Under the Apple Tree

Footsteps come from the rear as the samurai approaches Lightning from behind wearing a pair of oversized khaki cargo shorts and a long white tee shirt with the ancient relic symbol for Division 12 on the chest portion. Two curved blades would be sheathed in a small bundle on his right hip held in place by a black cloth belt that was slung semi diagonally about his waist. As a part of his casual wear, two gauntlets are worn on his forearms like sleeved accessories with his black mask covering the bottom portion of his face and his horn protruding his hair. The figure says nothing at first, but he comes up alongside Lighting and folds his arms at his chest as he looks out along the same scenery that she had been.

From time to time he found himself living with or around Lightning, such as now and back when they were in the mansion, but much like two strangers that were roommates, he never really spoke to her and the opposite held true as well. Since she seemed like she would at least be a semi permanent figure in his life who didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, he felt it best that he could at least speak with her from time to time. Still, he wasn’t a man of many words or great sociality much like Jyn were. Since his mind generally rotated around things such as training and such, he would be stuck to maintain conversations that included basic subjects. Without looking to her, he would greet, “hi. I trust all is well with you?”

WC: 294 / 294

An ear would be lent to her as she speaks, opening up about how she was feeling at that moment. Interest would be given to the blade as the swordsman watches it discarded into the lake. He would watch it in its swift sinking to the bottom before offering her a curious glance at the action. It was still good, however; there was something she was seeking and as a swordsman, he could partially understand what she was saying. Answering her back, he speaks, “I am fine in health.” Expanding on the observation about the village, he remarks, “it’s growing much swifter than I had envisioned… but we have hard workers and good allies.” Yuki and Jun’Jo had helped out in the beginning and it wouldn’t be forgotten. Thinking back, he speaks, “if I remember right, when you battled against the child mage, you used twin blades. Are those what you seek?”

WC: 171 / 465

Picking up on the glance, Battousai wondered if perhaps he had said something false. He did remember her at that time and the fact that she had attacked Noah after Dravec was attacked by the child. He assumed she did it based on her affiliation with their group, or more accurately with Jyn. It had just seemed natural that she had guarded them and then came to stay with Jyn; on all accounts, Battousai assumed that Eri was Jyn’s woman before she had become Lightning... he had thought that since she moved in with them into the Mansion. Though it was true that they did share some knowledge with one another, there were also areas that were kept private; they had the ability to shut each other out of certain places, which was useful for privacy purposes.

Listening to her speak about her style of fighting, he saw a subtle difference from what he had observed. He wondered if perhaps with the Second Dawning, she had undergone some type of memory loss much like with the first Dawning. Battousai didn’t get the joke, and it would show on his face in a form of confusion, but he would understand that it were probably a joke give a nod and comment, “any help would be appreciated. Morale is an important factor with any group…” In a thoughtful voice he comments, “hopefully we won’t have need for too many warriors.” He turns around and glances over the village and speaks, “I want no harm to come to us if possible. I suppose having more of an armed presence is a good thing.” Looking to her, he would ask suddenly, “what role are you planning to have in this village and in Jyn’s life?”

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Battousai was impressed with the response that he was given from her. She seemed to be pretty perceptive and had been able to read him well. As far as their relationship went, he felt that she easily had a better understanding of him than he had of her, but aside from that it seemed as if there were many things in favor of his usage of her. She seemed bound by some attachment to Jyn and aside from that, she seemed like a capable soldier with growth potential; he had already seen what she was capable of and knew that she wouldn’t be content to simply oblige Jyn’s wants for too long before her warrior’s will returned to her. With a soft nod, Battousai would continue his gaze at her as he speaks in a casually low tone, “I do know that there is great potential inside of you… I have seen it and feel it would be… a waste to see it go unused. You’re right… there is something that I could use you for if you are seeking purpose.” He would move straight into things, “me and you, we’re different from normal people. We can reach heights that others… cannot. That’s why I would call on your help within Jun’Jo in helping to assure that it stays safe from outside influences. To put it in simple terms, I would like you to become a captain of Jun’Jo and have a mobile security force under your lead.”

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Battousai would answer, “I don’t see a problem with that. Jyn has placed his trust in you, so removes any reason for me to believe that you would make poor decisions when it came to accepting solders and acting. As long as you understand that the core purpose of the corp would be to act in the best interest of Jun’Jo and its people, then there should be no issue.” He continues, “We don’t have a large group of warriors to choose from, so part of your job would come from recruiting members of your corp.” From the question, he did get a gauge that she did seem to have the personality of one who sought control, which would of course be a prerequisite for someone wanting to lead others. In all of their time in interactions, he hadn’t noticed her do anything dishonorable, so he would assume that she had a strong sense of honor. He would add, “this will give you purpose within the village, but we will also have other resources of protection, so you will not be confined to the village. I would think of it mostly as working together. It seems you are someone I feel that I can come to depend on."

