Sway 2 *ToW*

Argent let his golden eyes stare into the mirror of his room as his right hand tugged at the skin along his neck. His left hand wasn't a hand at all but a golden bladed hook. The blade he was using to shave with. Slow and practiced strokes at an angle to leave his skin intact but the hair, the hair not so much. He preferred to be clean shaven after waking up every morning. He wasn't the lowly member of the family he had been born as anymore after all. He had been a soldier for years and it had paid off. Blood shed and madness had created enough of a name for him that now...now he was making decisions for the entire family. He wasn't the head of the family but he was the strongest and when the old man passed he was next in line. Everyone in the family either respected him or feared him too much to speak against him. He grinned as he looked to the mirror and spoke to no one in particular. "See da, a man can change his stars." His accent heavy on his tongue as he grabbed a towel and wiped his face and his hook.

He would proceed to get dressed as he tried not to think too hard on how today would go. The fact that Masaru was negotiating at all surprised him but it was good. If Masaru knew the family was talking to outsiders and still wished to negotiate for their help, the clan wasn't yet in danger of being drowned in lava. The man knew he couldn't afford another enemy right now. Still he slipped into some blue jeans with black combat boots. Tucking the legs over the top of the boots. Once again he didn't bother with a shirt and simply slipped on a large brown jacket lined with fur. No weapon on his person besides his hook and truthfully, he wasn't known for needing one. Finally he would collect a cigar from a wooden container on the dresser and with a flick of his hook he would cut off both ends cleanly and just barely Placing it between his teeth he would exit the building quickly and head to the diplomacy district. This meeting was during the day so they had been encouraged to take tea in the garden. He didn't care much for it but they had agreed to ran devious there.

The garden was surrounded by tall hedges and he found himself entering through an ebony Victorian style gate. His golden eyes looking around as it seemed he was first to arrive. There were bunches of different flowers here and there but the main attraction seemed to be a dozen rows of cherry trees with a gazebo in the center. It was there that a servant was waiting with tea and biscuits. From the smell it seemed fresh. And there were two seats prepared of course. Argent would step closer as a flare of fire lit his cigar. No hand signs having been used. He would puff on his cigar as he found his seat. Facing the gate and able to see anyone coming and going that wasn't jumping the hedge. It had occurred to him that this may not be negotiations at all. Masaru could send an assassin as easily as a diplomat. If Argent couldn't breath he couldn't agree to help the enemy. So Argent was remaining vigilant for the time being. He had survived this long being prepared for anything so he wouldn't just drop his guard now. Golden hawk like eyes would watch and wait.

Mitsu was awake before dawn, taking the few moments where the world was quiet to ground herself. She was rarely actually nervous, but today was one of those rare days. She was here in the Heavenly Emporium to try to negotiate with the Kaifeng family. She had been surprised when Masaru had insisted that she carry out these negotiations, she was the more peaceful of the two of course but there was still so much riding on this meeting. She’d had many long talks about the state of the Land of Earth, and what she was able to offer and compromise over. As she ran over these conversations in her mind she would sit outside, her back leaning against a wall and stare up at the sky. The dark blue of night was quickly giving way to morning, the stars fading into the golden and pink hues spreading across the sky. It made her think back to her first arrival to Iwagakure, the beauty and majesty of that first mountain sunrise as she’d sad shivering in the cold. It was only a year prior, but it felt like an eternity since she had met Masaru, since she’d found and been welcomed to her new home. ‘Oh Mitsu, what are you doing? Deciding something important? That’s not like you. If only it could be decided with dance, now that would be something.’

Her mind turned to visions of her dancing to compete for the Kaifeng family’s support in an epic dance battle against whoever had been sent to negotiate against her. The image was enough to have her burst into a fit of giggles, clutching at her sides as tears of delight ran down her paper white skin. She knew her parents would approve of such negotiation tactics, but it was unlikely to be something that would work here. She had found through her year in Iwagakure that most people tended to be more serious and ‘proper’. Often those serious people would forgo the impulses that they knew would bring them joy. Without her parents constant reminder that she was allowed to explore and experience the world around her without fear of judgement, a tiny piece of that same seriousness had entered her heart. Picking herself up off the ground she would skip indoors, the sun bathing the floating city in shimmering gilded light as she hurried to prepare herself for the meeting to come. Brushing out her long white hair she would carefully add some braids along the sides of her face, ensuring that it would stay out of her face if she kept it styled down. Her clothing was red to match her eyes, intricate patterns swirling over her bodice in gold embroidery set with tiny emerald jewels. Her long flowing sleeves had small golden bells that made the faintest tinkling noise as she moved which she was able to do near soundless in soft red leather boots. The part she always hated about dressing was the pants. They were practical and apparently more ‘modest’, which she supposed was something that a diplomat should probably be. She still hated it though, and would take a few moments to dance and greet the morning, making sure that the skin tight pants wouldn’t be the cause of her failure. Going over the note Masaru had sent with her, for the umpteenth time, she would read it and carefully fold it into her belt where she normally kept her tessen.

