How was it that a missing nin somehow ended up in this situation? [break][break] A mindful sigh escaped the miko garbed woman's lips as she reflected upon the events that led her to the regal halls that now stood before her. All she was doing was minding her own business wandering about as per usual when she was suddenly and brazenly approached. This random stranger asserted their ability to see and pleading declared that she come to the nearby village to preside over their tea ceremony, which was weird considering that people don't usually go out and try to find shrine maidens for their little parties. Something about tradition and luck due to the scarcity of shrines in the vicinity? Honestly Sumire didn't pay it much heed after the word 'presiding' and tried backing out, however this local wasn't having it. No matter what she said the guy always had an excuse to brush past it and failed to be dissuaded otherwise. She tried everything bar the full admission that she was no shrine maiden, which would cause more trouble than actually attending the damn ceremony to begin with. So here she was, standing in full garb amongst the local spectators. [break][break] There was some incentive to all this nonsense though. It wasn't as if she was opposed to the idea of enjoying a cup of tea herself, but these types of things tend to draw quite a bit of scrutiny between the event and the attendees themselves. There was even word that a geisha was requested. None of it was the type of attention that a wanted kunoichi needed. Unfortunately the alternative was to massacre the entire populace which somehow seemed excessive and significantly worse in terms of notoriety. Now it wasn't as if this was a major village, much less a shinobi one, however it did have a decently sized populace and apparently staunch advocates of tradition for going to such lengths. It was also too late to back out anyway. [break][break] At least she was promised a nice meal, shelter, and donations for piety - all out of false pretense. Oh the irony. [break][break] Though that said, the thought of these people breaking their tradition via heresy for having a false miko at the end of the day perhaps sufficed for the trouble. "Well then... I should enjoy myself while I'm here," she murmured casually to herself. Perhaps this was a good chance to gather information too. [break][break]
On the outskirts of Kaminari no Kuni was like the land of the unknown for Niijima Izumi. Even though she had practically grew up in the country, she rarely left her village, except for the times her expertise were sought after. And those expertise were not pertaining to her job as a shinobi either, unfortunately. She had many other professions, as she liked to call them, since the idea prospect of calling them a hobby would be stretching the truth a little too far. Her role as a samurai had been destined at birth, her father's intentions of fostering her into one of the first female samurai the village and the country had ever seen fueled his every move. Her job as geisha...well, that was definitely not for fun. She hadn't gone through rigorous training for eight years of life, lived in someone else's lodgings for those years for a hobby. [break][break]
No...that was not the case at all. [break][break]
She heaved a sigh, barely audible as she mounted the carriage outside of her okiya, or the geisha lodgings. She had become a geisha because of money, as a means of survival against the harshness of reality. After having lost her father in the hands of the unknown, her mother had taken her own life too, leaving Izumi to fend off the world on her own. And that was what she did, at the age of ten, crawling the streets of Kumo and passing out just outside her now home. If it had not been her teacher, Sakura, she would have died and gone to join her parents in another world, perhaps. Instead, she was fed and clothed, given a new identity, and in exchange she would become one of them. She would become an entertainer, a musician, an artist, and live a life parallel to all that she had known. [break][break]
And quite frankly, she didn't mind. [break][break]
Izumi had trained hard, night and day, excelling in the musical instruments and dance. What she couldn't excel in she made up for with practice and strong will. Such was the stubborn nature of a Niijima. There was hope at the back of her head, that one day, she could buy back the Niijima family estate she lost with the deaths of her parents, and reclaim the samurai family reputation that they had held on so dearly. But first, she needed to repay her debts, and work her way to the top. Like a shinobi, the geisha had a hierarchy. Although not as defined, the entertainers were classed by how many parties they were invited to perform at, and the nobility of the customers. The bigger the parties with the most famous of people guaranteed much higher rewards. And with high rewards came notoriety. Her lodgings was pitted against some of the toughest and best geisha in the district. To render on top required endless training and perfecting of her skills. [break][break]
