The Jar Incident [Private]

Satori’s gaze slid along the ground as he walked, the distance from his clan compound to the Academy was extensive by most’s standards, but he hadn’t minded it. Hell, he was excited to be there after all. Instead, the young man was enjoying the walk as he mentally went over the handseals that his father had taught him the day before in regards to an earth style technique. However, as he passed by the small house he was so familiar with, he caught an odd scent. Riku wasn't home, and it caused the young boys brow to furrow in confusion. She'd likely left early if that were the case, it wasn't completely unlike her.

Sighing, the boy shifted, turning and heading toward the Academy once more. It wasn't the end of the world not walking the last bit with her, but usually, they did. It felt a bit odd now, not having the small ball of blue bobbing in the corner of his vision. The young Ryuutei pushed the thought aside, he'd see her in class anyway, it wasn't that big a deal. Stretching slightly as his long limbs extended over his head. The rest of the walk was relatively comfortable and casual at the least. The sun was beginning to break the horizon as the building itself came into view, causing his pupils to narrow in defense against the beams of light peeking through the cover of the buildings.

It was then that his nose twitched. Halting outside the academy his gaze shifted to the side, it was the same familiar scent. Riku's scent, but it wasn't coming from the Academy, instead it was coming from a set of nearby bushes headed toward the training grounds. His brow furrowed in annoyance briefly at this, what was she doing in the bushes? The class would begin soon. Perhaps she'd located a plant that she was excited about? That sounded like her. Turning, he meandered toward the bushes, sniffing softly. It was odd. Her scent was clear but it wasn't normal, diluted, with a scent similar to fresh water mixed in.

What was going on? The large boy's hand pushed open the bushes. "Riku?" He called curiously, before blinking at the empty air in front of him. Slowly his gaze lowered, before snapping onto the jar that held an odd jelly-like liquid inside it. His eyes widened at the ghostly face forming within it. In the next moment, Satori's claws ripped through the tough jar's lid like a hot knife through butter, ripping it open and quickly dumping Riku out onto the path outside the bushes cursing. "Riku!" He hissed in concern if she didn't reform, what should he do? Did medical techniques work on her in this state?

Satori cursed himself for never asking her before. It hadn't seemed important since she was practically immune to harm due to it.

The jar had been too confining for Riku’s tastes, scarily so in fact. Being poured out into the open brought a rush of relief, but not enough to erase the panic that had steadily built up each minute she’d been trapped. The odd, liquidy blob quivered and began to crawl, the occasional hand or foot solidifying to try and drag it away from the jar.

One moment, she’d been on her way to investigate an area she normally visited to take notes on the plants there and collect some leaves. The next, a loud shout had startled her, followed by the sharp shock of a raiton jutsu. It had been weak, but Riku was especially sensitive to lightning. Before the girl could properly reform herself, she had been stuffed into a small container and sealed inside.

No matter how many times Riku tried to reform and break her prison, the glass jar held, probably reinforced by some enchantment. The jar kept her condensed and liquified as her attacker shoved it under a bush and left it there. After what felt like hours of clawing at the glass jar’s interior and thrashing about, Riku had tired herself.

Now that she was no longer constrained, Riku followed her instincts. She needed to escape now. Riku had maybe crawled a meter away when she caught sight of Satori’s blurry form. Arms protruded from the quivering mass and pushed Riku upwards until her head and part of her torso emerged.

“Tori!” she cried out, still panicked, eyes wide. The partly formed girl fell forward when her arms gave out.

“Ugh,” the young girl grunted. “Tori help!” She resumed her attempts to crawl, only this time Riku was trying to move towards the tall boy instead of away from him.

Satori was level-headed. At least, as level-headed as he could be. Watching his friend claw desperately away from the jar keyed him into how panicked she had become, and he could imagine why. The powerlessness of being shoved into a jar didn’t sound appealing to him, either. His mind was already working on why she was in there in the first place, and it wasn’t difficult to figure out. Riku had suffered through bullying since he’d met her. She was quiet and antisocial, an easy target for insecure little useless toads.