Dear Traitor,

Honor the oath of your family to me, or suffer the same fate as all of the Earth Empire's enemies. If any harm comes to Mitsu before she returns to me, there isn't a place in all of Tsuchi no Kuni that you can hide.

Sandaime Tsuchikage,
Masaru Tatsudashi

As she walked to the Diplomacy District she happened upon a small pot of flowers, tiny blue ones, and she would reach down, take some of them off and weave them into the braids of her near knee length hair. The meeting was to be held in a garden, which Mitsu was incredibly excited about. She had been dreading meeting in a stuffy room with no plants or sky, just formal words and hard backed chairs. It didn’t take her long to find where she was going, she probably could have done it with her eyes closed. The smell of flowers and greenery drew her in like a moth to slightly less deadly flame. Pushing her way through the ebony gate she would pause and marvel at the glorious sight beyond. Rows of cherry trees among tall hedges and flowers dotted throughout, looking like the starry sky she had just borne witness to earlier. A galaxy created out of flora. ‘Don’t worry Masaru, I’ve got this. You take care of Karifornia, I’ll take care of the Kaifeng.’ She saw an elaborately constructed gazebo in the center of the garden, within it was a large man with an even larger fur coat, and. . . no. . . shirt? ‘Dammit, I knew I didn’t need pants.’ As she moved closer she would nod politely at the servant setting tea out for them, offering a smile and a polite bow to the golden eyed man who sat puffing on a cigar. She noticed his golden hook and would look at it curiously, desperately wanting to ask him about it, but would instead sit gracefully in the open chair and turn to the dark haired and rugged looking man, introducing herself with her typical melodic and cheerful voice. “Thank you for meeting with me. My name is Mitsukira Tatsudashi and I have been sent by and with the full authority of Masaru Tatsudashi to treat with you.” The words flowed easily as she smiled, she had rehearsed the greeting over and over again, all the way here from Iwagakure. With a twinkle in her eye she would brightly add an addendum. “Though, you may call me Mitsu, if that’s easier.”

Argent would pick up his cup of tea and sniff at it before setting it down. It was early morning still but he wouldn't have minded something stronger. After all it seemed to consistently fall to him to decide the fate of his clan and likely a nation. Becoming a morning drinker was not out of the picture but he wouldn't push for it. After all he was meeting with a representative of the home land. A representative of the Tsuchikage who was known to be a violent man. Perhaps it was the reason behind the whole war to begin with. The fact that they wished to meet with him though likely meant they were well aware of Konoha meeting with him already the night before. He had made no promises to anyone yet besides the expected loyalty his family had because they lived in Iwa. However that was why they sent Argent. He was not a man easily given into threats nor was he someone easily put down. If it came to threats or a fight Argent was the most likely one to make it out alive and in his wake leave only fire and death. It was what he was famous for after all.

He would puff on his cigar once more before the gate opening drew his attention. Instead of someone as equally gruff as himself, much to his surprise, entered a lovely looking woman. His golden eyes would look her over as she approached. The corners of his lips turning up slightly. She would have turned a lot of heads at the family dinner table he could admit that. Still he hoped this wasn't Iwa's effort to get him on their side. Seduction was useful and fun but truth be told he knew too many stories where it had brought the end to kings and nations. He was not interested in watching his families empire fall. Still she would sit across from him and unlike the quiet Uchiha from before she actually seemed fairly cheerful despite everything. The world was on the verge of burning and she was smiling. He glanced over her hair and dress as she settled herself and listened to her introduction quietly before puffing on his cigar again. Introductions and everything eh? Well this was off to a better start than the quiet man from the night before at least. Though he fully expected to be threatened before long.