She had managed to climb the ladder slowly. Izumi had started as a maiko, or a geisha in-training, going to small parties to help the other geisha. Until she was ready, the girl learned all the skills of the trade, how to speak to customers and be the best listeners the world had ever seen, as well as the technical skills of art and dance. And now, finally, she was able to stand on her own two feet and perform. It was every geisha's dream to be recognized, to be sought after. In their world, she was already top of her class, many diplomats from across countries and towns sent requests to her lodgings to ask her to perform for them at their parties. She was now able to pick and choose which ones to attend, and turn down those she believed would not benefit her reputation. Perhaps to the outside world she was conceited. But to her, that was just a natural thing to do. [break][break]
The black-haired girl sat inside the carriage, pulled by two horses. The driver sat outside, guiding the horses to the destination. Izumi had been requested to a tea ceremony at a shrine. Although this was not some reputable event, she was one of the most skilled tea ceremony hosts, that much she was more than confident about. The girl had left behind her geisha makeup, instead styling her hair with red chopsticks for the most minimalistic look. Her attire was that of a pink silk kimono, tied tightly with a gold and white obi made of the same fabric. Tea ceremonies required the host to wear as little makeup and jewelry, so as to not disturb the harmony and purity of the tea room. It would be an hour or so of travel before she found herself outside the shrine. Descending from the carriage, the girl would put on a satin white veil, that covered most of her face except her eyes, tied with silver beads around her head. It was another requirement in the geisha world that their identities be hidden, and their faces be covered. That was why no outsider or commoner would ever know what a geisha looked like, unless revealed to them by the geisha themselves. [break][break]
The mystery of who they were and where they lodged gave the profession half of its value, with many men often stalking the women just to catch a glimpse of who they were behind their geisha makeup.[break][break]
No sooner than the thought of yawning cross the false miko's mind did one of the town's officials approach the otherwise silently observing woman. At first Sumire was going to pay them no heed, but then the official started speaking to her. Withholding the initial urge to roll her eyes with an accommodating smile in its place, she listened the second of surely many more requests to come. Something about the geisha arriving? What did that matter to a shrine maiden? This wasn't even her ceremony, or whatever it was this was supposed to be. She wasn't quite given all the details nor did she necessarily care. It was on that line of thought did she realize the ask. "Oh. You want me to greet them." [break][break] Dropping her folded arms, a soft breath escaped as she made her way to the entrance that moments before streamed of patrons. Now it held a sole rose haired woman that stared down the stone staircase in time to see the horse drawn carriage arrive in all of its splendor. The sight of it alone, while perhaps should have been expected, was disappointing nonetheless. The pomp exuded from the scene alone and made it certain that a missing nin would be out of place in such a place. Sumire did at least. It was so pretentious. It was something she expected out of a fever dream from those distinguished bloodline clans. Then again, at the least even those clansmen knew a touch more about discretion than the person that stepped out before her. Geishas were so odd. While a possibility, she'd never take on such a guise. [break][break] Speaking of, it was about time to resume the current one. With that Sumire stepped forward a touch and offered the obligatory bow. "Welcome. It appears you had quite the journey. I do hope your travels were not arduous." The usual light air the wanted kunoichi usually carried wavered to the formalities. Yet unlike 'their' guest, the formal wear one might have expected of a ceremonial miko were absent. She was a traveling miko after all and so she wore the standard garb over the ritual ones offered to her. This was not her shrine after all and they were the ones asking for the favor. Since she no longer answered to any authority, there was no reason to force herself to wearing something too stuffy. Still, probably wise to introduce herself as such to the stranger. "I am the visiting shrine maiden that will be assisting you. Will your attendant be arriving shortly?"