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The samurai was glad that he was able to speak with Lightning and come to an agreement about getting her active in Jun’Jo’s interests. Overall, he was pleased with how things turned out. He could have asked Jyn do to this, but there was the chance that Jyn wouldn’t agree with what was being asked and Battousai also felt that it was important that he and Lightning develop some type of relationship since they would be seeing each other around from time to time. This would reduce in the awkwardness of having a familiar stranger lingering about. With a nod, Battousai would speak, “Do what you feel is best and we will move from there.” With nothing more to really talk about, the samurai didn’t know if he had interrupted her since she did seem to be in thought while looking over the lake. He would allow, “do you have any questions for me?” since he had been doing most of the talking here. He would inquire, not just about the current arrangements, but any questions she may have had for Battousai, but never found the time to ask him.

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It would be a curious piece of information that he seemed easy to read. In one aspect, he could take it as a compliment as it was never his intention to deceive others; on the other hand, it could mean that he was too one dimensional and would only strength the fact that he didn’t do well in casual social interactions. To answer the ‘one thing’ question that comes first, he would mention, “that may be true; there is still much I must learn about myself.” He takes a simple step backwards to evade the hand that comes up to his mask as he requests, “please… I feel uncomfortable when others touch my face...” He would assure her, “…there’s nothing special under the mask… just I feel unease without it on.”

The answer would be similar to Kakashi’s reasoning on wearing the mask, though it wasn’t like his mask was always on. Whenever he changed out with Jyn, he generally put the mask on as the first thing he did upon manifestation. He would have taken the gesture of her reaching for his mask as a little rude and an invasion of his privacy, but he kept in mind that given their situation, she may feel much more comfortable with him and ‘touching’ than he did with her. Since it was her, it was fine, though he probably wouldn’t be comfortable doing the same to her. Aside from that, he never really was too ‘physical’ in his interactions with anyone unless training required it.

He doesn’t linger on his mask however, he simply continues on, as if no big deal, with the note of the village as he speaks, “to answer your question… there was something inside of me… or rather us… that compelled us to bring order to a portion of this world.” Up to this point, Jyneil was the only one, along with Dravec, who knew of Unknown’s existence; Jyn and Battousai did not. Unknown, being the Kami presence within them, would be the main factor why they would have penchants towards order. Battousai would carry on, “after we completed the path given to us by the original Jin, my purpose in living was fulfilled, yet I lingered. Jin is no longer a part of us… so we were all forced to find a new purpose to continue to exist. This village along with the goal of making it a place of good brings a bit of purpose to my being... Jyn’s also. Maybe in the process I can make a difference in the lives of some who are struggling in this realm.”

WC: 471 / 1959

Thinking back, that was probably the first compliment Battousai had ever been given by a female in his life. There was the fact that he didn’t really deal with women on a regular basis much like Jyn did, but it was a new experience for him. He wouldn’t speak on it, however, he would simply nod and understand that her intent were not ill. With her question, Battousai answer, “I have seen Jin separated with my own eyes. As the main, we were always aware of his presence, but now it is different. While in Mare Maris Jyn was able to verify that Jin had indeed gone back there in order to live with his childhood friend. I think for the first time in a long time that boy is finally happy, though I fear what type of ill influence his suffering has had on his pyche…” His voice trails off as he remembered how Jin has lashed out as he and Jyn and even battled them to some extend during the incident that resulted in the death of the mage from his paste. Moving beyond that, Battousai speaks, “but at least Jyn doesn’t have to marry Meloli now. That would perhaps strain your relationship with him.” It did answer the question as to whether Jin or Jyn would be with her as well. There was one more persona, but from what Battousai could tell, Jyn hadn’t mentioned Jyneil, so Battousai wouldn’t speak on that at the moment. He does speak, “in the time we were split, though, I was weakened substantially and Jyn possessed no magical abilities. With the reset of magical abilities, it may be the case that was are that much further from completing a technique that separates us truly.”