Satori watched as she clawed away, and snapped his wrist. Flinging the jar far to the side and grasping her flailing arm firmly as she began to reform. Without a word, he pulled the semi-solid jelly of a girl into his lap and arms. Encircling her in the long limbs and sliding his fingers into the soft (if slimy) blue curls.

“It’s alright, Riku, I’m here,” he murmured simply to her. Fingertips gently kneading against her as he pulled her face gently into his chest. Eyes glared at the jar quietly, there was another scent asides Riku’s on it. He committed the scent to memory but left it at that--for now. Instead his fingertips continued petting her before he released a slow breath.

“You’re out, it’s ok, you’re safe,” he stated gently as he looked down to her. The harshness in his crimson eyes dispersing as his pupils narrowed, showing the anger leaving him that had begun to build up. He could release that later. For now, she was panicking and needed to be comforted, so he would do exactly that.

Riku struggled at first when Satori scooped her up, her body quivering. However, once her face was nestled into his chest, the blue haired child relaxed a bit and leaned into him. Her wet fingers curled themselves into the fabric of his shirt, dampening it.

The earthy scent of Satori filled her nose, and the feeling of his arms supporting but not trapping her grounded Riku. Her breaths came more evenly after a little while and the shivers faded. Her body had solidified for the most part, but still had a jello-like feel to it. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face into Satori’s chest.

His voice and reassurances soothed her. Even though Riku barely understood a word he said because of the fog settling over her mind, the sound alone was enough to comfort her.

Finally, Riku turned her head just enough for her voice to be heard and spoke quietly, “I don’t know if I can make it through class today.” Her fingers tightened on Satori’s shirt with the admission. The girl pressed closer to the spiky haired boy and promptly hid her face in his shirt again.

Riku had managed to curl up in Satori’s arms, making herself as small as possible. The need to feel her limbs held together still made the thought of unfolding too overwhelming. Knowing how her classmates could be, the blue haired child suspected that if she tried to ignore what they had done and act brave, they would find ways to unsettle her and expose how weak she was right now. Later, once she was collected and calmed, Riku could plot her revenge but for now she needed to lick her wounds.

[2]

Satori gently pet the girl as she continued to shiver, patient as ever until she finally managed to reply to him. The soft admission that she couldn’t do class today made his eyes soften, and he contemplated that for a moment. The teacher wouldn’t care. They were the top of their class, after all. One sick day due to her situation wouldn’t be something they were worried about. What was more important was the fact that if she didn’t show up for class, the bullies would think that they had won.

But Riku was too unstable at the moment at the same time. He didn’t want to leave her alone yet, either. After a few moments, he gently hefted her up. Lifting her into his arm easily so she could curl against him before his other hand extended to grasp the jar. Lifting it up in his other hand he turned toward the Academy and finally answered her.

“Let’s go give this back first, then we’ll head home. We need to officially call you out of class, too,” he murmured simply. His tone was gentle, but there was a sharpness to his voice. Anger. He needed to know which one had done this to Riku, and he needed to do this before their scent faded from the jar, as well. Carrying the girl toward the door, he halted right before entry.

If she wanted to walk beside him for this part to not seem as weak, he’d let her. If she needed a moment to gather herself first, that was fine too. But he was going to be sending this wannabe bully a message first, and then he’d spoil the blue-haired girl and ease her back into the state she was normally. They’d plot her revenge from there, even if he wanted to finish it now.

This was her fight, not his. He could help, but he couldn’t do everything for her. Besides, she wasn’t so weak that she needed him too anyway.

Riku didn’t respond to Satori’s suggestion right away, instead curling even further in on herself and pressing closer to the wild haired boy. She stayed that way, hunched in as if trying to make herself disappear until Satori stopped walking. A few moments passed before Riku unwound and let herself drop to the ground.