The carriage rattled a little too loudly for Izumi's liking as it made its way down the path towards the shrine. She wasn't a big fan of ceremonious things, or things that required her to be a certain way. Which was why she never really attended these open-spaced events, so to speak. Geisha were performers at closed parties, usually ones where the list of guests were pre-determined by a host, and all they had to do was show up, dance and sing, talk to the guests and then go home. It sounded easy of course, and would even seem to be an easy feat to an outsider. Only those who were in the trade would know that a few hours of singing and dancing required more than just years of practice and perfection. [break][break]
She heaved a sigh as the carriage slowly pulled to the side, indicating that they were near the establishment. The girl often went to shrines, if not to pray for the well-being of those who resided in her lodgings, but also to take some time to talk to her deceased parents. She usually visited one at specified times of the year, like at the start of a year, and very rarely found herself actually doing anything like what she was about to do. She wondered why a geisha was really necessary for this tea ceremony anyway. A regular shrine maiden could have done the same thing. There must be more to it than what meets the eye. And it was when she stepped out the carriage that the answer would be somewhat more clear to her.[break][break]
A woman with pink hair stood there, waiting for the carriage to pull to a stop. At a glance, she was quite the beauty, although her lack of formal wear would not go unnoticed to the geisha. As she listened to the other woman speak, she nodded and returned the bow that was given to her. The other girl was a travel maiden, which explained her lack of formal attire, which Izumi could care very little about. She was bound by the traditions of her trade, but respected those who weren't. "There is no need for such formalities, though it is appreciated." Her voice was a soft whisper. "I have no attendant." The raven-haired girl looked around, her eyes taking in the shrine itself. "Would you know of the number of guests that will be present for the tea ceremony today? I was not told of the number before arriving." She looked at the visiting maiden more closely, focusing more on her face than on her attire this time around. Izumi also wondered how the shrine people had found the maiden, knowing that shrines rarely just picked anyone off the street. [break][break]
It seems she's quite the interesting character...[break][break]
No need for such formalities? Coming from the person dressed like they were about to swear in wedding vows for the Daimyō himself? What a contrarian wrapped in pretension. Not that she expected anything less. Most members of prestigious shinobi clans acted like that too. More embarrassing for those shinobi though since half of that was within a geisha's job description. However the statement that followed her own question did bring a raise of a brow that she didn't bother to hide for it was strange all around. "No attendant? Excuse my manners, but I thought those of your trade usually employed protection." [break][break] While there was no fear that tinged the miko cloaked woman's voice as she clearly asked out of curiosity, it was quite an intriguing notion that warranted further investigation. Considering her wanted status, she had every right to be wary. Not that she suspected a threat, Sumire had fully expected protection detail in the form of armored samurai or some random foot soldier of an unnamed hamlet. Those were the people she was actually concerned with. So unless geisha in the Land of Lightning had different protocols that she was unfamiliar with or a straight up liar, this woman might have been more than she was led to believe. Wouldn't be the first time and Sumire herself was proof of it. [break][break] "Ah, right. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't quite know the details you are asking about myself." With attention brought back onto this silly little tea party, she held no reservations about relaying how little she knew about the entire affair. Apparently the host didn't bother to tell this lady either, which made it difficult for them to do whatever it was these officials expected them to do. Nevertheless it was too late to back out now, so as mental gears churned the false miko stepped to the side and gestured a hand upwards as to guide the stranger inside the building first. It was only then that the rose haired maiden acknowledged the eyes on her features with an amiable smile. "All I know is that this is to follow some tradition these countrymen believe in. If I were to guess based on how many I observed while I was inside, I'd say about forty to fifty individuals are present? Though that isn't to say more won't show up, but hopefully that helps you."