"Mitsu eh? Well ye can call me Argent lass. I represent the Kaifeing and hold full authority over thems as well. So, what brings ye here ta see me? The loomin war or did ye just here a real man was in town?" He would say with a wink.

The morning was shaping up to be a rather lovely one, current activities aside. If it weren’t for the threat of war and having to deal with a notorious crime family Mitsu might have even been truly excited to be on an adventure. The scent of the cherry trees mingled with the smell of tea and Argent’s cigar, the mixture creating an aroma that was enough to distract her from her worries for a time. She needed something to hold on to to keep her from worrying, otherwise she knew she would be in danger of reacting emotionally and end up making a mess of things. She was always taught to treasure her emotions and express them freely, but also that they were her responsibility to manage. If she wasn’t able to manage them well enough, she had no one to blame but herself for any trouble that came from them.

The man named Argent had an interesting accent, one that she wasn’t used to hearing too often. She’d heard it occasionally within Iwa, but in fairness to accents everywhere, most of the local cadences she’d heard in the Land of Earth were still strange and new to her. He also had a manner that she wasn’t used to, a boldness not usually found in most people. His comment about a ‘real man’ would give her pause, was he flirting with her? ‘Maybe he didn’t understand? Maybe he’s just being funny. Yeah, that’s probably it. There’s no way he’d make that mistake. . . right?’ Picking up her cup of tea and holding the steaming cup in both hands she would smile politely at Argent, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. But not without a less than subtle warning about future advances. “The only real man I’ve seen in my husband, Masaru. Who is currently out defending his country. Your country.” Her voice was cheerful and sincere, no hint of malice or sarcasm, just plain and honest truth. The warmth from the tea was slowly seeping into her hands and she would bring the cup to her lips and take a small sip, savouring the bitterness and heat of the liquid. She would close her eyes briefly as she enjoyed the flavour, she was not afraid that anything would happen to her, she never was. Probably should be since she was sitting with, by all accounts, a terrifying person. While she did not know of this man in particular, she was aware of what the Kaifeng family was rumoured to have been responsible for. Her peace came from the weapon she had tucked into her belt, the letter from Masaru.

Upon opening her eyes she noticed that the man’s tea remained untouched, and one white brow would raise as she gestured towards the abandoned cup. “Is the tea not to your liking? Maybe we could get something else?” She needed this man at his best, at his happiest, to provide her the best chance at a favourable outcome for Iwa. Looking over Argent, she didn’t suppose he was a tea drinker, he was far too gruff looking for that. Without waiting for him to answer she took the choice into her own hands and turning her gaze to the attendant nearby she would speak to them. “The tea is lovely, thank you. Do you think we could have something else, is that possible? I don’t mean to cause you any trouble.” She hoped she wasn’t being a bother, and would smile apologetically as she asked.

She would make mention of her husband and Argent would frown before leaning back and letting his hand rest on his knee. Tapping his fingers there. He followed her eyes even as she sipped her tea. Noticing him not touching his own. She was observant to notice that he didn't seem to care for it. Speaking as much before inclining to the servant about other options perhaps. The man would clear his throat to get argents attention before golden eyes would look to him. Clearly the man was waiting to see what Argent wanted to drink. So Argent would pull the cigar out of his mouth and ash it into his tea before speaking to the man. "Aye, a nice tall glass of yer finest ice water would do me a world of good me thinks." Argent would grunt out before placing the cigar in his mouth. With a frown and narrowed eyes at the rudeness the servant would collect the tainted tea cup and move off to fetch some ice water from somewhere nearby. Argent was clearly not one known for his manners but not many from his family were. They had their uses but social niceties were not one of them.

Once the servant was gone from sight golden hues would return from the servant to the woman. He would puff on his cigar again before chuckling to himself as if there was some inside joke. The red ember glowing and his eyes seemed to shadow under the glow. Bringing forth the golden hawk like eyes ever more. Like he would see all and held no fear. He hadn't missed her mentioning that Masaru was defending the country...his country. How little she knew of how exactly that had been offered to him. Still it was only fair to hear out both sides. And by fair he meant getting the best deal possible. A country was on the line after all. Still he would speak plainly once more.

