The Queen of Close Quarters Combat (Open)

Shimiko was extremely angry. Kyoji had refused her demands and opted to make an outrageous counter-offer. Whatever lagoon the shark-man had crawled out of, he was mad to believe that Nariko would give into such a claim for compensation. He'd be lucky if he even got a formal apology. Shimiko was not concerned about his feelings but having to return to Kumogakure to deliver the bad news had left a pit in her stomach. The woman had wandered onto Kiri's training grounds in hopes of releasing some built up tension and anger. She paced the length of the grounds, gripping her Sai as she contemplated stabbing a few of the training dummies. She decided against it, not wanting to abuse the village's equipment and add to her headache.

Left, right, country, parry, riposte and disarm. Back step, spin for momentum, knock aside blade, strike the solar plexus, kick out with leg to sweep. Swipe blade behind, parallel to spine, spin in the opposite direction while while kicking up into the groin of the target, stomp down on the forward foot, bring knee up hard as they hunch forward. It was a normal day for the Kaguya clan member, sparring a few excited, if a little too energetic, genin. He was one himself of course, but that didn't mean any of them were on the same level. He'd been strong for a genin back when he had gone to Kumogakure for the Chunin Exams. His run in with the plague there had nearly killed him, and had put him in a coma for six months that he'd only recently awoken from. It was rough, and he was working day and night to get himself back into his original shape, of which he seemed like he was there. Finally at the point he was at when he left for Kumogakure. Now, he'd need to work on becoming even stronger than that. Genin or not, he needed to become more powerful, more skilled, and faster still, than he had even been before.

Calin was only garbed in shinobi style combat boots and shinobi pants, as upper body attire when sparring and practicing was impractical for a clan who punctured any clothing they wore when utilizing their clan techniques. Needless to say, a lot of Kaguya's learned to deal with eyes upon them. As people accidentally stripping themselves mid combat was eye catching on the best of days. The three genin he'd been sparring, less experienced than him in close quarters combat, were on the ground around him, a bone sword in his hand as they lay, their own weapons tossed aside, and blood coming out of the nose of the last. The first, only sat, the rules of the engagement to do so if they lost hold of their blade. Calin would turn toward him and nod "You need a firmer grip, if a swordsmen is disarmed in combat, they're dead, simple as that." He would say, prompting a nod from the young man. The next, a young girl who lay stunned after the solar plexus shot. "You did well to hold onto your blade through my stunning you and kicking out your legs, just gotta train your instincts and work on your speed and skill. Strength is nowhere near as important to one with a blade. The sword itself should be doing most of the work if you've maintained it. So focus on fluidity and speed, and your footwork." The nod would shake her head dumbly, before Calin turned to the last one. A stockier guy, nowhere near Calin's height of 6'5. "You did well too, I put you through the ringer for a spar, your nose broken?" He'd ask, getting a shake of the head. "Good, I didn't accidentally hit too hard, it was only meant to stun. You have a longer road ahead of you given your build, but it isn't impossible with hard work. Just don't let up on your training." He would say simply, prompting a nod from the younger teen. "You're all good to go today, we'll meet back here next week." He would say, getting responses of "Yes Calin-san" To which he would nod approvingly.

He'd retract the bone sword back into his body, as he turned to look around. The mist wasn't especially thick today but there was most definitely a layer of it over the field. It tended to make things more humid than they needed to be. Making him all the more thankful that he didn't need to bother with a full set of clothing when he came to train. A few people would be at the far end of the training field, sparring and practicing their jutsu, however one blonde woman wouldn't be too far away at all. He didn't recognize her at all but that didn't mean he somehow knew every living soul within the village. He'd shrug and move toward her, deciding that if she was alone anyway she might like some company and he himself was never one to be impolite. He'd move to within a few yards of the woman before speaking "Good afternoon, I hope I'm not disturbing you, I just noticed you here alone and figured maybe you wouldn't mind a bit of company. I'm Calin Kaguya, Genin of Kirigakure. Are you looking for someone to spar with perhaps?" He'd ask, his tone polite and cordial, he did his best to always be polite, whether he was in a formal yukata or in thin sheen of sweat from sparring. Hey, it was a training ground, what did one actually expect?