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The samurai would agree to the fact that time would indeed eventually bring about new opportunities. He mentally concurred the fact that in due time there would be a way for the two joined identities to separate themselves in order to have access to the various advantages of having their own bodies. Though Battousai didn’t mind it as much, seeing as he came into sharing a body since his creation, Jyn, who had been the first primary persona after the original, seemed to be a major proponent of having his own body. Her wording on taking care of them both was a bit confusing for Battousai, but he says nothing on it nor requests clarification. When the offer comes to eat, he would nod and accept, “that’s fine; I can eat with you.” With that, he would casually proceed with her as they would depart from the lake side. Speaking on the comment earlier, Battousai would assure, “you will be doing me a favor by looking over Jun’Jo as a general…” He wanted to make sure he was using the right wording as he continues, “…you don’t have to feel obligated to care after me as you do Jyn. Unlike him, I’m a bit clearer and more self reliant.” He knew that she were Jyn’s and didn’t want her worrying about him coming onto her simply because she slept with Jyn. Though they shared a single host vessel, they had varying bodies and with their personalities, acted like two completely different people.

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With a nod he would accept the fact that this was her home; that made him feel further at ease about the task he has requested of her. When she speaks about her nature, it seems that there would be an understanding built upon her words; in that manner Battousai felt they were similar. He confirms, “…so it’s like that. That’s good to hear.” As she thought about pastries and such, meat would naturally be on the males mind. He wondered if he should swap out with Jyn in order to allow him to have this interaction with Lightning, but she had invited him, so he didn’t know if that would be like skipping out on a meal or something like that. The fact that they were heading into the market meant that they would be technically eating out. There were a few shops that had eating areas as well as the grill type booths among the various assortments of food based shops. It was around this time that he discovered he didn’t have much else to talk about. Instead of attempting to force a conversation into walking to get food, he would simply allow his gaze to glance about the marketplace that had developed in his little village. While walking, some of the men would recognize and greet him, which he would counter greet with a nod as he was sure was customary. He wasn’t too big on talking, but he would acknowledge when others spoke to him.

The market place would not be without the pestering sale pitches however. As Lightning walked, there would be merchants that called out for the ‘lady with the pink hair’ attempting to garner her interest in various clothing, jewelry and weapons among other things.

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Battousai continues to walk until they came upon the window of a bakery. At pausing, he would look over the place; it was generally the type of place that he would ignore. Of course in his life he would have had to have tried sweets at one point in time, but as someone who ate to get full and not necessarily for taste, he found that sweets weren’t very filling. After watching the transaction between Lightning and the baker, Battousai would look at the selection she had been given with some amount of interest. Since she had asked him to accompany her to eat, it seemed only normal that she would decide on where they were eating, and since this was her choice, Battousai would entertain the thought. Looking up to the Baker, Battouai would request one of the same and reach to his side where his pouch was in order to get the tender needed to pay the baker. He was not remotely close to thinking that someone like him ordering sweet pastries might look funny. As the baker went to prepare his order, Battousai would speak, “Jyn was speaking to me of a concept where instead of trading various items that we attempt to develop a system where there is a uniformed and manufactured item that is given value and used for bartering… he mentioned that Mare Maris is doing it with shells and stones… what do you think?”

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After taking in Lightning’s words, Battousai would return, “you have some good points.” With that said, he needed to meet with the leader of the merchant guilds and get on a more personal level so that he could start pulling together factions into a more organized manner. The traveling merchants would also be useful for spreading the currency if they ever came to reach that point in the village’s growth. The baker returns with the pastry for Battousai, who accepts it with two hands and thanks the baker before looking down at it as if it were some type of flower or something. Going about eating it would be an odd experience. Holding the pastry in one hand, Battousai would reach up and pull his mask down from over his mouth to his neck. Beneath the mask, his face would look normal with no scars or anything, but he would look different than Jyn. They would be similar in the fact that they could be related sharing the same hair color, but their eyes and facial structure would be different. Battousai would bite the pastry as if it were a piece of meat and proceed to chew with bits of it on his face as he comments after swallowing, “it’s very… sweet.”

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Looking to the napkin as it is held up, Battousai would understand that he may have crumbs on his face and would accept it with a nod and speak, “thank you.” With it in one hand and the pastry in the other, he would finish off the sweet in his second bite, wipe his mouth and then offer the napkin back to Lightning. After doing that, he would finish chewing and swallowing the delicacy before lifting his hands to the clothe mask that was around his neck and pulling it back up to cover the bottom portion of his face once more. After doing that, he would dust off his hands and look back to Lightning before speaking aloud something he had given thought to. “That weapon you say you were looking for,” he would begin, “how about I assist you in finding it. I’m sure it’ll be needed as you lead others. We can ask among the merchants here to see if they have something like it, or at least a clue to where it can be found?”