"So they send the lady of the mountain to remind the lot of us bout our fealty eh? I do hope ye come with more than threats upon our heads and expectations of blind loyalty from us. With enemies on all sides can ye really afford ta be dividen yer attentions to include us? Blind loyalty ta a man who rules by fear isn't exactly a thing we happily cling to. Not ta talk bad bout yer husband miss but he is known for some savage tactics."

Mitsu gave the attendant another sympathetic look as Argent tapped his cigar ashes into his teacup. She wasn’t sure if the act was unconscious on his part, or if he was intentionally trying to get a rise out of either her or the attendant. Either way she decided it was best to focus on the task at hand rather than what was most likely a small unthinking error. His choice surprised her, ice water seemed a bit extreme to her seeing as how cool she found the air that morning. Only a year and still she was acclimatizing, as noted by her cradling of her teacup as though her life was dependent on the warmth it provided. But at least he would be happier? Hopefully? She had no way of knowing for sure, but she was certain that keeping the man happy was still in her better interest for now.

His chuckle as he looked at her again brought a smile to her face, almost making her laugh along with him. She didn’t get the joke but the joy she felt at hearing the man laugh was clearly written on her face. Her whole goal in life was to make the world turn as it should; with joy and love and peace. To see even a small amount of that, however misinterpreted, made her happy. As she met his eyes she was fascinated by his gold coloured eyes, they were intense and held a fearlessness that she knew might be dangerous. You couldn’t threaten someone that held no fear, appearing as if they had nothing to lose. She didn’t want to threaten him, what she wanted was for him to agree that continuing to serve Iwa was what was best for everyone. She didn’t want this meeting to come to threats and violence. That was not her way, she preferred believing that talking everything out was the simplest and most effective way of dealing with problems. The current problem being that there was a chance that the Kaifeng would abandon Iwa and side with someone else in the war. As much as she didn’t like their methods she knew that they were what they were. A venomous snake was not ‘bad’ because of its venom and drive to kill with it. The universe made it what it was, and it was simply the natural order of things for it to exist as a dangerous and lethal creature. It was why she had always pushed so hard to ensure that criminals were shown leniency in Iwa. While she could understand the need for reprimand, she felt sympathy for the snakes and their natures.

She would chuckle aloud as he called her the ‘lady of the mountain’. She found titles when used to describe her absurd and hearing one always brought an embarrassed laugh. His words beyond that though were more sobering. They held far too much truth. There was a threat on their heads, not one that she thought she had given as yet, but it existed. And they did have enemies surrounding them, without a miracle this would be a bloody and destructive war. The losses that both sides would suffer made her heart ache and her cheerful manner morphed into one of seriousness; the tiny bit of seriousness that crept into her being from her time in Iwagakure. Taking another sip of tea as she listened to Argent, she would sigh quietly and place the cup on the table in front of her, staring at the liquid as it settled while she considered her answer. His statement about Masaru was also on the mark, they had spoken of it at length, his darker side. She had not judged him for it, but she could understand why others would.

Tracing her finger slowly around the lip of her teacup she would speak slowly, a hint of poignancy in her voice. “Masaru is fierce in the face of threats against those he cares for, that is true. So are you I imagine. I don’t want to threaten you, truly I don’t. I don’t believe that fear and violence are the only ways to accomplish things. Your fealty, as you say, is what it is for now. I would like to see a world one day where blind loyalty is not given out of fear or hatred. Where that type of loyalty is given to those deserving of that faith.” She would stop the movement of her finger along the cup and return her reddish-pink eyes to Argent’s golden ones, a sad smile on her lips. “I’m not here to offer you money, or to threaten your life. Not that I personally could threaten you in any way. I’m here to offer you a choice. One that I don’t think you’ll get from anyone else. Your family is powerful, they have been the deciding factor in many an altercation I’m sure. But no matter how strong something is, there’s always someone stronger, someone who believes just a tiny bit more in what they’re fighting for. You could fight for us, I want you to. Universe knows that it would help greatly, as you say we are surrounded by enemies. You could also side with someone else, which of course would lead to other troubles, probably for everyone. Or. . .” She would turn and face him directly, peering into his eyes with a look of sincerity. “You could leave.”