Shimiko's pacing was interrupted by a fair-skinned, white-haired giant. The girl ceased moving as the fairly tall shinobi came into view. He introduced himself politely and Shimiko, despite her sour mood, did her best to return his pleasantry.

"Shimiko Chinoike, Jounin of Kumogakure and no....I'm not really in the mood to spar"


She wasn't in the mood to fight, she was in the mood to kill. When it came to someone of her ability, there was a big difference. She couldn't afford to risk letting a spar get out of hand, not here in Kirigakure of all places, and especially not while tensions were as high as they were. She didn't trust herself to keep her emotions in check on the off-chance that this boy was stronger than his rank suggested. Even if he wasn't, she was so angry that it was possible that she would take advantage of his relative weakness. Still, it was nice of him to offer. It was good that at least a few Kiri-Nin appeared to be fairly accommodating and respectful. She was glad that not all of them were slavers and terrorists.

"I had a rough day....I'm just pacing is all. Blowing off a bit of steam. By the way, do you know a Tsubaki Kaguya?"

She was interested in his clan. He had identified himself as a Kaguya and the surname had a bit of meaning to her. Tsubaki Kaguya was the name of the kunoichi that had defeated Bayushi at the World Tournament. The boy was a traitor who had put the lives of the Nakama in jeopardy. Her sources told her that Tsubaki had made quick work of him. The woman had been set to fight Nozomi next but had declined to do so. Shimiko wondered if it was out of cowardice or purely because she had already accomplished some prior objective. She would like for the opportunity to speak with her and gain more insight, but more importantly, to thank her for humiliating the former Kumo shinobi.

'A visiting dignitary from Kumogakure then, interesting.' Calin would think after she introduced herself and he'd nod in acceptance of her decision to not engage in a spar. The village name of Kumogakure sent a shiver down Calin's spine, but not due to any ill feelings toward it's people. It was simply the last place he could remember being before blacking out to the plague. The memories of feeling his heart beat increase in the first exam. Him thinking it was simply a part of the test, and the horrid moment he realized something was incredibly wrong. Right before blood parted his lips and he coughed it out before waking up, in a hospital bed across the ocean, six months later. It was a chilling though, and he couldn't believe how lucky he was to be one of the first, if not THE first people to survive the plague outright. He'd realize then however, that his reaction to her introduction might seem incredibly rude and he bowed his head toward the blonde woman in apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to appear rude. My immediate memories of Kumogakure were from the last Chunin Exams. The plague struck me in the middle of the first exam. I remember feeling my heart beat increase exponentially, but thinking it was part of the test. Then realizing it wasn't before coughing up blood and blacking out. I just recently woke up from that coma." He would say, knowing that the information about him wasn't secret or anything, and any Jounin from Kumogakure would have access to the information anyway, minus his recovery from the jaws of death. "I hope I didn't offend you Miss Shimiko, it was rude to react in such a manner regardless of the reason. May I make it up to you?" He would ask before blinking at her explanation of having a rough day and asking him if he knew of Tsubaki.

"All Kaguya know Tsubaki, she's our Queen, our Clan Leader. Although I am honored to say that I know her personally yes." He would say, a light colouring dusting his pale face at the thought of the Kaguya woman whom he cared so deeply for. She had come to him when he had awoken, fed him from her own hand, and had been so happy to see him alive that he felt needed by someone. Which wasn't the same as being a necessary piece on a board when it came to village politics. Tsubaki herself actually, and truly cared for him. It was enough to make his heart speed up. He really needed to ask her out on another date soon. "In regards to your rough day, maybe a spar really wouldn't be such a bad idea? If we keep it to close quarters only, I should be able to handle a great deal. That's the last I'll speak of it though, you've already declined once, and it's rude to bring it up again. I would normally ask if I could offer to take you somewhere to eat as an apology for my earlier rudeness and in hopes that a nice meal would turn your rough day around. However I'm hardly dressed for such a thing." He would say, looking down at his training attire pointedly and the fact that he was sweating from the earlier spar with the other genin. "As such I'll simply say this and ask you a question. I won't disrespect you by telling anyone anything you might tell me. So with that in mind, would you like to let it out? Just talk about it all? I won't take any yelling or screaming personally if you need to utilize such methods to cool down. If that idea doesn't appeal to you then I must ask you how I can help?" He would say, offering another idea. He wasn't certain what could be causing her bad day but it couldn't be anything good. A visiting dignitary in the training grounds, angry as all get out because of something that happened in his home village? It either had to be a meeting with the Mizukage, or something very personal.

