The Hunt for Tamwyn

The last time Sayuri had been in this hospital she had been covered in considerably more blood than the none that currently graced her form. She had also been with Tamwyn. Probably. Before she had woken up in the hospital she had most definitely been with Tamwyn and was both confused and enraged when she couldn’t find him afterwards. So now she was back to look for him. This was the last place she had been, and she’d already searched the mission desk area, this was the only other place that she knew he had been in the Heavenly Emporium. It hadn’t taken long for her to find her way back to the building that was arguably her favourite in the whole city now. Hospitals were unique in that they were an entire building dedicated to suffering and death. The people that worked at them would argue that they were dedicated to health and healing, but that wasn’t how she saw it.

Her bare feet made next to no noise as she padded along towards the hospital, her stealth effectively ended as she used both hands to push apart the double doors and walk into the front lobby. There was almost no one in the waiting area and as her sapphire coloured eyes scanned the room, she settled her gaze on the nurse at the front desk and a dark haired man with. . . yellow eyes. Gathering her long white dress into one hand she strode up to the shinobi just in time to hear him mention that he was from Konoha. Her heart sank as she put everything together and spoke dejectedly to the man while leaning against the desk with one arm. “You’re not him.”

Of course it wasn’t him. Whatever had possessed her to believe that matching an eye colour would result in conjuring the person? The answer was her overwhelming obsession with obtaining what she desired precisely when she desired it. Being told no, silently through obvious disappointment or verbally through much the same, was not something she enjoyed. And it was only the man’s reaction to her statement that stopped her from being so utterly disillusioned that she progressed to the stage past disappointment; retribution.

‘Ssshhh, my Queen. Fret not. We will find him.’

‘How can I?’

‘He cannot hide forever.’

She could see the yellow eyed man was confused, and in fact his own reply aided only in adding to her own confusion. He was him and always had been. An interesting sentiment and one she did not personally identify with. It was a curious answer though and she would take a step forward well into his personal space though without actually touching him and peer up into his false yellow eyes suspiciously. Could Tamwyn be hiding in there? Asserting with such vehemence that he had always been only him almost sounded like a person trying to hide who they were. She was just about to speak when the taller man raised his finger and returned his attention to the nurse behind the desk.

A flash of anger coursed through her as for a brief moment she was ignored. She hated being ignored, it was the worst sin that anyone had ever committed against her. And although she knew she was in the Heavenly Emporium and she was quite strictly disallowed from dispensing her favourite brand of violence, it did not stop the slight curling of her fingers as they itched to lash out. The man who came dangerously close to dying had an interesting way of speaking and a casual manner that helped ground her, preventing him from actually needing the attention of the nurse.

Sayuri would affix a dark grin on her face as he questioned who she was. “I am many things. I am the right hand of the Abomination and the Princess of Azrael. I am Sayuri, leader of the Yuki Clan, Princess of Kirigakure. I am named Ice Queen and Servant to the King of Lies. And I am looking for Tamwyn. Who are you?” As she spoke the air around her would grow cold as her blue eyes frosted over and turned white, snowflakes falling around them both.

Sayuri had the briefest flare of anger at the phrase ‘cheap jutsu tricks’ but was quickly relieved of her annoyance as he mentioned the possibility of it being used to intimidate him. Leaning in she would smile prettily and laugh. “So you are intimidated then? How delicious. And here I thought I was going to spend the day bored.” She was genuinely amused by Maigo and she would hold out her hand in greeting, her eyes turning from frosty white to brilliant blue as she stopped the snow around them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Maigo. I hope you’re half as enjoyable in the next few hours as you’ve been in the last few minutes. And since you’re so perceptive I assume you can make up for my obvious lack in skill and assist in the hunting of Tamwyn? I’ve been meaning to acquire a hunting partner, and you’ll do just fine.” Her eyes would travel pointedly down Maigo’s form from his eyes and then slowly back up again. “Up for the challenge, me is Maigo? Or is it too much?” She was intentionally goading him into helping her now, she doubted he would turn her down since he seemed so singularly focused the topic.

Sayuri had to stop herself from smiling with glee as Maigo took the bait. It was almost too easy, questioning his capabilities in order to manipulate him into doing her work. She did find the idea that Maigo thought Tamwyn was an imposter of himself rather amusing. Other than their eye colour she didn’t see any noticeable similarities. The most glaring differences being that Maigo was clothed and obviously not missing.

She didn’t want Maigo to become too uninterested, and it was always easier to catch flies with honey, so she made sure to stroke his ego just a bit. “I thought you seemed like the competent type. With you helping this shouldn’t take long at all.” She would smile and start making her way out of the hospital waiting area, expecting Maigo to follow her. She did note the fairly casual use of the word ‘princess’, but as she was intent on a task didn’t feel the need to correct him. Yet.

Once they were through the doors and back onto the street she would glance around, her blue eyes searching the area for any signs of white hair and yellow eyes. Preferably on the same person. Finding none she would turn her attention back to Maigo, her gaze meeting his with intensity as she leaned in close to answer his questions.