Though she appeared mostly solid now, her face had a blue tinge of it and occasional waves rippled through her body as if she was still partly liquified. Despite this, Riku had her pride and there was no way she was going to let her classmates know how much the incident had gotten to her. That was her rule. The blue haired girl shook her head, droplets falling from her hair as it seemed to solidify and dry out. Still looking under-the-weather, but far better than when she initially was freed, Riku walked in ahead of Satori.

Despite the panic trying to fill her chest and choke her, Riku refused to give in. Instead, she scowled, both at her own condition and at anyone in the halls. She walked at Satori’s side, fingers tapping against her thigh to distract from the urge to cling onto his shirt. There would be time for that later. Right now, Riku needed to be strong and show everyone that this attack on her was a mistake.

[3]

Satori's eyes softened just slightly as the young girl managed to pull herself together. Patiently waiting for her to gather her expression, and once she slid down to her feet Satori smiled once down to her. Letting her lead the way while keeping a careful eye on her. There was no need for her to push herself too far, but she seemed well enough for now. At least to continue on, after the confrontation he had little doubt she'd need him to spoil and comfort her a bit--that was fine.

Later they'd get their revenge. For now it was just time to send a message.

Casually striding forward, Satori's face was relaxed and casual. But his eyes burned. Someone had stuffed Riku--his best friend--into a jar. A damn jar. His lip twitched, briefly causing the boys round face to show a flash of it's feral roots as long cuspids glinted in the beams of sunlight. The action caused several students to part for the bobbing blue head in front of him.

The scent on the jar led them through the hallways until they came to their own classroom. So it was most assuredly a classmate, then. Leering at the doorway, his large hand pushed. Shoving it open with a loud clack that caused the teacher--whom had just started role call--to jump slightly in surprise.

“Ah, Ryuutei-kun, Ma--”

“Sensei,” Satori cut the man off firmly, but not impolitely, causing the man's brow to raise.

“Apologies but we're taking a sick day, do you mind giving me our assignments for today?” The tall boys request was faced with an arched brow. The man's eyes shifted toward Riku, a brief examination was all he needed, before he nodded once. Being top students helped at times like this. Questioning would happen later, not now.

While the teacher gathered papers, Satori's feet shifted. During that conversation he was sure he'd found the target. The same young girl that had bullied Riku directly when they'd first met last year. The girl stiffened as she heard his footfalls come up to her. Slowly lifting her head, she froze as her eyes met his own. Like a lion staring down a gazelle.

Despite his eyes that burned with bloodlust, his expression was calm. Much as his tone as he lightly set the jar down in front of her--the light clinking noise sounded like thunder in the silent room. Satori was always smiling, outgoing, persevering and friendly. Even the teacher was wary of this new side of the boy as his calm, chilling words filled the air. More akin to a death threat, than a polite comment.

“You should be more careful with your things. Sorry, I broke the lid,” he murmured, staring into the silent girls eyes. The word “broke” sending a chill down her spine. With that, he walked the rest of the way to the front of the class to accept the teachers papers.

Riku was glad that Satori took the lead in addressing their instructor, his forwardness helping her to relax a bit. When their teacher turned his gaze on her, the blue haired girl made sure to liquify a little, just enough to cause her body to quiver unnaturally and give her a blueish-grey pallor. She frowned as if frustrated and looked away. From beneath her eyelashes, Riku watched to see if the sensei would believe them.

Fortunately, the man at the front of the room nodded before refocusing his attention on Satori after seeing how terrible she looked.

Her best friend was angry, that much Riku had known from the moment he drew her into his arms. The spiky haired boy approached a girl, likely her assailant, to return the jar. Other students looked visibly uncomfortable at her friend’s uncharacteristic anger, but Riku only felt a vague sense of vindication.

