows, a large seat, and multiple controls. It would be impossible to operate without being taught by the creator. Her finesse of craftsmanship was showed by how thick the glass windows were and how finely insulated and sealed the edges wore. Windows were typically a problem when it came to insulation. They let in too much cold air due to their thinness and general design. Her solution was to simply make them as thick as the mantel of the wagon and welding the edges so they acted part of the wagon.

Inside was a well-decorated interior. There were a pair of bunk beds on either side, a sectional couch surrounding a kotatsu in the center, and three chests stacked on the side. A small kitchen area made up the rest of the interior aside from a small bathroom located in the back. "I even packed food." She said gesturing over to the normally blank wall on the opposite from the kitchen. Piled high were a variety of instant noodles, chips, packaged melon pans and breads, and packaged sweets. They were real simple to cook: features Natsuru looked for when planning to buy food she had to make herself. Although not the most nutritionally sound selection, hot soup was not a bad choice for where they were going. Natsuru expected some rhetorical questions, so she did not settle down in the coach's chair before all of them were boarded and doing their own thing.

It appeared everyone was in a more somber mood than Shimiko. She could tell even with the way that Ryuko had approached the group that she was none too happy. Sakata didn't return her affection with the same warmth and reciprocation that he normally did. And Natsuru had more or less rejected her hug outright. This didn't deter Shimiko as she merely gave the bluette a a smile and stepped back to give the girl her space. "Good morning Ryu-chan" she replied with a grin. The girl was beaming while they made their way into their mobile hotel. While she appeared no less enthusiastic and excited inwardly she was deeply concerned. Something extremely serious had happened in the Valley and she was determined to find out exactly what without raising too much of a storm. Shimiko vowed she would do something nice for each of them before the mission was over. It was an exciting time to be back in the field after months of training and recuperation but this wasn't about her. This was about Sakata coming home for the first time in many years. She'd focus on helping him as much as she could while also supporting her teammates in recovering from whatever trauma was inflicted on their last mission. And if it was a person in particular that was distressing them then all the better. It was someone to kill and destroy rather than an abstract feeling or memory.

Shimiko hopped onto one of the bed bunks and bounced on the mattress to give it a test. She blushed when she wondered if Sakata would want to share a bed with her. She saw him heading to the Kotatsu but rather than follow him like she wanted to, she decided to give him space knowing that he probably had a lot on his mind. The girl instead moved to the kitchen to prepare some instant ramen noodles. Sakata asked if they were ready and she would respond with a: "Ready to go captain". She winked for extra effect and turned her attention to preparing the hot snack.

With the pleasantries out of the way the group began to make their way out of the village.  Ryuko of course knew about the land of frost but reading about something in a book and actually experiencing it first had where vastly different things.    She’d been expecting them to head towards the nearest city with a dock.  She’d never seen the ocean before so that had been something to look forward to.

When they started heading in a different direction instead she grew concerned.  Surely they
wouldn’t be planning of travailing on foot.  While not entirely impossible the difficulty of such a task would be Herculean, boarding on suicidal.    Thankfully her worry was soon allayed as the magnificently build war wagon came into view.

Ryuko stared in awe at the sight of such a majestic and complex piece of machinery.   She knew a lot about various subjects like history and literature but when it came to technology she was practically a country bumpkin.  It was a mystery to her how such things could have something called horsepower and yet not actually be pulled by any horses.

“By Hakkin’s Breath this is AMAZING! How did you procure such a wondrous device Nat-chan?” she exclaimed a bit of her old energy returning at the prospect of being able to ride something that awesome.  Maybe if she was lucky Natsuru would even let her dive the wagon at some point, an idea that made her grin from ear to ear. She couldn’t stay despondent forever, she had a feeling that Nozomi wouldn’t be happy about that any more then her teammates would be.  

Hoping aboard she took a set by the kotatsu and surveyed the surroundings.  Their wasn’t a a ton of space, giving the interior a very homely feel but compared to the average buggy they would be traveling in pure luxury.    

“I have everything I need right here.” said Ryuko but instead of patting her item pouch she waved a hand at her teammates, symbolically saying that they where more important to her then any material goods ever could be.   The only real problem she could see now was how to divide the bunks.  

Normally the obvious choice would be to separate by gender but they simply didn’t have the space for it since there where three girls and one guy yet four beds.  They could put the couple on one side and then have Natsuru and Ryuko on the other but that offered it’s own set of problems as well.  

Sakata and Shimiko where young and had only just started dating recently within the last few months. Given how hormons worked and the fact they where familiar with how short a ninja’s lifespan could be she wouldn’t be too surprised if they had been intimate with each other already.

The idea of them fornicating while Ryuko tried to sleep right nearby was.… troubling.  The fact that she even knew what that was now when a year ago she thought babies came from lovers holding hands made the priestess blush furiously with shame.  In a way she was jealous since the closeness between the two only served to remind her of her own crushing loneliness.  

