The Wandering Tales of Dust and Hearth

It wasn't often the Diana left the Korikane Clan District, but as of late she had been coming up with less and less ideas for her creations, and as such had been taking more and more walks around the village once she was done with clan politics. Today was no different, and as such she had figured that perhaps one of the best places to go was that of the Muramatsu clan district. While the Tetsudashi were the founders of Iwagakure, they were often overshadowed by those of the Muramatsu due to the clan's legendary Kekkei Tota. As such she was interested to see what a clan what had the ability to remove whatever was in front of them would create.

When she had entered the district she was...well a little disappointed. It wasn't that the district wasn't nice looking, in fact the Amber orbs on top of building as well as the activity within the district was pleasant, but she had expected...well something more, like how the Korikane used crystals in their structures, or how the Kotoshura used bricks and terracotta to create beautiful structures. But here in a place where the clan's ability was to destroy, it was rather...it didn't matter. She was going to find some inspiration even if it didn't want to be found.

As she continued around town, she'd make note of the houses and how each had small differences from one another, the character each had. She'd jot down in her notebook what clothes people wore, how they displayed their clan heritage and how they used fashion to set a specific tone.

Overall she was getting a little desperate. While she liked people watching, even this was a bit much, and as such decided to sit down and take a small break, though she'd continue to watch those who passed by.

It had been a relatively calm day for one Shin Muramatsu. There had been an abundance of missions he had been assigned for a period of time that had kept him occupied and then resting, which had been a welcome change from the mundane day to day, where the most exciting thing to happen was training. Today was one of those days where Shin was trying to find something to occupy his time; there was no mission for him to take at the current time; still a genin in the eyes of the village. Yet, he had been taking a break from training itself, having finally accomplished one thing many in the clan sought to do, yet few, if at all, had achieved it. Unlocking their clan’s Kekkei Tota - Dust Release. Shin had experimented with it briefly, though there was only so much one could experiment with a singular technique that’s pure purpose was to erase the existence of something.

Laying down in his empty house and staring at the ceiling for a few minutes had not helped him achieve anything. Thus, he had decided for himself, mostly, that today was a day he would spend out of the house. At least wandering the streets might rouse his interest towards something; whether it be a restaurant that caught his eye, an acquaintance he ran across, or simply something that could occupy his time for a while, Shin would accept the distractions immediately. There was only so much Shin could enjoy from doing absolutely nothing whatsoever. Opening the front door to his house and walking out welcomed him to the sight of his usual everyday scenery; the usual neighbours outside wandering about, the same houses and scenery welcoming him. The only difference, today, happened to be an individual sitting down on a bench, that to him seemed to be looking for something. Approaching the stranger, seeing if he could help, Shin’s steps would not be silent, and he’d only speak once he was two meters away from the stranger.

“Hello, are you looking for someone?”

Seeing people go about there day was comforting, not many paying attention to her as she had perfected blending in. Even so she was still not from the Muramatsu, so looks of confusion or curiosity were to be expected, not that she minded today. As long as she wasn't interrupting their routine, she could endure the uncomfortable nature of the stares.

Having pulled out a small notebooks and jotting down what she saw, she'd briefly stop when she began to hear loud footstep coming in her general direction, and upon turning to the noise would find that the step were coming directly towards her from a man who looked to be in his early twenties. He looked to be some sort of business man, possibly ranked clan member, though having shut herself inside the Korikane Clan district for nearly two years without coming out very often didn't help her narrow it down, even if she had tried to keep up with the politics for Masaru's sake.

Once he had finished speaking, she's speak to him in her stilted voice. "I am not looking for anyone in particular, instead I am trying to get new ideas for my work. After much thought I decided the best course of action was to look for inspiration through the work of a clan known for destruction, both in their architecture and how they live their lives." Looking at the man properly now she definitely got an official vibe from him, but not one like Mararu or anyone at the Kage building. Perhaps is was a defense mechanism for him?

She would then set her notebook to her side and stand up, giving a small bow out of courtesy before continuing to address the man. "I apologize, my name is Diana Moneta, current head of the Korikane Clan and primary candidate of the next Kotōshura Clan Head as well. I understand if that is a surprise as I do not often show myself nor my clans names often, but I am doing what I can to help Iwagakure while I am still living here."

The woman declared she was not looking for anyone or anything in particular, but rather found herself in the Muramatsu clan district to rouse a bout of creativity. Shin himself was not the best source of providing her with the knowledge she wanted, for him the clan lived like just about any other person residing in the village; albeit with their history that tied them to Iwagakure no Sato. As the woman stood to introduce herself; Diana Moneta, a clean leader of the one clan and a possible candidate for another, Shin would return the bow.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Shin...” While it was likely redundant for him to mention his family name at all, it went with a proper introduction regardless. “Muramatsu.” There were no titles for Shin to add on, he was not a clan head, though if word eventually got out that he was able to utilize the dust technique - albeit he still needed some more practice with it - it was likely the clan would put him at the forefront of clan leadership. It had been ages since the clan had someone who could utilize it reliably, and Shin hoped he could fill that void, not for the leadership position he’d be thrust in, but to be able to use the Muramatsu Kekkei Tota to its fullest. “I’ve only just returned to Iwagakure no Sato about half a year ago… Sometime it still feels like I’m an outsider inside my own home.” While Shin did not delve into deeper details regarding his parents; that information was only shared with Mitsukira, he had provided Diana with more details than he initially would when meeting other people. Perhaps, it seemed like he was beginning to feel less like an outsider all the time. “If there's anything I can do to help you, do feel free to ask.”

[exiting the thread]