Perhaps Izumi had expected in some way that her answer would raise a couple of eyebrows, so she was not at all disturbed by the young woman's surprise as she told her that she had no attendant. The woman was correct; people of her trade usually had quite a few attendants. The more prestige one had as a geisha, the more attendants would likely follow. Given the circumstances of this huge tea party too, it was more than unusual to not at least bring one attendant along. And to be fair, Izumi had wanted to bring one too, or would have insisted on one had she known just the number of people that were waiting for her at the party. She was used to serving a party of ten or less. The idea that there would be more than forty would mean at least five rounds of tea. The girl felt sorry for her legs, as she would have to sit for hours and hours in seiza, which was sitting on her ankles. Usually a three hour event would already numb her legs. Any more and she might as well have her legs cut off. [break][break]
"I can fend for myself. Attendants and guards make things look and seem too much of a fuss anyhow." She had said this in the same whisper, and rather matter-of-factly. Izumi was a samurai in disguise, and to think that a samurai would need other samurai for protection was more than just a slap in the face. "Thank you for the information. Looks like we will be here for awhile then..." her voice gave away how much she was not looking forward to this party. She would extend a hand forward, asking the woman to lead the way inside. The carriage driver proceeded to unload the tea utensils and materials, following the two women inside. He could be considered an attendant, so to speak, Izumi thought to herself comically. Judging from the look on his face though, he wanted to do anything but linger at the shrine. [break][break]
"I am Sakurako, it's a pleasure to meet you." The girl would say to the maiden, as they walked back into the shrine. Izumi preferred to use her geisha name while doing her job, another thing that was in line with her work. Not many people knew the true identities of these women, and for all the best of reasons. There were often cases of men stalking the entertainers back to their lodgings, or trying to find out their life beyond that of what they do, and to keep that a mystery, geisha were required to remain absolutely ambiguous. At least when they were performing. She would stop just by the entrance and take the utensils from the carriage driver before giving him a nod, the sign that he needed to know that his service was no longer needed. The official presiding over the tea ceremony came out to greet them, a big smile across his face as his eyes rested on Izumi. "Ah, it's great for you to join us, Sakurako," her eyes met his briefly, giving him a curt nod. "We have forty guests here and they all want to have the best tea so we immediately thought of you!"[break][break]
"How...flattered I should be, Yamamoto-san. Next time I'd appreciate if you told me the party numbers before before I arrived. You are aware that I do not serve tea parties for over ten people at a time, correct?" Her voice carried the same whispered tone as she had used towards Sumire. "Send for two other geisha from my lodgings at once. We will serve the tea together. If not, we shall be here well into the night." She gave the man a stern look, one which told him that she was not there to argue. The man was more than annoyed, since it had taken her such over an hour to get there herself. Reading his mind, she added, "And of course, it will be Yamamoto-san's responsibility to explain to the people inside why they must now wait for another hour or two before the party is officially to start." The man opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He grunted, giving the woman a glare. "You always have that air to you, Sakurako. How is it you became the best geisha is beyond me." [break][break]
"It's quite easy to understand really. My skills and my personality don't have to always align, so to speak. Now if you will excuse me, lead me to where myself and this young maiden here can sit while we wait for the others to arrive." Izumi nodded in Sumire's direction before turning back to the man. "And you know how I work. I don't appreciate clients who do not respect how I do my job or respect my profession. To have asked me to come is an indication that those inside are going to be reputable and respectful human beings, I presume?" Yamamoto was taken aback by her question, not because he didn't know that she had the tendency of leaving in the middle of performing if her customers were not being respectful, but that he was now subject to her rules, something that other geisha would never do. He merely nodded his head meekly, ushering them into the back of the shrine, to a little room where the two women could sit and wait. "Please wait here while I go out to explain the situation."[break][break]
"Oh?" The rosy haired miko vocally mused at that statement, more so due to oddity than amusement. Fend for herself, she says. Big talk, but surely not one without some degree of bite if she truly believed as much to come dressed as such without protection. Still even if this girl had the level of bite to support the claim, declaring as much ruined any credibility she could have earned so Sumire didn't linger on the subject longer than the hum that carried through the otherwise still air. More importantly, somehow managing to refrain from exposing the overt contradictions between the geisha's appearance and rejection of fuss, Sumire receive the words of thanks with an affirmative nod. "It seems so." Glancing over to the sorry man servant, she'd also offer him a nod of greeting upon noticing his work with the stored wares. [break][break] While