“Things to know about him. His name is Tamwyn, he’s this tall. . .” Sayuri would stretch her hand up to indicate Tamwyn’s height which she was interested to see was not quite as tall as Maigo. “. . . and he has yellow eyes, like you. His hair is white, or very pale blonde so it looks white. To be perfectly honest I didn’t see it’s true colour after the blood. So I might as well say pink or red, since that’s what it was after we found the bandits. Though I suppose he might have washed it by now. So maybe white after all. He’s from Kumogakure. . .” She would lean in extra close and speak softly into Maigo’s ear if he allowed her to get that close without pulling away. “. . . He is exceptional at stabbing and he does the most amazing thing with lightning.” A blush would dust across her nose and cheekbones as she remembered the lightning, and all thoughts of finding Tamwyn were immediately replaced with a fierce interest in the dark haired man. “You wouldn’t happen to be able to use lightning, would you?” She punctuated her question by gently inhaling the scent of the man’s cologne. She wasn’t very adept at identifying different scents, but if she had to name the expensive spicy and woody aroma, the word ‘blue’ would definitely be in her description.

The description given of this Tamwyn didn't... actually seem like Maigo that much at all. Still though, Maigo offered the bit of information that though he could stab, he could not use lightning nature and they would continue their search for the rapscallion that had seemed to have gotten away! Well... that would be the idea if not instead they would end up on the trail of a rather wayward soul in the world. One lost to the decencies of man and leaving clues and hints of a person that was, in Maigo's eyes, a bit of a questionable character.

It started with the old woman and her granddaughter in the tea shop not too far where a person with white hair and a quick temper was dissatisfied with his meal. Whether or not it totally fit Sayuri's description of their own target didn't matter as instead they were alerted and subsequently apologizing the for the behavior of this vagrant after the verbal berating he gave the owner and her granddaughter and then walking out without paying. All over the simple thought that the tea wasn't quite strong enough. What absolute nonsense and if this were there man, then Maigo had already heard enough to properly judge him to the depths of social damnation.

The second egregious scenario came about when they passed by a group of people all murmuring in anger, eavesdropping lead to the discovery of a white haired man that also had a blade at his side had bumped into a few children eating ice cream, and when he demanded an apology and the kids gave none, he slashed the tops of their ice cream cone and let them fall to the floor. Only after tears and agony were heard from the young children did he shove through them without another thought. The addition of a blade to the story certainly added credibility that the person they were following might be their target but it was still vague and didn't narrow down much at all.

It was the final one that had Maigo convinced that their target was the person they were looking for and whether he was or not, had left Maigo making a decision that he did not actually want to find him anymore. Such a horrible and inexcusable act that dare not leave Maigo's lips in the far future, words spoken to such a nice young girl. It was an outright sin to shun such a beauty and insult her like he had. Some guy with white hair and yellow eyes in the direction left from their last venture. The very words alone were so ghastly, the behavior left from this man left Maigo nothing but the image of a narcissistic child! Maigo would get the details of this story directly while offering his own condolence and confidence booster in turn. Once their third story was gathered, Maigo would offer a note to Sayuri,

"I'm sorry, but this is a matter of principle now. I offered to help find this person but I could not call him friend based on these stories. I no longer want to find him and think it's better if he just remains lost to us. That way, we never have to learn the truth of whether a person you might consider good or honorable or whatever is actually just a creep and jerk like this path is leading us on. I'm sorry Sayuri, but this is where we must part ways. Until the next time I guess..."

Maigo would say as he would offer a salutary wave before heading off in the distance, back to the hospital to make good on his date offer to the nurse. Pondering over the inconsistency in their trail and how the odds are that this perpetrator of social wrong was probably not the person they were looking for. Not the Tamwyn they had been hunting. Or was it? As far as Maigo would be, he would never really know the truth.  


[Exit Thread]
[5 posts w/ 1 person = 50 xp]

As the pair moved through the Heavenly Emporium looking for signs of Tamwyn, she was struck by an utter absence of his presence. They found several leads that might have been him, but it was hard to say. And it occurred to Sayuri as they searched, that she knew very little, if anything at all, about Tamwyn. The stories she kept hearing about a white haired man who may or may not have had yellow eyes as well, could have been true and she wouldn’t have known the difference.

As Maigo asserted that it was better that Tamwyn remain lost, Sayuri was disappointed but had no choice but to agree. As no matter where they looked he could not be found. She would nod and offer an ominous parting before making her way off of the Heavenly Emporium and back towards her ice castle.

“We will meet again, me is Maigo. You are far too intriguing to be out of my sight for too long. I expect our paths will cross again sooner rather than later.”

After a brief conversation with Jareth about the ramifications of obsessions she would turn on her heel and leave this part of her past, walking steadily into the future where madness and power lay waiting for her.

[Exit Thread]