The blue haired girl peered over Satori’s shoulder, watching as that girl --Yuna-- appeared tongue tied. When the boy turned away from Yuna, Riku caught her eye and her own brown gaze drilled into the brown haired girl’s pale blue eyes. Keeping her expression as impassive as she could, Riku tilted her head curiously as if examining some bug before turning away, as if deeming Yuna uninteresting.

“I’m not feeling so well, I think we should go now.” Riku said quietly once Satori reached her side before leading the pair out the door. Once the classroom door shut behind them, with a dull thud, Riku’s whole form wavered against her will. The blue haired girl leaned heavily onto her friend.

Still, Riku waited until they left the building before clinging to Satori properly.

[4]

Satori watched as the young girl fell into his side once they were out. A slow sigh leaving his lips before his fingers massaged her shoulder gently.

“It’s alright now,” he murmured simply, before leading the way outside the building. Once they were a decent distance from the Academy, Satori’s long limb lowered. Scooping her up into his arm once more as he made his way toward the young girls residence. Stepping up he carefully inserted his key for the door in. Taking off his shoes and Riku’s own, slipping into the house-shoes and calling out simply:

“It’s Satori and Riku, we’re home early, Riku doesn’t feel well so I’m going to nurse her,” to inform her aunt why the door was opening. After getting the affirmative reply called back to him along with the usual “welcome!’, Satori would head up the stairs. Leading the way along the stairs toward the second floor where the bedrooms resided. Pushing open the door to her room he gently lowered them both onto her rolled up fuuton, fingers idly trailing through her hair.

“Have you calmed down a bit, now?” Satori inquired simply, his tone gentle as he leaned back a bit so he could look down at the blue haired girl curled into his chest more easily.

Riku sighed, relieved, when Satori scooped her up into his arms. Her body relaxed, letting go of the tension she’d built up while trying to stay upright. The steady movement of Satori’s strides calmed her to the point of dozing off a bit.

When they arrived at her house, Riku barely stirred, head lolling against her friend’s shoulder while he went to her room. Only once the spiky haired boy laid them on her futon did the blue haired girl attempt to rouse herself. “Mm, a little. I’m mostly tired now,” she admitted. A small hand reached up towards Satori’s dark hair and gently rubbed a piece of it between two fingers. The fingers in her own hair further relaxed the young girl, causing her to yawn.

“I wore myself out trying to get out.” A frown crossed Riku’s face. “I panicked so I couldn’t escape on my own.”

A new surge of anxiety made the blue haired child’s chest tighten uncomfortably and her fingers stiffened. She took a deep breath and tried to relax again, playing with a bit of Satori’s hair.

“I can’t just ignore a weakness like this. It can’t happen again, it just can’t.

[5]

Satori's smile softened as she curled into him and mumbled her comment on being tired. A soft sigh passing through his lips as he nodded once at her explanation. It made sense, her water form had less physical strength than she did due to its weakened structural nature and her weak control of it at the moment.

“Your control will get stronger, don't worry. We'll think up a few methods, but that's fine. You're just still learning how to control your bloodline,” with a shrug Satori continued his petting. Tips of his claws threaded gently through the blue curls to remove tangles and ease her.

“For now just rest, I'll read while you sleep alright?” A soft smile reformed on his lips, gave trailing toward the nearby bookshelf full if dozens of books on herbology and medicine. Some he had read, others he hadn't. There was plenty there to entertain him while she rested and regained her emotional footing. Plenty of time to plan her revenge, and what came afterward as well.

Riku nodded at her best friend's reassurances and let herself settle down once more. The gentle pull of Satori's clawed fingers combing through her hair lulled the blue haired girl to sleep. Her body relaxed, uncurling slightly as Riku dozed off. The hand that had been playing with the ends of Satori's hair subconsciously held onto it like a security blanket. After a few minutes, Riku even began to drool a little, her mouth parted in sleep.