the newfound tone of the strangely dressed girl didn't escape her, how she apparently preferred to walk behind a supposed priestess than the offered lead was more noteworthy. Not that Sumire particularly cared, but she did already say that she was a visitor herself so it wasn't as if she knew where to go either. Nevertheless the thought was masked amidst a chuckle before Sumire turned towards the shrine and carefully walked back up the stone staircase. She could not relay the fact that she too was not looking forward the these coming events as that may betray her disguise. Besides complaining about it wasn't going to change matters and she did enjoy the occasional cup of tea. Not that she knew too much about the intricacies of tea ceremonies themselves. [break][break] Thinking over such matters almost caused her to miss the sudden introduction, though the sound of a name did spark the amethyst orbs to shift towards the source. Names were... irrelevant. Did this girl actually want to get to know her or something? Or perhaps it was a professional courtesy. Either way, offering a name was a way to build trust - even if a false one. "Please, call me Miho then." Offered with a buoyant vibrancy that was muted moments before by the previous decorum. A hand subtly shifted over her chest as she continued, "The pleasure is all mine. Again, I do apologize I know nothing more about this ceremony." [break][break] It wouldn't be as much of a pain otherwise. [break][break] As if to prove the exiled kunoichi's infinite wisdom the official in question appeared like a great typhoon sweeping across the halls in greeting despite having pawned the chore off to herself moments before. The entire ordeal was of great annoyance and one that Sumire didn't feel the need to listen to, stepping to the side in wait as a reflection of such. It wasn't as if either was addressing her at the moment and she had nothing to especially say either. Yet no matter how much the nukenin didn't care, it was second nature to subconsciously listen in on the conversations around her. Something about this party being a big deal and this girl being so famous and important that she could demand whatever she wished. To Sumire it was just more bark. Could this girl be anymore fussy? At least she was getting paid, and surely paid more handsomely than a poor passing miko at that. It wasn't as if Sumire herself was known the be the most considerate person, however it was beyond her why anyone would bother with anyone like this... even if they possessed some miraculous skill at... wooing? [break][break] Either way, it mattered little. The sole thing that had caught her by surprise was the declaration of accompanying the dark haired woman during their forceful delay. "Ah, I couldn't-," she started quickly but failed to finish at the urgent usher of the tea aficionado. Awkward. Now she had to do nothing but keep company for an hour? Not an impossible task but certainly not one she was being paid enough for. Yet at this point it'd be rude to refuse and so bowed once more before relegating herself into the makeshift waiting room. Thankfully it was not some storage room filled with bags and barrels of perishables - it truly did resemble a meager waiting room lined with chairs and straw woven cushions. Otherwise it was a sparse space and not much room do much else than daintily sit upon one of the actual chairs on entry. [break][break] 'Miho' waited for her current companion to do the same and settle in before attempting small talk. Surely that was her purpose here. "Is your lodging far from here? I imagine that it will take awhile longer than an hour for both a message to be sent and your companions to arrive unless it was close by." Since she knew little about the details of where the geisha came from, there was some hope that she was wrong and this 'lodging' actually was close by. If not then it was at least another conversation topic that can be branched to had time forced it. Speaking of, the miko took a moment of pause and continued. "I cannot say I do not feel some measure of guilt in delaying their ceremony. It seemed important to them."
Izumi hadn't failed to notice that the other girl, who now introduced herself as Miho, seemed to not want to be there as much as she didn't. The raven-haired girl wasn't sure why someone like her would want to be doing something she didn't enjoy doing. Izumi didn't have much of a choice personally, seeing as she needed the money and couldn't possibly afford to give up on any opportunity that meant she could earn a little extra income. No, she wasn't really money hungry per se, but she did have the aspirations of leaving her okiya one day. How she dreamt of the freedom she would have if she could move out of her current lodgings and live somewhere else. She longed to not have to share a living space with so many others, especially when technically they were as much her friends as competitors. [break][break]