Steps light on the ground as Inarie walks down the main path towards the training grounds. Inarie Yoru Kaguya, a young 5’2” teen that is garbed in practical clothing. Such clothing consists of a simple white shirt, leather belt that holds her hip pouch and chokuto around the waist. Her pants is soft brown leather that holds a single holster strapped onto her left thigh which contains her three kunai. Her platinum wavy long hair pulled up in a fluffy tail as her piercing pink rose red eyes wandered the area.

Her face has what appears to be metallic blue scales on her cheeks that looks like wings extending out. On her wrists to her forearms is a patch of blue scales as well. Inarie passed by a teen that she did not recognize, but he was quite skittish as he shies away from being near Inarie. However she immediately tensed as live sparks of Raiton flickered around her scales. This was due to the fact she recognizes Calin Kaguya, and then there is a blonde foreigner. It seems they were conversing with each other about something. However it would be rude not to greet, Inarie can sense that the way Shimiko is twirling those sai that Shimiko is in a bad mood. She could just let Calin deal with it and continue with her original idea of training. At the same time, as much as it pains Inarie to leave Calin alone she rather not have him face this foreigner alone in case it boils down to that point.

Inarie approached the two before respectfully bowing in respect to Calin and then to Shimiko as she introduced herself.

”Well I can't say that I wasn't expecting anyone here, but I didn't think the training grounds would be sight seeing worthy. My name is Inarie Yoru Kaguya, Genin of Kirigakure. Might I be of assistance to both of you in some way?”

Shimiko tensed for a moment in response to Calin's reaction. She didn't know what his thoughts were regarding Kumogakure but given the recent controversy, she could guess.  She didn't make any outwardly hostile moves but it was clear from her body language and facial expression that she was tense and ready to pounce. Fortunately, Calin apologized and explained why he had reacted so severely to her introduction. He mentioned that he was a plague survivor and that Kumo had been where he had fallen ill. Shimiko's eyes perked up and her expression grew both concerned and empathetic.

"I'm a survivor of the plague too." she said softly. It was a solemn thing. Survivors were incredibly rare. It was unlikely that two of them would ever cross paths and yet here they were standing together in a training ground field. Jashin must have willed this meeting. Shimiko knew that significant advances had been made with respect to immunizing, treating, and going by some rumors, even reversing the damage wrought by the illness. "No offense taken! Please don't apologize. It's a tough thing to go through and I can tell you from experience that while the memories never quite fade....the experience will make you much stronger"

Calin went on to tell her that Tsubaki was the leader of the Kaguya Clan. He identified her as a Queen which Shimiko found peculiar. Yet the more she thought about it, the more it fit. The Kaguya were an old and proud clan, it would make sense that they would give their leader a more memorable title. She wanted to learn more about this "Queen" Tsubaki, but it would be rude to interrupt the young man. He was remarkably well mannered and kind. Shimiko was a bit surprised by his eagerness to hear her woes and do what he could to help. He offered a spar, a dinner date, an ear, or whatever else she might desire. Shimiko wondered if Kyoji had sent this lad as a spy or perhaps some kind of late-breaking peace deal. Or, it was just as possible that he was an ordinary genin that had been raised by his parents to respect women. She couldn't be sure one way or the other. Years ago, she would have thought the world of such a dashing and considerate gentleman. However, years of action in ANBU had shown her that people rarely acted kindly out of their own sense of goodness. Everyone was after something. Especially boys it seemed.