When the tall boy moved to get one of several books and a scrolls crammed into her small bookshelf, the girl didn't stir. It was a testament to how much energy she'd drained trying to break free from her prison. Riku curled around her futon a bit until her friend returned and sleepily grasped for him when he picked her up again. Her face was slack, showing that the girl hadn't really noticed the shifting around enough to wake.

By the time Riku's eyes fluttered open, her throat felt dry and scratchy.

“Ugh…” the girl groaned, lifting her head. She used her sleeve to wipe her mouth and blinked sleepily at Satori before rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

[6]

Satori glanced down from the paper that he had been looking over. It was a scroll defining the information in regards to herbology, specifically a recipe that helped treat nausea and fatigue. It was quite a useful little mixture, though the herbs it called for were from overseas, so he couldn’t just grow it in his garden. It was still good information to have if he ever went overseas for a mission, it was entirely feasible.

Smiling softly, he carefully rolled the scroll back up as the girl stirred in his lap and groggily lifted her head. As she lazily wiped at her eyes and mouth, Satori idly pushed her hands from her face and used his thumbs to do it for her more effectively. Petting her head gently as she yawned before leaning back against the wall, head tilting slightly in curiosity.

“Someone slept well, hm?” The tall boy inquired simply with a slight grin, before his gaze slid toward the doorway. A low hum of thought filling his chest.

“Do you want some tea? You aunt came by earlier and offered to brew some once you woke up. It’d do your throat good, it probably doesn’t feel good sleeping so close to the floor for so long.” It was chillier down here, not tremendously, but it didn’t take much to make your throat dry and scratchy if you slept a long period in the area.

The blue haired girl didn't fight Satori cleaning off her face for her, still too groggy to protest. Her nose wrinkled a little at being treated like a little kid, but a yawn cut off anything she could have said to that effect.

“Mmhmmm,” Riku hummed, nodding slightly to indicate that she had slept well. Eyes half lidded, she tilted her head back to see the dark haired boy’s face.

“Yeah, tea would be good.” She slid off Satori's lap and stood, stretching to rid herself of the stiffness that came from sleeping in odd positions. The blue haired girl rolled her shoulders a few times and laced her fingers together, palms facing outwards, and reached forward until she could feel a pleasant pulling sensation behind her shoulder blades. Her arms fell back too her sides loosely and the young girl turned to shuffle out of her room.

Riku padded into the living area to find her aunt seated at the kotatsu, a scroll in front of her with a fuinjutsu array sprawling across it. Beside the dark haired woman was an inkwell.

Anzu, the girl's aunt, looked up despite her niece's soft steps.

“Well, hello, sleepy one. You look better. Looked absolutely dreadful earlier.”

Riku nodded and approached the table, taking a seat beside her aunt and leaning into her side. The simple fabric of Anzu's light grey yukata smelled like the flowers from their family's greenhouse.

“Someone surprised me with a lightning technique and trapped me in a jar this morning. I felt unwell afterwards.”

Anzu's hand paused, hand carefully not tightening around the brush in her grasp. Otherwise, it would have snapped in half.

“Tori and I will make her pay.”

One of Anzu's arms slid around the girl's slim frame, squeezing her gently.

“Of course you will, dear. Would you two like some tea?” Anzu looked up at Satori to acknowledge his presence as well.

[7]

Satori watched the girl rise up wobbly, and chuckled softly before he slowly straightened. Hauling himself up from his seat he would carefully lift the other books that had accumulated beside him, setting them back into the shelf in their designated locations. By the time he’d finished up, Riku was already halfway down the stairs. Smiling lightly he turned and followed after her, rounding the corner as she curled up against her aunt.

He didn’t miss the way her hand twitched ever so slightly around the brush, but he made no comment as he meandered forward and began to fill the pot with water. A silent smile the answer to her question, he let her decide on what leaves to use and so forth, however. He had acquired some knowledge, but compared to the older woman it was nothing.

Instead, once he’d put the pot on to boil, he would meander back toward Riku before settling into his seat across from her. Idly stretching his long legs, Satori’s feet brushed her own while Anzu began to brew the tea for them both.