Every geisha was out fending for themselves, and being a part of the same lodgings was only a formality. In the world of entertaining, nobody would hire someone who didn't belong to a school with a well-known teacher. Popularity was low-key the most important thing that could make or break a geisha. It didn't matter how much skill or how well-trained a woman was, it only complimented if she was came from a school that could make the training and skills noteworthy. Izumi was lucky; her teacher was one of the best and although picky of her students, she had made the exception of training Izumi when she found her on the streets so many years ago. But that was not really important...at least not now. And it was because of this that she felt that much more indebted to her teacher than most would. [break][break]
Had she asked to be taught to be a geisha? No. [break][break]
Did she particularly enjoy her job? No. [break][break]
But there was much more to any profession than just personal enjoyment. As the two women now sat in the waiting room, she couldn't help but wonder what this Miho girl was all about. There seemed to be such a mystery to the rose-haired girl, a mystery that was all the more fascinating the more she seemed to be distant. A façade was met with another façade it seemed, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Just as much as Izumi didn't trust people, she respected that to be true for most others as well. In fact, it would have heightened her suspicions if Miho proved to be too much of an open book. "My lodgings is in Kumogakure no Sato, in the business district. Have you ever visited our village?" The girl would assume that Miho was a traveler, seeing as she had somehow traveled here and was asked to be the presiding priestess at this shrine. "It should take them a little less than an hour to make the trip, if they hurried." [break][break]
"So...what brings you to Kaminari no Kuni?" Perhaps the curiosity got the better of the genin as she waited for Miho's response. She wondered if it was the famous hot springs that had caught the pink-haired girl's interest, although she didn't seem like one who would fancy hot springs. But then again, there was no real way of telling after all. Kaminari was famous for hot springs and hosted many tourists from other countries and afar as a result. Ryokans and other hotels boomed with business even during the worst of economic state thanks to these natural and soothing facilities. Izumi was a big fan of hot springs herself, enjoying a good dip in the scorching waters every now and again. They took away all of her worries and stresses, relaxed her mind and soul, and gave her some pleasure in this world against all that bogged her down. She found that she spent most of her money in ryokans, far more often than she was willing to admit. A guilty pleasure, one would say. [break][break]
Well that was easy... and significantly more interesting than anything else in the last few hours. While Sumire asked the question with not much of an expectation on the response, the succinct overt answer easily earned a look of intrigue that she made no attempt to mask. "Kumo... gakure? As in one of those ninja villages?" Voiced with an uncertainty that bordered disbelief. After all, who wouldn't be interested in hearing about one of those infamous hidden ninja villages? To outsiders they were the stuff of myth and Miho would fully act as such. Naturally there was a possibility that it was a complete lie though so believing the answer at face value was solely left to fools. However, there was no immediate reason to otherwise mention Kumogakure or lie about it that came to mind. Unless this person somehow knew who she actually was, which didn't seem likely with how far they were from the Land of Wind, it led to compelling assurance. Not everyone was a shinobi in those villages after all, much less trained not to divulge village secrets. [break][break]
Nevertheless the miko clasped a hand to her chest from the mere implication of the proposed question. "I can't say that I've had the pleasure, but that's most impressive!" An earnest answer in exchange for the geisha's. For a missing ninja, Sumire truly knew very little about the locations of the other hidden villages that were not her own. Not that she was opposed to learning where they were in case she needed to take advantage of that information, but considering the whole wanted status it wasn't high on her list of priorities. Which was why she didn't bother pushing on the subject more than that. "In all of my travel, I've never came close to one as far as I'm aware. Maybe one day I'll be able to... if the gods allow it." [break][break]
For now simply knowing that Kumogakure was close by, apparently less than an hour assumedly by carriage, was enough to narrow down the area. Knowing that was enough to sway Miho's reservations, observing a breath as a sign of relief. Not that it stopped the conversation from continuing, this time about why she was in the country. It didn't bother her whatsoever that the girl assumed she was not from this land - Sumire already admitted she was traveling after all. Still, it was a bold question since it betrayed the geisha's thoughts on her. Not that she minded that and thus chuckled despite herself. "Aha! I ended up here, really. I'm currently on my pilgrimage and my travels led me here. Perhaps the gods sensed these people needed aide and guided me here." A lighthearted response, fitting for a priestess if she were to say so herself. Might have been a disappointing answer for the native though since it wasn't like she came here for a specific reason. What was she, a tourist? [break][break]
Well... that technically wasn't wrong to be honest.