Before Shimiko could reply, another Kaguya joined them. This one was a young girl with curious scales on her arms. Shimiko glanced at them but didn't pay too much attention to it. She wondered if this one was a hybrid. Sharky-Shark Clan and the Kaguya Clan?   This one was just as well-mannered as Calin. The Chinoike gave a bright smile and returned the bow.

"Shimiko Chinoike, Jounin of Kumogakure. Jeez, you guys are incredibly friendly. Is everyone in your clan so well-mannered when it comes to foreign strangers?"

Shimko's anger was slowly melting. She enjoyed the company of nice people. As a young girl, she had played the role just as well as they were, except she hid a more sinister personality underneath her superficial charm. She didn't assume that this was the case with Inarie and Calin though. She got a distinct impression that they were being genuine. Their friendliness reminded her of simpler days and she found herself enjoying their company. She had side-stepped Calin's earlier question regarding a spar nor had she opted to take him up on his offer just yet, although she likely would spill the beans as the conversation wore on. She decided that she liked these two. She wasn't interested in sparring them as her approach to fighting made "accidents" likely. These two didn't deserve such "accidents".

At the mention of she too being a survivor of the deadly plague, Calin's eyebrows would proceed to try to hide beneath his bangs. The chances of finding another survivor when the world was so large and the death toll was so high were slim to none. Did fate bring them together for some reason? Who knew? Either way he'd give her a smile, and nod at her words. "Indeed, I've only been up and about for a few days, and I'm already almost up to my old level. Waking up after a six month coma, was a frightening experience. All that time, wasted, time I could've used to keep pace with, or even surpass my peers. Time I could've used to help better the Kaguya, and Kirigakure too for that matter." He would say, his obvious priority being the Kaguya then the village, and not the other way around. At this point Inarie Kaguya would arrive, introducing herself to both of them and asking if she could be of assistance.

Calin would raise an eyebrow at her appearance, scales appearing on her cheeks that gave the impression of some kind of lizard. That however mattered very little to Calin, it was just different than what he normally saw. He'd flash her a smile and nod his head. "Calin Kaguya, Inarie, I don't believe we've met. I must ask though, as I don't want to be rude, but are those scales on your cheeks? They're rather interesting if I may say so." He would say, honestly trying to not be offensive by bringing it up but being curious all the same. If she didn't want to talk about it though, he would press the issue.

At this point Shimiko would introduce herself to Inarie, causing Calin to give a small chuckle. "We have our share of, well, it isn't polite to curse in front of ladies, let's just say we have our own fair share of those who aren't allowed to go on diplomatic missions." He would say, cheeks dusting slightly in colour as he avoided cursing in front of the women, but more importantly, the guest from another nation. "Our clan dynamics are a bit..odd to most people, even those who live here in Kirigakure." He would say, giving her a shrug as he softly brushed passed the subject. "Are you staying in Kirigakure long? I could see about hosting you in the Kaguya compound if you haven't made arrangements already." He would say, a slight tilt in his head as he asked. That last question was a trap, and he wondered if the blonde Jounin would see it. Call it his own test of a Jounin, and one from another nation no less. It simply opened up the ability to answer the question, and then further expand upon what she had come to Kirigakure for in the first place. He wasn't sure if the information was secret or anything, but it was fun to play the game every once in a while.

To be honest Inarie isn't quite sure what she did, but it seems that the blonde foreigner who later introduced as Shimiko Chinoike has calmed down a bit. Calin did ask a bit of a sensitive question to Inarie as she was half expecting him to insult her. Wouldn't have been the first time someone did that, but Calin expressed more out of curiosity Inarie gathered. Inarie even raised her left hand displaying the scales on her wrist and forearm.

”Indeed they are. It's part of who I am.” Then Shimiko had asked if all of them were as friendly, and fortunately Calin answered that part which Inarie agreed with. Inarie spoke of her own opinion though.

”I have only met you in terms of foreigners, and I figured I would be best to just be myself versus pretending to be something that I am not.”