“How do you want to do it?” He asked simply, glancing at the blue haired girl as he idly tapped his claws tips against the hardwood table. There were options, hell, he could just wring the little welp’s neck for her. But that didn’t seem right. Riku always did things from the shadows, poisoning lunchboxes, lacing traps into lockers, and other such antics. He could appreciate the creativity, even if he prefered handling things a bit more… directly.

“Do you want to crush her, or do what you normally do?” As Satori’s gaze met the young girls, he was clearly quite serious. His brow arching slightly. If she wanted to outright beat the girl, he would help her do it.

Anzu selected a blend of chamomile, peppermint, and lavender for the tea. She nodded at the young man who had befriended her niece, pleased with how polite he was. This particular combination would help soothe and relax Riku, who despite looking better, still seemed a bit under the weather.

Fragrant steam seeped from the cast iron teapot, curling between the three people seated around the kotatsu. Anzu watched the faint traces of semi-evaporated water curl and snake through the air to calm herself.

Riku stretched her toes to meet Satori’s feet under the table, but didn’t answer his question right away. She waited until Anzu poured her a cup of tea and stirred in some honey.

“Drink this,” her aunt instructed. “You will need a lot more water afterward to fully recover. I’ll look you over tonight and your mother and I will decide if you’re fit to leave the house.”

The blue haired girl obeyed her aunt, sipping at the hot liquid delicately. It was subtly sweet and almost floral in flavor. Once her cup was half drained, she spoke.

“We’ll give her flowers.” Another sip. “Wisteria, to be exact.”

Anzu’s mouth curled at the edges a bit as she prepared another cup for Satori and finally for herself. Wisteria was poisonous to ingest for humans and animals, although wild plants were uncommon in Kiri. Bonsai versions of the plant were somewhat popular decorations, but their family had a few potted trees in their greenhouse. It was a clever source of poison.

Riku nursed her tea a few more moments before explaining, “They’re poisonous if ingested so all we have to do is make sure she eats a bit.”

[8]

Satori tilted his head slightly as she explained that they’d be using Wisteria, it sounded familiar but it wasn’t until she clarified exactly what it was that it clicked in the back of the boys mind.

“Ah, the bonsai,” he murmured idly, before accepting the tea that Anzu had poured for him with a slight smile. An inclination of his head as thanks, and Satori gently lifted the mug up to his lips to sip after Riku had explained her idea. He contemplated it for a moment and glanced upward in thought.

“She’ll be wary after today. We’ll have to make it convincing. Let’s have it so that you hand them over and I’m grumpy about it. You can play the benevolent part, saying I was going to do something worse but you held me back and decided to forgive her instead. Make it a gift to show all things are even and forgiven, make a comment it makes a fantastic tea.” As he stated this he idly swirled the tea in his mug in thought, before glancing down at her and tilting his head slightly.

“Shifts any suspicion to me, and should make it easy enough for her to accept the idea. Especially with how dismissive you were of her today while I was… politely returning her jar. Also should be fairly trackless. Will it kill her?” He asked the question as if it was the most simple and common thing in the world to kill a classmate. To him, she was better off dead. Anyone that threatened or harmed their fellows was useless to him. She’d be dead, either way, by Riku’s toxins or his claws.

“That depends on the dose. Mixed right, she will become violently ill,” Riku mused before draining her tea and refilling her cup. “We may have to wait. I might not be able to return to classes tomorrow. You’ll have to hold off until I’m back. You could make a show of being upset with her until I’m better. Once everyone sees me calm you down, it will be more believable.”

The blue haired girl rested her palms on the sides of her mug, enjoying the heat seeping through the ceramic.

Anzu’s mouth twitched upwards at the corners, but she didn’t add anything, still adding occasional symbols to the fuinjutsu scroll spread out before her.