To say that the geisha was an observant individual was not an understatement. In fact, she very rarely spoke, and was not as friendly as what people would assume. Of course, she always gave off a friendly demeanor in front of her clients because, to put it simply, they were her clients. They paid for a persona, as much as she had been trained to give one. It was really an act of give and take, a business transaction above all else. But what lay behind the mask of performers, at least from her experience, was that they always asked bold questions, in their own roundabout ways, and listened carefully to the responses given. It wasn't necessarily because the person in question was interesting, but more so that it was their way of gathering information that was beyond what words could depict. [break][break]
Izumi was no exception. [break][break]
She had watched Miho's body language, studied her facial expressions even as she spoke, the receptiveness and immediate responses from her words were not easy to mask. As she talked about Kumogakure, which to any outsider would be a mystery of sorts, could be met with curiosity embedded deep beyond that of a person's face and verbal reactions. It was the subtleness in between the lines that Izumi was most interested in, and as she spoke, she could see that Miho was genuinely interested in what she had to say. Each hidden village was interesting, primarily because they were hidden, the entrance to them very rarely known to anyone that was not from the village itself. She had deliberately told the priestess about the distance between where they were to where the village was, which anyone who had any intentions could easily use the information that was off-handedly provided to them against her. "The village itself is off-limits to anyone who doesn't have special permission to pass through, usually granted by our kage. However, there are many hot springs out here in the country that you can enjoy." The girl commented, the fact that Miho had never been to a hot spring before did not surprise her at all. "Maybe after this tea ceremony business I can take you to one. I know I certainly could use one..." [break][break]
And as if on cue, the man who had brought them to the waiting room returned, a look of pure annoyance written all over his face. He would inform the two women that there was a further delay, partially caused by some unknown quarrels between the guests in the shrine. Even the most diplomatic of individuals in terms of status were not diplomatic in the mind, it seemed. Izumi would turn to Miho, her face unmasked with relief at this sudden turn of events. "It seems like I can show you around earlier than I intended. If you don't mind, I can take you to my family home, out here in the country. It is where I grew up in, not the okiya that I studied to become a geisha in." The girl then acknowledged the man, her tone changed as she addressed him. "I was not summoned here to wait for people to finish quarreling. If you wish for my services and the services of my okiya, please send another invitation on another day. If you will excuse us..." Izumi bowed slightly at the man, walking to the door before he could say anything more. One should know the logistics of how geisha worked, after all. "You should be glad I am not billing you for my travels." She then smiled at the rose-haired girl. "Shall we?" Izumi extended a hand towards the door, motioning for the other girl to walk before her. [break][break]
Sorry it took me so long to respond. Been a weird week.
I'm the champagne that'll quench your thirst
[attr="class","itsover"]
"Hm?" Hot springs? Where exactly did that topic come from exactly? While it was understandable, albeit too late, to be secretive regarding the hidden village's policy with foreigners; the sudden mention of hot springs brought a momentarily perplexed look upon the woman's features. Bravo. Was the Land of Lightning known for their onsen or something? Not a bad thing to be known for if so... and it certainly didn't sound horrendous. If anything it sounded rather relaxing and that was precisely why after gathering her thoughts did the false miko offer a smile towards the gesture. "A hot spring sounds lovely, though I wouldn't want to trouble-" [break][break] The words were cut short after the sudden entrance instantly reigned in their attention. Of course considering the timeline that was given moments before, Sumire couldn't imagine that the preparations for those hasty demands were suddenly completed. Thus 'Miho' took a silent stance of listening in on the host's explanation, concluding that the man probably just wanted to have a sympathetic ear for his ranting. Not that he received it as this infighting that was being referred to was outside a job description of a geisha or a shrine maiden. A classic case of SEP - Someone Else's Problem. Apparently the geisha thought so as well though Sumire hardly expected her to turn back and swiftly reveal as such with the display of her features. Meeting the girl's gaze as she spoke, the pinkette took a moment of pause to take in the words and the swift turning events. [break][break] "Ah... Is this truly alright?" The hesitance wasn't hidden in the miko's tone, slowly standing from the seat as her eyes darted quickly between the man and the geisha girl. A natural enough reaction from a priestess, she thought. In truth the nukenin didn't minded the arrangement considering she was forced into this, but it did bring about some inconveniences such as the arrangement of pay or the amusement of bringing heresy into this odd place's tradition. Then there was the factor of being guided around by someone she just met as if they were old acquaintances. Odd by any means. This girl seemed to have a strange attachment to her for some reason. Perhaps she is one of those devout that believed in showing kindness to priests? Or perhaps it was loneliness or something. Either way, it mattered little. It served as an opportunity to gather more information if anything and thus much more productive than anything else she could have been doing otherwise. [break][break] Nevertheless the bewildered expression shifted as she mimicked the bow the geisha had given moments prior before walking over to where she was gestured to. Admittedly being ordered around so many times in one day didn't sit well with Sumire, but she'd pocket that sentiment for now as she turned to the younger woman. "You mentioned your family home... I do not mind accompanying you, but is that quite alright? My visiting will not be an inconvenience to you, will it?" She asked while allowing self conscious concern to color her tone. Naturally she took the cue to continue out the door afterwards, but went no further than that without the lead of the other. It wasn't as if she knew where they were going or anything. "I know you were here for work and I can hardly offer much as recompense for your hospitality."