And what to do with Natsuru.  Would she be comfortable sleeping near Ryuko after the younger girl had confessed to her at the dinner party awhile ago.  Well they both knew Ryuko was a lesbian now but it wasn’t like she had a reputation for being lecherous so hopefully things would be ok.  The bigger issue was how on the way back from the Valley she’d be acting a little too friendly with Sakata. Or at least it’d seemed that way to Ryuko.   “I wonder if she’s the type to only want something once somebody else has it.”  she thought

If Natsuru was really gunning for another woman’s man that was a whole kettle of fish that they would be better off from opening in the first place.  She’d barely kept the team together after the last fight they’d had and she knew she wouldn’t manage such a feat a second time if they started to seriously squabble over Sakata. “And people wonder why I play for the other team” thought Ryuko with a sigh.

 “For sleeping arrangement's, I suggest having Sakata and I on one side, With Nat-chan and Shi-chan on the other.  That seems the safest, at least for the trip to frost anyway.  We’ll need clear heads if we are to succeed on our mission.” she suggested.  Glancing at Shimiko she gave the girl a small bow of the head as way of apology for getting in the way of her time together with her boyfriend but this seemed like the best compromise for everyone to keep the situation from getting too heated in more ways then one.

There was a bit of glee within Natsuru as Ryuko expressed her astonishment in Natsuru's craftsmanship. It was simple in design. She essentially created two wagon frames, one bigger than the other to allow room for insulated and mechanical parts. She ensured to make it sealed up and packed tightly to provide one-hundred percent insulation from the weather. It was essentially an armored home meant for the coldest climates. She would not be surprised in Frost had a similar design for all of their homes.

This excitement would be drowned out as Shimiko spoke, and Simon. Things simply did not feel the same as they did. I'm happy for you, Shimiko...but...you weren't supposed to beat me. The despair hit her harder, though this was hidden behind her notorious 'resting bitch face' she wore so well. The squad entered and immediately made themselves comfortable. As the group got situated Natsuru would grab a "Kiri Cuisine" which came with nuggets, mac n' cheese, maize, and chocolate pudding even including the rainbow sprinkles. It was comfort food, something she turned to quite often these days. It was already cooked, just refrigerated. She had prepared it the night before not wanting to waste time heating it up before leaving. Bringing her second breakfast to the coach of the wagon she would start the ignition. This utilized a bit of the petroleum oil to heat up the coals in the engine.

Gradually the wagon would begin to roll on its tracks. "Say goodbye, for now." She mused to herself. Natsuru always hated leaving the village. She enjoyed the village and her parent's manor. They were nostalgic. Kumogakure was quick to industrialize. She never found herself to miss the village life, which although Kumogakure was never really "rustic" it was certainly quieter. The lazy days of reading and playing games in her room were far over. She was a Kunoichi, had people who wanted her dead, and managed several factories of her own. With the engine started the kotatsu would begin to benefit off the excess heat produced, and soon enough the room inside the cabin was toasty warm. Although it was a bit excessive now it would soon be greatly appreciated as the wagon traveled the main roads away from Kumogakure increasing in elevation as they went.

[Exit]

Ryuko received no answer about where the wagon had come from.  Thought she didn’t fail to miss that her friend seemed to be exuding pride with every word of praise she spoke of the devise.  “I see so Nat-chan made this then. That’s quite a jump from making neckless to this.” thought the priestess who was even more impressed by the design now that she knew where it had come from and that it hadn’t just been bought like she initially had assumed.

“Are we even going to need the hotel I booked?” she wondered to herself almost dizzy at how epicurean the wagon was.  Even for a woman of her means this was unusually high end for a vehicle comparable to the high end luxuary train she had once road to the capital.  Natsuru could make an absolute fortune selling it off to some wealthy aristocrat or merchant.

“Why the heck does she even bother being a ninja when she can make money other ways?” Ryuko couldn’t help wonder to herself. It was something she was going to have to ask her friend about soon.  A question she was surprised they’d never asked her about either considering they had seen her house.   Even the way she usually spoke screamed affluence.  By all rights she should be staying at the Raikage’s side acting as an attendant or holding services at the church, not going out in the field doing missions like this.

None of the girls seemed to have much say about the sleeping arrangements, or at least they didn’t before Sakata butted in saying that he was claiming the kotatsu instead.  A fact that made Ryuko laugh and feel silly for worrying about everything so much.

“Don’t worry Shi-chan, I have a surprise for you when we get to frost that should help things ago.” she whispered cryptically in her friends ear. With that they where off, the engine buzzed to life and the wagon began to roll on its own.  “Ah seriously how is it doing that?” Ryuko wondered to herself as she looked out the back window and watched the village recede in the distance.

[exit to frost]

Shimiko was a bit miffed at Ryuko's suggestion and it had indeed ruffled her feathers that her best winglady was advocating that she spent time apart from her boyfriend. She turned with her back to the group while she prepped her instant ramen so no one would see the furrowing of her brow. Shimiko blew on her noodles and slurped them but the savor had left her mouth as Sakata claimed the space underneath the Kotatsu as his own. He clearly didn't like drama and jealousy so there was no point arguing on that front. However, she was pissed at Ryuko for making these harder rather than easier. The priestess whispered that she'd make it up to her when they actually got to the Land of the Frost. Shimiko could only hope for now she sat on the bed, blew on her noodles again, and consumed them with a false smile plastered on her face. The machine lurched forward and they were on their way to Frost.

Exit