“I want it to be targeted, though. If she shares that tea it will become obvious how we poisoned her. What about her water canteen? If I make a concentrate from the pods, we can lace it.” Riku tapped the rim of her mug with her fingertips.

“Or, we could use peanut oil. She has an allergy. By the time she understands what’s wrong, it will be too late.” Riku smiled and sipped at her tea. “We could make perfectly edible wisteria tea and lace it with peanut oil. It won’t make others sick if she shares, but she’ll go down.”

[9]

Satori gave a low hum of thought as she commented on her sharing it. That was a real possibility, especially if the girl was even slightly suspicious of them still. His claws extended and retracted a few times in thought out of habit.

“We could also just give it to her after class. Then she'd not share it until she got home likely, and it couldn't be traced back if her family got sick as well, could have been anything they ingested together. Still some threat of suspicion though. Something more targetable that only she'd be affected by would be better…” His tone trailed off in thought.

Around this point, she brought it the girls peanut allergy, and s slight grin formed on his lips. That was a far superior option.

“If we do that, better to have a potent tasting tea, without any risks of toxicity to ensure that there's no threat at all from you. Probably something on the exotic side that makes her want to taste it as well, or refreshing so she chugs it down and doesn't sip. Something cold?” His hand lifted to hold his chin in thought.

“It's supposed to be pretty hot this week. We could offer it to her at the end of the day so she's hot and parched to just drink it all quickly. Limits her suspicion as well if she's hot and fatigued combined with our little act.” Glancing briefly toward Anzu he smirked, before focusing on Riku once more. Waiting for her thoughts.

“You're right.” Riku nodded, a contemplative frown twisting her soft features a little. Then, the blue haired girl smiled sharply. “We could lace our own bottles. No one will suspect us if they've seen us drinking from them with no problem. They'll look for some other cause, or assume it's an accident.”

At this point, the blue haired girl was sitting up and looking far more animated. Some of the grey blue pallor had faded, making her look healthier as if plotting revenge sustained her. “Something time released would be ideal, however.”

Anzu let the children plan without much input. If nothing else, it was a good exercise in preparing to take down an enemy subtly. If the incident couldn't be traced back to them by teachers, then there would be no need to rebuke them. She wanted to see what the two would come up with before influencing them.

“If she gets sick right after drinking from our bottles, we might be under suspicion,” Riku continued, frown deepening. “Perhaps we steal her lunch so she'll be hungry and then make sure she gets a snack laced with peanut oil. Then she'll have no one but herself to blame.”

[10]

Satori contemplated the idea of something time released for a few moments before blinking once. A low humidity filling his chest as it occurred to him.

“Why not use the old cliche? Freeze the poison. Or in this case, the peanut extract,” he offered with a slight smile.

“It fits the same idea. In fact if we give her a hug of it, and have the extract frozen, her first glass and anything she shares won't have anything in it. Proving it's “safe” to her and any others that drink it, giving us plenty of defense. On the other hand what gets left over for her to drink on the way home will have the extract in it. If it's peanut based as well, then the teachers likely won't catch it. They'll only be able to tell it's an allergic reaction, and when they examine the drink it will be covered up by the strong tea. If they test it for poison, they'll find nothing. That's assuming they even bother since it's non-lethal. Just excessively painful. They've dealt with far worse from the students.”

After this long theoretical speel, he would glance upward in thought. “Combined with our act it'll be more than enough. It helps even more that your image in the teachers eyes is that you're the bullied, not the bully. Their mistake but it works in our advantage.” Shrugging he looked back down to Riku and took a sip of the tea. No reason to point out she was going to for anyway.

Riku's eyes lit up as Satori described his plan. “You're brilliant! I can have it ready by the time I'm allowed to return to classes."

Anzu prodded her side, encouraging her to drink more of her tea. "Drink up dear, and don't get over-excited. You need to re-hydrate."

"Yes oba-san," Riku mumbled, pouting a little. Still, she did as she was told and drank more tea. The warm liquid helped to dispel the lingering shaky feeling she got from being in her liquid form for too long.