Shimiko empathized with Calin's situation. It was sad to hear, but it was also comforting to know that other survivors dealt with the same issues. She had regretted her time off the battlefield. She wasn't strong enough to accompany her fellow Thundercats on that fateful mission to the Valley of Jehosaphat, and they had nearly died without her being there to protect them. She had left her Church, Clan, and village completely vulnerable. At the time, she wasn't the strongest of genin, but she would never be able to rest peacefully in the afterlife knowing that while her people burned, she languished in a coma.

"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. Making up for lost time is always a struggle. No matter how far ahead I get, I feel like I'm always behind."

It appeared that Calin and Inarie did not know each other. That made sense. Major shinobi clans tended to be quite large and it was rather impossible for everyone to know everyone. However, much to her chagrin, he immediately pointed out the curious scales on her body. Shimiko wouldn't have done that and she found it quite rude. She was willing to forgive him on the grounds that all Kaguya was technically family and probably were fairly blunt to each other as a matter of custom, even when they didn't know each other personally. Inarie responded that the scales were part of her identity and that she didn't want to hide that aspect of herself. Shimiko smiled, appreciating the girl's courage.

"Well I think they're absolutely beautiful Inarie! They compliment your skin and hair quite well."

Shimiko gave Calin the briefest of glances, hoping that he would pick up on her words. He should definitely compliment Inarie on them, especially since he was so focused on being a gentleman. She remembered being quite insecure about her looks when she was younger. She tried to dress in a revealing manner and be extra-sweet to everyone she met, but there was always those feelings of self-doubt. Of course, the Senou's ribbing didn't help either. Inarie didn't volunteer any information about her background and while Shimiko was curious and had a vested interest in finding out, she decided to leave that tidbit alone for the time being. She liked these two and it would put a damper on the conversation if she started to think of this interaction purely in terms of information gathering. Often, the best intelligence was gathered when you were having a genuine conversation with someone.

Kiri folk are fairly nice people...I think I can understand why Natsuru would want to vacation here. That doesn't explain why that damn Inazuma went postal on them....maybe he met one of the few really bad ones at the gates.


Shimiko turned to Calin who had just offered to host her at the Kaguya Clan compound. She had made her own arrangements already. A hotel that was often used for visiting dignitaries and foreign diplomats such as herself. However, she would love to tour the Clan compound and meet this Queen Tsubaki in person.

"Thank you for the offer Calin, you are such a gentleman. I do have accommodations already but I would love to visit your Clan's compound and have a look around. Of course, if it would be okay with your Queen."

Shimiko, being an intelligence operative, wasn't naive enough to fall in love with a foreign stranger at first sight. The Calin kid was awfully cute though and assuming he wasn't working some kind of angle, he had a sense of chivalry and genuineness about him that would make her blush if she was any younger.

"Of course they're beautiful, All things interesting have a beauty to them, and they do compliment our complexion quite nicely. I'm sorry if I offended you Miss Inarie." He would say, effortlessly agreeing with Shimiko without hesitation. He meant it too, for beauty came in many forms. Inarie, while not beautiful to many of their clan due to her differences he was certain, was quite lovely despite them. He briefly wondered if the scales had combat applications as well. He certainly wouldn't mind testing her in a spar sometime in the future to find out either. Until then though, they had a foreign dignitary to cheer up and make welcome.

"I see no reason why Tsubaki would be opposed to a visit, obviously certain parts of the compound would be off limits. However I'm certain I could introduce you to Tsubaki at the very least. If you wished of course." He would say, a small smile on his face as he spoke. He was confident in that claim, Tsubaki would be interested in meeting a high ranking dignitary from another village. Even if it was just to break bread and chat. The Kaguya clan were respectful to guests, even if they tended toward xenophobia. Shimiko however should have no issues, and if anyone did disrespect the Kumogakure Jounin after Calin invited her then it would be him that would get to deal out the punishment. Well, he hoped so anyway.

He had however noticed that she didn't fall for the simple word ploy. However she had hinted at potentially staying in Kirigakure for at least a night. Although he wondered if her bad mood at the start of their conversation would cause that plan to change. However he'd already told her that he wouldn't press, and he was a man of his word. Therefore any information to be gained would have to be offered, and not tricked out of the woman. "So, I didn't get the chance to really see any sights while in Kumogakure last time. May I ask you what it's like living there? I'm curious about the other lands." He would ask, a polite curiosity showing on his features.