Argent would listen quietly without interrupting her or even more than a raised eyebrow as she spoke. He had expected someone harsher but she seemed kind enough. The issue was that she was not here to negotiate it seemed but rather to plead for them to either take the side of their homeland or simply leave in peace. They were not going to offer money or land or even anything for that matter. They simply wanted the mafia to stay out of the entire thing or take Iwa's side. His eyes shifted to her fingers moving around the top of the teacup. Watching it a moment before the servant came back with a tall glass of ice water. Moisture running down the side of the frosted glass. He would look to it a moment before picking it up and taking a sip. It was cooling and refreshing on his throat. He was pausing for a moment to let her words settle and to enjoy his drink. He was trying to figure out how not to be overly rude but the truth was at the rate the meeting was going they would end up on opposite sides of the field in the end.

He would set his glass back down and put out his cigar on his boot before setting it on the table. The smell changing to something burnt instead of the sweet smoke. Barely a nub of it left. Still he would lean forward and rest his wrists on his knee's. His eyes looking to hers as he spoke up again. Barely at a normal volume. "Ta be frank, ye seem a little naive. Romantasizin people more than ye should. Ye see yer mistakin us for people tha listen to their conscious. Ya see, our family has done terrible things ta get by. Ta rise in power to the point where ye all come ta us ta make sure we are on your side or out of the way. Ye say there is no money to be offered. Yet ask us to either fight with ye or get out of the way. Ye know we have some of the strongest fighters. We are a whole clan of last survivors. There be a crown on the line here lass and the enemy...they are offerin ta put our name on it. Much as I like yer fantasy idealism, I would look damn good in a crown. The enemy be offerin us a country.....and yer just bringin me a pretty please?"

Mitsu’s nose would wrinkle briefly at the smell of charred tobacco as Argent snuffed his cigar. The whole situation was somewhat surreal, here she was, tiny Mitsukira on a floating city talking to a member of a infamous mafia family trying to get them to fight for her husband’s country. It was not so terribly long ago that her greatest worry was finding water in the desert while she went on her ‘team building exercises’. Taking her teacup back in her hands she would sip the liquid quietly as she listened to him. He wasn’t wrong, she’d been told the same thing by people just as cynical as him. She wasn’t naive, she just wanted so badly to believe in the inherent good of people that she chose to believe in it. She knew the Kaifeng were about as far away as inherently good as people could get. But it wasn’t in her to abandon her true values. His words about them doing terrible things she felt were probably just meant to scare her, it was more or less common knowledge that criminals did terrible things, and not something that she saw as irredeemable. And he did have a point, power was hard to turn down for most, but she did catch the slip. ‘So there is someone else here negotiating.’ The ‘enemy’ she assumed to be none other than the Land of Fire and they had offered him rulership of the Land of Earth from the sounds of it. Her eyes would narrow as he got in a final jab. Mitsu was kind and sweet and a genuinely good person. What she wasn’t was a fool. She could almost see the greed in his eyes as he spoke of a crown, and she wondered if perhaps he too was blinded by a need for power just as Konoha was.

“You would not be the first person to ever call me naive. And I’m sure you won’t be the last. If your intention is to get under my skin, you’ll find the task quite arduous.” She offered a sincere smile as proof that she was difficult to rile up. She would sigh and place her cup down again, it was clear that this was not going well. A man without a conscience was difficult to reason with, all his talk of being a survivor made her doubt herself. ‘But you don’t have to turn hard just to survive. There are other ways. What do I do?’ She couldn’t see a good way around this problem. He wanted something tangible, something real. A pardon was real, it would allow them to gain title, status. If he wanted a crown he could have one, he’d just have to choose it. “Argent, what I am offering you is a full pardon. When I leave here it will never be offered again. Think of what you could do with that, what your whole family could do. I don’t care what terrible things you may or may not have done. The past can remain where it is, the choice is yours.”

There was an edge to her voice as she spoke, she wasn’t angry, but she was the closest she’d probably ever been. She knew that without their help, or worse with them helping their enemies, that it may not end well for Iwagakure. Most likely wouldn’t. What she couldn’t understand, and the cause of her rising irritation, was why this man couldn’t see why his choice mattered so much. This wasn’t nothing she was offering, this wasn’t a ‘pretty please’. This was life, more than it. A good life, full of safety and prestige, everything a person could want. ‘Don’t make me say it out loud. Please.’ The alternative was the message in her belt, or the simpler one she had heard from Masaru before she left. “Tell them to join us, or die.” She didn’t want that, she knew he’d kill them all ‘savagely’, just as he’d done to the criminals from the Leaf Village that had dared threaten his daughter.