As soon as the cup was empty, Anzu was adding more herbs and hot water. There would be no escaping her aunt's tender care. Riku shuddered at the thought of how her mother would react. Taji would likely make her take an herb bath and absorb water in her liquid form. Herb baths like this weren't unpleasant, but Riku was beginning to reach an age where being babied annoyed her.

"If we freeze it, the taste won't be immediately apparent. It wouldn't be difficult to ensure she has no water left on a hot day." Riku smirked briefly before drinking more tea. She knew the next warning to keep drinking would be far less gentle.

Satori smiled softly at how excited the blue haired girl was getting. But he was glad she was coming back into her stride, though she was cute curled up into his lap, he didn't ever want her to do it the way she had. The trembling and terror still made his pulse quicken, and his rage build. Glancing toward Anzu at the comment on hydrating his brow furrowed--tea wasn't really the best liquid to intake while you were dehydrated. It was a diuretic. But perhaps their bloodline shifted how that worked--did they even urinate?

The boy blinked at that thought. Now that he thought about it, he'd never seen Riku excuse herself for the restroom. Hm. Well, if they just needed to ingest fluids it was probably more than enough.

Blinking out of his odd train of thought as Riku commented on the fact ensuring the girl ran out of water would be easy, Satori nodded once.

"There are plenty of methods for that at least, it should be doable tomorrow. Do you any pure peanut extract? Or should we go get some?" Satori's hand lifted, holding his chin in thought as the boy's stomach growled. Silently cursing his clan's ravenous hunger, he shot Anzu an apologetic look. He'd bring extra food next time, he knew all too well he wouldn't be able to talk her down from making him food now that she'd heard his stomach. So he just made a silent promise that he'd restock their larder in return for the hospitality.

Noting the curious expression on Satori's face, Anzu explained, "The tea is as much for the herbs as it is for the fluid. She'll get plenty of fluid from the bath." Absently, the woman set down her brush to stroke Riku's hair fondly.

Riku relaxed under her aunt's touch, smile softening. She continued to drink the tea, already feeling calmer and more steady.

When Satori's stomach growled, Anzu's gaze snapped towards him. Giving him a narrow, critical look, she pronounced, "You, you're staying for dinner." With that, the woman stood and left the children by themselves to start making food.

Riku poured more hot water in her cup, knowing better than to stop drinking. "We have to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. The percentage of water in our bodies is higher than that of someone without the Hozuki bloodline. I lost some water in the process of being stuffed in the jar, and the ground soaked up some of it when you let me out. Most of my water stays with me because it's infused with my chakara, but stress interferes with that." She continued to nurse her tea while letting Satori absorb the new information.

After a few quiet moments, she spoke up again. "Do you have any questions? I know we haven't talked much about my bloodline."

[12]

Satori gave a slight smile as Anzu pronounced what he had assumed it would be; dinner. Well, he was hungry so he didn't mind. Beside he enjoyed the families company. Stretching, Satori shifted his gaze over toward Riku as she explained some of her own bloodline. A low hum filled his chest in thought before he would contemplate the information more thoroughly. So she was essentially pure water, but stress could alter or shift her state and connection to chakra. That also explained why the reaction to electricity was so harsh.

Her question caused him to halt, thinking for a moment before shrugging.

"Do you need to use the restroom? Eat? Are you able to break down and absorb things inside you?" The questions were direct as ever, Satori was not someone easily embarrassed or flustered by any means. His chin rested in his palm as he watched the girl with simple curiosity. The fact she had to stay hydrated made sense, but it made him wonder if she really needed calories, or if she just needed vitamins. As well as how much she could alter her state of water. Could it become acidic? Toxic? There were plenty of interesting ideas.

Blinking once, he arched a brow as he returned the offer.

"I haven't told you much about mine either right? Just our culture. If you have any questions you can ask too." He nodded once with a smile.