It would seem that Shimiko was quick to chip in to compliment Inarie's scales, and Calin followed up with his own without hesitation. For some reason Inarie can't help but treat their words with a grain of salt on that. Still it wasn't like they were talking smack about her with her back turned or anything so that's something. Inarie couldn't help but giggle from their reactions.

”Thank you. I'm glad both of you think that way.” Inarie listened to the exchange Calin and Shimiko were making. It seemed that Calin was inviting Shimiko to the clan's compound which made Inarie tense on the shoulders from thinking about it. She made a mental note and brainstormed of how she can get out of this event if Shimiko agrees. Bringing in family matters is considered to be rude, and she already knows that Tsubaki would force Inarie out of the complex if there was an event taking place. Inarie rather not cause a scene and Shimiko take it the wrong way which can be a spiral of arguments that can end badly.

”I have never been to Kumogakure I'm afraid, but I'm sure it is a lovely place being high up in the mountains.” Granted Inarie doesn't know exactly where Kumogakure is other than she has heard the Land of Lightning is mostly mountain regions and some patches of plains for farming. Other than that Inarie doesn't know that much aside from her assumption.

Shimiko was delighted that Calin was willing to take her to the Kaguya Clan compound. He said that Tsubaki probably wouldn't mind which was good. She was very much interested in visiting the place and getting to know this mysterious young warrior. "I would love to visit!" she said with a smile. If he wanted to take her right then and there, that would be swell, but she wasn't in any particular rush. Inarie appreciated their compliments and Shimiko smiled in response to her as well. The girl appeared to be used to having her scales come up as a subject of conversation. She hoped that the young Kaguya believed her compliments to be sincere. She imagined it could not have been easy having to go through the academy with those features. Children could be so cruel when they wanted to be. The conversation veered to what Kumogakure was like, to which Shimiko put a finger under her chin and considered for a moment.

"It is....a majestic and beautiful place. And you're right Inarie, the mountains allow for a natural view of the countryside that is just breathtaking! It's somewhat humid not unlike Kiri due to all of the condensation but other than that its a pretty sweet place. Our hot springs are nice and we just built a splendid new Jashnist Church called St. Memori's Cathedral. If the oppurtunity presents itself, I'd like to take you two on a tour sometime. Maybe an exchange program of sorts."

It was lofty words but judging from the meeting she just left, such a thing was not likely to happen in the immediate future.

Calin would nod at her with a smile at her acceptance of a visit to the clan compound. He wouldn't take her by any training grounds where someone might be training a higher ranked technique utilizing the clans bloodline. Such things needed to be secret to prevent the information from getting out so easily. Especially when it came to a high ranking shinobi of another village. Since she was visiting as a dignitary of Kumogakure it shouldn't be any real problem for anyone involved. Shimiko would begin to talk about Kumogakure though, and Calin would begin to listen intently. One thing that caught his attention though was her talk of the 'Jashinist Church' He'd raise an eyebrow at the name of the religion. He wasn't familiar with it, but if the woman had brought it up then it must have been important. Then she'd mention an exchange program, something that part of Calin was interested in, but not fully.

Particularly because an exchange program tended to have multiple goals. A short term one of building relations between villages, effectively giving each a legal hostage that would work for them and perform missions for them. This would cause villages to think twice about attacker each other, since a valued shinobi, usually from a influential clan to insure cooperation, could be harmed, or otherwise used against them. The other goal though, one not often discussed, but one that had reality supporting it. Was that generally, shinobi involved in exchange programs tended to fall for someone within the village they visited. This would cause the two villages to become even more connected, building relations between the two for years, potentially generations to come. However, most Kaguya would make for a poor exchange. Since they tended more toward the xenophobic side, and interbreeding was common within the clan. One of the other clans? Maybe, but there were no other high level clan members of the others that he could think of that would be free to go. At least, none in any of the truly influential clans. The Mizukage was a Hoshigaki, but you couldn't exactly send the Mizukage as an exchange shinobi. The Hozuki had no high ranking clan members able to go as far as he knew, nor did the Yuki. No, an exchange program probably wouldn't work for the time being.