Thinking of that time brought a question to her mind. There had already been dealing between Iwa and Konoha before, and they’d gone distinctly in Iwa’s favour. With a thoughtful look on her face Mitsu would flex her fingers, enjoying the warmth in them from holding the teacup. It was the last bit of warmth she would feel as she set her jaw and delivered the words she had silently pleaded with the Universe to not make her say.

"I was not sent here to ensure you were on our side for our sake, but for yours. My husband has great plans for this nation, and you’ve already pointed out how ‘savagely’ he treats his enemies. We do not offer you anything because you have done nothing for us, we do not pay for mercenaries and we certainly do not lie like the leaf. Do you honestly believe they would hold true to their words to you? As much of an idealist as I am, even I would not be so gullible.

My husband does not pay for people to fight for him, but he rewards those who fight with honor and integrity. He is an Earth country native just as you are, and his family holds just as many ties to this land as yours. The only difference is he doesn't ask for payment for his services because he believes it is his duty as a child of the Earth. He rewards those that serve beside him and he will eradicate those that threaten the peace of this land.” She would pause as she felt the passion in her words rise. “What little I know of Konohagakure is that it is fickle. Its leadership is always in flux, the country torn by internal conflict. You may have the word of the current Kage, but what of the next? And when will that be, tomorrow, the next day? If you value power, prestige, wealth. Then I’m sure you also value stability, and with us you will have that.”

Argent would listen as he picked up his glass and sipped from it. She had a bit of an edge to her voice now and negotiations were breaking down. He understood it though. Her home, her family, her happiness was being threatened all for profit. He wasn't fooled by Konoha's claim that Masaru was a bad man so that was the reason for their involvement. It was about money or land or something they sought to gain. A pardon was a nice touch though. All the crimes they had done in the past wiped clean. However it wasn't like they sought to change their ways. Even if they were pardoned now they would give the Tsuchikage plenty of reason to hunt them later. If he despised criminals it was inevitable that he would one day come for them. That he would slaughter them like cattle as was his way. Still he would listen to her play out the future for him. How Konoha was unstable which was true but they needed the Keifing family. They were drawing up a binding contract. So it was the devil you knew or the devil you didn't. Still as she spoke of what Masaru would do to them the water in Argents cup began to melt the ice and bubble.

He would let out a growl under his breath before leaning forward and quietly setting the glass down. The water having boiled until it evaporated and a black burn mark on the glass in the shape of his hand. He had known the threat was coming but to be so idly threatened for his entire clan was aggregating. He would speak once more as the heat picked up in the gazebo. The chair he was in already blackening on the edges. It appeared she had struck a nerve.

"So it's stick with the devil ye know is it? Ye think ta predict the future do ya? Well lass, let me do some of me own. Ye see, My bet is my families business irks yer man somethin fierce. A pardon would only help with what we already done did. Not with the rest of my family does for a business see? So the great Tyrant will eventually grow tired of these people who expect somethin for somethin. People who don't align with his views. We might help him today but tomorrow he may see us as a threat and kill us anyway. They say better the devil you know but In this particular case, stickin with him only leads ta mass graves for me an mine. At least with someone else they had the decency to offer us somethin worth our while. All I hear from you lot is do this because it's expected of you. If you dun do it, watch yer family burn. Tell me lass. Do I seem like a man that takes threats well?"

Mitsu had paid little mind to the glass of ice water that Argent had asked for. It was a glass of water, not particularly interesting all things considered. Now though it had become the most interesting thing in the whole world as Mitsu watched with growing concern as the water within the glass began to bubble and boil. Until that moment Mitsu had been unafraid. She was in neutral territory on the Heavenly Emporium, there was no tolerance for violence here. But the only thing stopping any violence from occurring, as far as she knew, was the verbal agreement by everyone to just not break that rule. And she was sitting with someone who she knew was not exactly the rule following type. Her red eyes would follow the glass as he leaned forward and placed it down quietly. It was now empty, and partially scorched. Mitsu was absolutely terrified, she had pushed too far and she knew it. ‘What have I done?’ She thought to herself as she took note of the rising heat in the gazebo and the scorching of the chair Argent sat in. Her smile was gone, and there remained a look of fear not disguised in its place.