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Exiting the bakery area, Battousai would move back into the fray of the market square as it seemed he now had an objective he could thing on. As he hears her speak, he would mention, “ah… a relic weapon…” He thought it was a bit odd to look for things that people of this age generally didn’t understand, but he wouldn’t worry too much on it, given the fact that he assumed she knew why she wanted it. He would understand what she meant by not wanting to simply use a weapon like a sword. His gaze shifts from her to the people littered streets ahead of them as he answers her question, “Kautuka will be working heavily in that department. We’ve built barracks and temples to train our citizens to better protect themselves in their spare time, so I suppose that is a start. We’re allied with Yuki’s village of Theden, who is generating a mercenary army, and as time progresses, we will have our own policing force to keep us safe from bandits and outside forces that may mean harm.”

One merchant’s cart would stand out from the rest. It would basically be a older model relic vehicle, something that looked like a Cadillac, with its trunk open and various wares in it and inside the back seat. The merchant was a tan skinned male with a large bushy mass of black hair on his head with glasses in the shape of stars on his face. Instead of actively trying to get people’s attention, he was kicked back in a chair reading a relic picture book with a cat wearing a hat on the front cover.

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With a nod, Battousai would confirm that she was thinking of the right person. His name was often a confusing point as it seemed to change often; Kautuka seemed to be one who didn’t put too much stock in a name long term, but generally changed his name with the stage in his life, so something to that extent. When they arrive to the merchant by the car, Battousai would shift his gaze to the man who was reading as Lightning would draw attention to him. Since there was a picture of a cat in a hat on the book, Battousai wouldn’t piece together the fact whether she read the ancient symbols or not. The same would be said from the afro male who was holding the book. His shades covered eyes would look pu to her before he smiles with the prospect of customers. With a soft and deep chuckle, the male who’s voice resembled Shaft’s would make the comment, “you know can’t no body read this jibber jabber… but I’m putting in some work with hit. One day I’ll be a scholar in this land… the man who can read the relic text. What can I do for you nice people today?”

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The tan skinned male would pause for a moment and lower his glasses in looking over at her. He gave a look of disbelief but soon realizes that she was actually serious about the nature of her inquiry. He would push his glasses back into place along his nose and comment, “lady, you’re looking at a very rare and expensive piece of weaponry. I can only imagine where something like that could be found…” His voice lingers off as if remembering something. He looks up after she goes on to ask if he knew someone who repaired or fixed relics. He would nod and speak to her, “I tried to dabble in it a little, but that type of thing is too advance for me, but I do know a guy.” A grin comes onto his face as he speaks the name “…Sirus!” He leans back casually and says, “that brotha will be able to hook you up with exactly what you’re looking for. See, he made a successful raid into the core district right after the second dawning and found a place filled with interesting things. I think I remember him talking about something like what you’re describing… Yeah…” Still a merchant at heart, he would offer, “information is product too. I’ll tell you how to find this guy for the measly price of five common items… sound good?”

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Ooc / Your EXP is wrong; it should be 31XX and not 21XX, correct?

Battousai would give the man a looking over as he told his story. As it turned out, this interaction wouldn’t be profitable for him and as Lightning turned to leave, Battousai stayed behind for a moment. The merchant looked after Lightning gaining nothing after this sale, but did seem interested in the promise of her coming back to share notes with him, but Battousai didn’t feel as if the transaction here was balanced. For that, he reaches to his side and takes a small pouch containing less than the amount he asked for in bartering goods, but still something. Tossing it to him, he would speak, “thank you for the information. Good luck with the day’s sells.” The man catches it, allowing his book to fall onto his lap. Pocketing the pouch, he grins and gives a simple, “thanks, stranger.” The man didn’t know that Battousai was the leader of the village, but it wasn’t something that the samurai felt he needed to brag about or broadcast to others. With that, he would turn and walk with Lightning. As the leader of the village, he felt a certain obligation to the people in it and wanted what was best for them which may have affected his charity.

Walking with her, Battousai would answer Lightning, “the workers mentioned meeting some guildsmen in the tavern from time to time, but we do not yet have a post. Perhaps that is something I should have Jyn look into organizing.” With the mention of work, Battousai would look to Lightning and speak, “I will be on the lookout for any guild member and if I see them I will ask about this man named Sirus. With that lead, maybe it draws us one step closer to finding your weapon.” But, having accomplished his goal of reaching out to Lightning, having a snack with her and speaking to the merchant about her weapon, Battousai knew he had other obligations through the day. He would begin to excuse himself, “but for now, I should be getting back to work. I’ve enjoyed walking and talking with you today.”

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