"Obviously it's some form of religion, since it has a church. However I've never heard of Jashinism. Now don't take this question the wrong way. I doubt I"ll be signing up to join, but I am curious about the religion. What can you, or are willing to, tell me?" He would say, curiosity within his tone.

It seems that what Inarie heard of rang true from Shimiko's acknowledgement. Curiosity grew on Inarie as she always wanted to explore other lands, but her loyalty remains in Kirigakure and her place is here. Perhaps it was misplaced in the eyes of other Kaguya as Calin pointed out they can be a bit xenophobic. However Inarie was never on the best of terms with the Kaguya clan, Tsubaki Kaguya especially. So it kind of neutralizes the tension since Inarie is basically an exception.

”I see… well I suppose I am more of spiritual person. Sort of comes from the other part of my bloodline that grants me certain perks.” A live spark of pale blue electricity flickered over the metallic blue scales on her face. Inarie tries to keep it down as her scales react to the tension on her mind. Given her ancestor's element runs through her veins raiton residue sometimes flicker around her scales. Still this time she did it on purpose as she was more of going for a flair of sorts.

Her ancestor, Tyras, was a dragon of the storms as he once ruled the skies centuries ago. However there was no mention from her deceased father's notes on whether Tyras still roams the earth or the cycle of life claimed him. Still Inarie regards the Spirit of Tyras as her ancestor and in turn makes her think of other things in a spiritual sense.

Shimiko smiled brightly when Calin asked about Jashinism. Judging by her current expression and demeanor, you would have never been able to tell that she was fuming with anger earlier. She loved when people asked about her religion and though Calin probably wasn't going to convert anytime soon, this did provide an opportunity to at least plant the seed in his mind. Even if he never joined, if Calin learned about Jashinism from someone sweet and pleasant like her, it would make him less susceptible to anti-Jashinist propaganda.

"Jashinism is a religion that honors and worships Lord Jashin, who is the God of Creation and Destruction. Jashinism teaches us not to fear death but instead to revel in its power and mystery. To this effect, Jashin commands us to regularly perform human sacrifices so as to bring us closer to him and to cure us of any fear we may have of the void. Many people think Jashinism is an evil religion but they merely misunderstand its tenents. The Orthodox Church of Jashin is the sect of Jashinism that I belong to. The leader of our Church whom we call the Superior Sacristan teaches us to only sacrifice the most vicious of prisoners and convicts. We obey the laws of the land and therefore our sacrifices are kept to those who are already marked for death by society. Jashin teaches us that eventually, he will return to us in human form....a being we call the Necrossiah. The Necrossiah will bestow upon his most loyal followers the gift of immortality and eventually, we will aide him on a neverending spiritual crusade throughout the cosmos."

That was Orthodox Jashinism in a nutshell. Of course, there was much more to the religion than just that but Calin had asked for a simple explanation and that's what she would provide. If he wanted to learn more then she'd have to grab another copy of the Seikyōkai. She didn't have any pamphlets on her at the moment but she made a mental note to herself to find him and give him some literature before she left.

Inarie piped in that she was a spiritual person as well. Shimiko could respect that. Even if Inarie followed a false God or held beliefs contrary to Jashinism, it was better than being a godless atheist. Shimiko noticed some sparks dancing around the girl's scales. She mentioned another part of her bloodline, apparently, it was responsible for granting her other abilities.

"What kind of perks?" Shimiko asked with a playful smile.

Calin would listen intently as Shimiko went into the religion that was Jashinism. At first he felt his heart skip when she mentioned human sacrifices, and not in a pleasant way. However he calmed down a bit when she mentioned they only sacrificed those who were the most vicious and cruel individuals. Calin would think as she spoke, not sure how he felt about such a religion in general. 'What happens if they run out of such prisoners in their village? Will they begin scouring the countryside? What about when they run out then? Will the requirements to be considered the most 'vicious and cruel' go down? Thoughts of people in religious uniform simply sacrificing people for being out past a curfew, or simple pick pockets who were just trying to survive the only way they knew how?' He started to feel a bit sick at the mental images running through his mind and he'd suppress a shudder. Nothing appearing on the outside to give the blonde woman, who seemed to devoted to her chosen path, a clue as to his true feelings on the matter. She was an envoy, and while it wasn't in any official capacity, he was a representative of Kirigakure within it's walls. All of it's shinobi and people were really.