She wanted to apologize, to make up for how she had angered him. She wanted to run. She was made for peace and happiness, this was almost too much for her. She listened quietly, her paper white skin drained of all remaining colour, her hands unmoving on her lap. If it weren’t for the dangerous situation she had managed to put herself in, the heat radiating from the man might have actually made her feel better. But all it did instead was add to her turmoil as it reminded her of her first home in the desert, and it made her think of her parents and miss them terribly. They would say they weren’t, but she knew they would be so disappointed in her now. Resorting to threats of violence, even if they weren’t hers, she knew better. If anyone ever threatened them, she didn’t know what she would do, and in a way it made the anger the man had displayed make more sense to her.

She sat and tried to quell her panic as he spoke. ‘Stay legs. We don’t run today, we wear pants so we stay.’ It was the best she could think of to calm herself as she sought a solution to the problem she had created. Argent’s final question to her drew her attention back to his eyes and away from the scorched glass and chair. She met his eyes with a look of something close to defiance as she held his gaze. Anger was an emotion she’d rarely felt, she’d seen it in others but it wasn’t something that anyone felt the need to get out of her. Until now apparently. She’d spent the last year, and all her years really, being graced with a charmed life. No one threatened her, or did anything even remotely close. Part of her knew that that made her utterly unsuited to empathizing with this man, but as her anger flared she pushed the thought aside. She even managed to ignore the obvious fact that his anger was justified, as she had threatened him first. With her tiny hands curled into fists her voice would rise as she let out her frustration, barely louder than her normal volume. “What do you want from me? I. . . I’m. . . trying!” She would sigh as her words drifted away on the wind with the scent of cherry trees, her anger was short-lived as she quickly realized she wasn’t angry, she was frightened.

“I’m sorry, I am sorry. I should never have threatened you or your family, that was wrong. And no you don’t look like someone who takes threats well. I’m sorry for my outburst, you scare me more than I wanted to admit.” Uncurling her fists she would place her hands over her face briefly, sweeping her white hair behind one ear as she lowered her hands again. “I don’t know how to help you, I just don’t. If what you’re saying is true, and you really feel that even with a pardon my ‘tyrant’ husband will just kill you all anyway, then what difference does offering money or anything else make? It doesn’t make a difference I suppose.” Her words were spoken softly as an air of melancholy settled on her features. “That’s why I wanted to let you leave. I don’t know if you can change, or if you even want to, or if it’s even fair to ask. But if you can’t, or won’t, maybe it’s better if you leave. You say I romanticize people more than I should, maybe I do, but I’ve seen people change. I am the voice of peace, of lenience and forgiveness. And he listens to me. I don’t want our people to suffer, to lose their homes or their lives. That includes you as well. War isn’t good for anyone. And people like me? We just lose everything. I wish to all the heavens that this war wasn’t coming, but I’m just one person and all the wishing in the world won’t make any difference. But you, you could actually help. You said yourself that your family is filled with the strongest survivors, that you have so much power that whole nations try to bargain with you. You could do anything you wanted with that much power and strength. So I’m begging you, please. Please consider using that to help your people.” She had no illusions about where their negotiations now stood, she'd let her emotions manage her actions and now all of Iwagakure would pay the price for her failure. Her final plea was a desperate attempt to sway the dangerous man’s heart and mind; to show him that he could be the hero.

His golden eyes would watch her as she snapped ever so little at him. She was scared and he understood it. Not everyone was prepared for war. Not everyone was built for watching those around them die. She was trying but she had been sent in to negotiate with virtually no ammunition for it. With nothing more than a pardon and threats of death and violence. A kindness in her eyes for them to simply pack up and flee because of one man. She quickly changed tone and apologized. Speaking in frustration with him. Of course he already knew negotiations had broken down. The poor girl had come here driven by hopes and dreams and Argent had to be the one to shatter them with the reality of the way things worked. He would patiently wait as she continued on. She would plead with him and speak of holding her husbands wrath at bay. The issue was he didn't see a future where he could thrive while Masaru slaughtered anyone who didn't share his ideals. Despite any riches or pardons there was only one way this eventually ended for them. They were criminals and as criminals in Iwa they were already sentenced.