"I see, that sounds rather interesting. Although I will admit that it's not particularly to my taste. I won't think less of you or belittle for what you choose to follow." He would say, keeping content, almost jovial really, about it all. 'Please tell me this psycho isn't staying in Kirigakure long? Fuck, I just invited her into the clan compound damnit. Now I have to follow through or be seen as extremely rude.' He thought as he considered the potential catastrophe that could occur if Shimiko began to discuss her religion in the clan compound. It wasn't a pretty mental image. Calin himself was agnostic, he believed in something greater, something real. He just didn't know what to call it, or if it even wanted to be called anything.

At Inarie's response Calin's eyes would shoot up, 'perks of their bloodline? Spiritual?' She must be talking about another, as no part of the Shikotsumyaku was spiritual. It was simply wholesale slaughter, graceful slaughter to be sure, but they were killers and warriors on the battlefield, nothing more. He'd listen intently to her response to Shimiko's question before nodding and looking toward the blonde "You said you wanted to meet Tsubaki, shall we go then? I can at the very least take you to the clan compound and get you someone to show you to her. I'll have to stop at that point though, I'm much too dirty and sweaty from training to introduce a dignified envoy of Kumogakure to the Queen of the Kaguya." He would say, a small sheepish chuckle escaping his throat as he said the last. It was true, that was for certain. He was still covered in a sheen of sweat from his training and he couldn't be the middleman to introduce two distinguished individuals in that state. If he were freshly showered and clothed, sure, but that would involve making the blonde Jounin wait, which was exceedingly rude. It was far better to had someone else introduce them. He could come by later on if they desired, after he had a chance to clean up.

Calin wasn't exactly enthusiastic about Jashinism judging from his reaction but he remained polite enough. Shimiko would accept that for the time being. Most people were horrified when the learned of the tenents of the religion, and a select few became violent. Calin kept his true thoughts to himself and so Shimiko had no choice but to accept his implied rejection. The blonde's mood soured but she said nothing, instead, she opted to put a cheery smile on her face before saying:

"That would be grand Calin, lead the way!"

Shimiko would listen to whatever Inarie had to say in response to her question, but if the girl chose not to say anything at all then she'd see nothing wrong with that as well. After all, the mixed breed had a right to her secrets. Shimiko would follow her guide to the Clan Compound where she'd hopefully get a chance to meet this Queen of the Kaguya.

Exit

Calin would wait a polite amount of time for Inarie to respond to Shimiko's inquiry. However the half blood Kaguya would refrain from answering her for whatever reason. Be it simply feeling uncomfortable on the matter, wanting to keep such information secret from a foreigner, or perhaps even wanting to keep it from Calin himself, being a part of the main clan would naturally paint him in the light of being xenophobic and discriminatory, and while he'd never marry outside of the clan. He otherwise simply didn't care enough to let such things affect him. However the scaled Kaguya couldn't know that information. Shimiko would tell him that he could lead the way and he'd nod before turning toward Inarie.

"I'll see you around Inarie-san, I have you have a good day." He would say politely before leading Shimiko off toward the clan compound of the Kaguya.

Exit

It would seem the foreigner inquired about what Inarie meant by perks. She had to think about it first as her eyes shifted over to the side of her vision.

"Let's just say that I never shared the other half of my bloodline's sickness in youth. The rest is better to express in combat than with words. However the two of you seem to be busy so I think I'll take my leave for the day." Inarie responded vaguely yet she didn't mean any offense behind her words. Calin bid his farewell to Inarie as well to Shimiko. Inarie responded with a polite bow before they split off into their own directions. This more than likely won't be Inarie's last meeting of them, but Inarie hopes that Shimiko has a better time here as Calin was still a question mark. At least the time being.

[Exit]