His eyes would look to hers for a moment longer before quietly he would rise from his seat. Adjusting his coat as he looked down to her. Something akin to pity in his eyes as he spoke once more. "At time I wish there was peace for me and mine. Dat said it ain't our way. We be fighters and as such war is our oppertunity ta make somethin of ourselves. Ye ain't wrong lass when you say Konoha ain't stable but we look ta cling ta what hope we can find. If there be a chance ta stop livin in fear of yer man. If there be a chance to make somethin great of ourselves instead of waitin ta die, we have ta take it. It ain't in us ta just run away. I pity you for this comin ta yer door step. But I have ta do whats best for me an mine. So I offer you what ye offered me. Go back and tell yer man ta flee. Ta run away with ye to somewhere no one knows his face. Live in peace somewhere. Start a family and live ta old age with little ones runnin round yer feet. I encourage dis. Because if he comes for us.....if he comes fer me an mine. I won't leave anythin of him ta bury."

With that he turned around and left her there. He didn't want to see her broken. He didn't want to hear her sobs. He was a bad man but he didn't like ripping the hope from people who still lived in a fantasy. Instead his golden eyes would look to the horizon. He needed to return to the family and prepare for war. If he couldn't do good, he would do bad well.

exit thread
6 posts 30 exp a post = 180

Mitsu knew she had already pushed too far, and that pleading with the man was unlikely to do anything. Even so, even though her rational mind knew what to expect, her heart wasn’t ready. Her indomitable sense of hope still drove her to try to speak to Argent’s good will, to inspire him to do the right thing. As he stood and looked down at her with what might have been called pity, she felt the first crack in her idealistic heart. All manner of thoughts ran through her mind as she looked up at him, all rooted in a word she was not used to using to describe anything she had done; failure. She had been sent here with one purpose to ensure the Kaifeng family either fought with Iwa, or didn’t fight at all. And as she heard his words she knew she had failed utterly. Fighting the urge to clutch at the pain in her breaking heart she would listen to his offer for her, sitting speechless as he promised a horrifying future.

She could only look on in silence as he turned and walked out of the garden, still reeling from his promise. Once out of sight she lowered her head into her hands as she leaned over the table, trying desperately to hold on to what dignity she had left. What he had said wasn’t unfair, but all of her had wished that just maybe she could sway him to her side. The longer she thought on it the more her heart broke, until finally it shattered and her tears fell uncontrollably.

She was not built for war, her heart was too kind and too compassionate. Instead of offering the Kaifeng family an ultimatum she had tried to find a third, kinder option. One that would allow them to live out their lives in peace. Maybe Argent was right, maybe she was naive. His threat against Masaru still hung heavy in the air as she wept. She knew that Masaru would not take this well, that by all rights his words were true. They were traitors. The glimmer of hope that Argent offered her made the pain worse; a life of peace and happiness, surrounded by family. Her family, one that she might never see come to fruition. Both men had sworn terrible and bloody retribution on the other and all she could do was beg them both to leave it be. She was helpless to stop or change anything that was to come, and it was the feeling of helplessness that drove her grief. Her body was wracked with sobs as she contemplated what she had done. ‘Did I doom our people? Is this my fault? What is wrong with me, how could I have done this?’ Doubt and grief and fear were all new to her, and they hurt more than she could bear.

She would have sat that way for an eternity if the Universe had allowed it, but as always the Universe had other plans. A soft cough was heard from the direction of the attendant and it was enough to bring her back to the present. Wallowing in the agony of her heartbreak, her tears spilling into her cup and mingling with the cold and bitter tea. She wanted so badly to be able to help the Land of Earth, to save them from suffering and death. To be able to return to Iwa and give them hope, this was just. . . impossible. As despair set in at all she had lost and would lose, of all she had failed to do and those she had sentenced because of it, she would open her eyes and look down at her teacup. There were subtle ripples along the surface of golden brown liquid, the movement triggered by her trembling. As she watched and focused on the tiny waves she felt her grief subside, moving away and mixing with her fear to transform into a deep melancholy. The weight of her actions fell heavy on her shoulders as she sighed mournfully and slowly sat up and blinked back her tears in the bright morning sun. The idyllic garden filled with delicate flowers lay all around her, the scent of cherry blossoms and violets lingering in the near imperceptible breeze of the outdoor area. With a somberness she had never felt before she would rise slowly to her feet, her smiling face now dark and serious. The beauty of the garden now lost on her as she made her way out the ebony gate and back home to the land she had sentenced to death.  

{Exit Thread}