mallowhallow | { o1 video / action for Orlea }

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{ o1 video / action for Orlea }

[The man on the feed is looking distinctly pleased with himself as he stares into the camera, a strange glint in his one visible eye and a vulpine smile playing on his lips. Eagle-eyed viewers might notice that the poster behind him appears to have been put up the wrong way round- until they realize that his scarf probably shouldn’t be sticking straight up in the air and, in actual fact, he’s the thing that’s upside-down, not the world around him.

The Ninja is perched on the ceiling of an underpass in both a boast and a cheerfully shameless “screw you” to gravity. No wonder he seems so smug; he’s showing off.]

Some of you might be content to sit around and wait for something to happen but that’s not really my style. [chuckles softly] I’d rather stay sharp and be ready for the storm to hit when it inevitably does. In the meantime, my services are available to anyone who needs them.

[It's been a few months since he was active as a shinobi before a law enforcer and, whilst it hasn't dulled his skills any, even he's surprised by how eager he is to return to that life. Trying to fit back into the role of a peacekeeper and policeman without Soldier somehow feels wrong- or maybe it's just that he doesn't quite trust himself to play nice without his influence keeping him in line.

The Ninja pauses briefly before putting his head to one side, smile broadening to a challenging grin.]

... if any of you can keep up with me, I might just be impressed.

[ooc: Additional action option! The Ninja’s going to be following people around all day ~~out of curiosity~~ for practice so if your character’s in Orlea they might find themselves with a ninja stalker.]

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[She can easily recognize the stance of a person prepared for a fight, and she automatically slinks backward in reply, her own posture becoming more guarded. Direct fights aren't her forte, but if he attacks her...]

[But no, he doesn't seem like he's going to, so she relaxes again. Even though he doesn't answer her question, she replies to his obediently enough.]

Um... Maybe a couple of minutes.

[She had been tailing one of her own marks when she saw him hanging upside down, so naturally that drew her attention.]

[He has to repeat that just to make sure he heard it right:] "Maybe a couple of minutes".

[Her reaction wasn't lost on him either- was she flinching away or preparing to fight?

... why is he even considering that possibility? It's far more likely that he simply got careless whilst he was broadcasting that little message, missed her coming into the underpass and then spooked her by nearly dropping on her head. Perhaps he's just being overly sensitive; there's something uncomfortably familiar about the situation that he can't put his finger on and he's throwing him.

Regardless, his tone softens and he stays kneeling so that he doesn't tower over her.]

You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, kid. [smiles a little] But good job- you managed to catch The Ninja out.

I don't know, I didn't count...

[She relaxes more when he smiles and his tone softens, though. She doesn't return the smile, but she seems more at ease, and her voice is stronger when she replies again.]

Um...! Sorry. I didn't mean to. [She just didn't think things through when she turned her presence concealment off and spoke. She blinks at him, her expression curious when he introduces himself.] "The" ninja?

Forget it. I didn't mean to scare you either so we're even.

[... it's hard to fixate on the hypothetical when she's so damn cute. Part of him wants to cut straight to the usual "where are you parents" line like he might any other child but he holds back for now; she's already shown that she's certainly not just "any other child".]

That's right- and people call me that because I'm the most important one. What about you, junior? Got a name?

Oh! Really? [Her curiosity only intensifies at that reply, her eyes widening slightly.] Why's that? How did you get to be the most important ninja?

[She hesitates briefly when he asks for her name. There's a part of her that wants to give him "Assassin" in return, so that she matches him, but she realizes that doing so isn't wise.]

Mm-hm. My name is Rasha.

[That hesitation isn't lost on him but he doesn't pursue it or even indicate that he noticed it- not that he automatically assumes that she's lying. Any kid would hesitate before telling a stranger their name and even if she wasn't being entirely truthful, he can't hold it against her.]

Really. I was the strongest of all the fighters in my clan so they made me the leader and then everyone else found out started calling me "The Ninja" too.

[He pauses, then, after a moment's thought, holds out a hand to her.] It's nice to meet you, Rasha. Now, how did you sneak up on me like that? You're not in trouble, I'm just curious.

Oh...! I get it.

[She nods to herself. In fact, she probably understands better than one would expect a child to, seeing as that was more or less the same way the name "Hassan-i Sabbah" was passed on.]

[She edges closer when he offers his hand, only a little shy when she takes it. She's on guard in case you decide to pull any tricks, mister...!]

Uh-huh. It's nice to meet you, too. Um... [Her brow furrows together a little when he asks how she sneaked up on him, and again she has to ponder whether or not it's wise to be entirely truthful.] It's a secret.

[It's an awkward thing to try and explain to a child but she seems to have accepted it without any trouble at all- and once again he can't decide if she's just a smart kid or if there's something more going on there. Perhaps it's just the way his hand dwarfs hers as she takes it to shake but he just can't help but be concerned; she seems altogether too small and young to be caught up in anything as sinister as that. But, then again, he must have been like her once, mustn't he? His own childhood was hardly the easiest.

It's a dilemma that's only complicated by her reluctance to answer his next question, although he covers his uncertainty with a gentle smile.]

You don't have to say anything if you don't want to but ninjas renowned for keeping secrets- I won't tell a soul if you.

[She shakes her head.]

I can't. I'm not allowed. [She seems a little downcast about that herself, but she doesn't want to disappoint her Master.] It's just something I can do, though. Mm... I'm kind of like a ninja, too.

[There. That should be okay, right?]

[... you're killing him here, junior. The Ninja can't quite stop himself reacting to that one, smile fading and brow immediately knotting into a worried frown. Does that mean he was right? He promised himself he wasn't going to let himself get carried away just because she's a kid and jump to conclusions but he's not sure how else he can interpret that comment.

It takes him a moment to formulate a response that hasn't been filtered through his instincts to protect her. As much as he'd like to don the cap of galactic defender again, it's not his place.]

Kind of like a ninja, huh...? [he rubs the back of his neck] I'm not sure I'd want a little girl doing some of the things I do for a living. Do you have someone taking care of you?

It's okay. I know what I'm doing, so I won't get hurt. [Because, obviously, that's the only thing that worries him, right? She tells him this firmly, both to reassure him and because she's confident in her own abilities.] Uh-huh. Father Kotomine is taking care of me.

[A priest is taking care of her! How much more reassuring can you get?]

[another smile but this time he seems a little weary] I don't doubt that, Rasha- you did a good job creeping up on me- but I was more worried about you doing that kind of thing in the first place. It's not easy, especially not...

[The Ninja trails off before he can finish his sentence, surprised. Sounds like she's staying with a priest- which only raises more questions, as far as he's concerned.]

... and does Father Kotomine know that you're "kind of like a ninja"?

[She shakes her head once.] I know. [Then, she repeats:] It's okay.

[She might have a child's appearance and personality, but she's still a fragment of Hassan-i Sabbah. Her brow furrows together a little as he asks about Kirei, though. Oh... She must have messed up. She just wanted to bond... But, her expression smooths itself out again.]

Father Kotomine knows as much as he needs to know. [She informs him of this gravely. Really, she's trying to avoid giving an explicit answer, since she doesn't want to implicate her Master.]

[It's really not okay and whilst persisting is probably overstepping his boundaries and almost definitely bothering her, he's not quite ready to let it go just yet. Still, she has someone taking care of her at least, although, once again, the vagueness of her reply is doing nothing to allay his reservations.

For now, however, he moves away from the topic of what she actually does.]

He sounds like a very kind man for taking you in. Does he treat you okay? [pauses just momentarily] I'm sorry, I'm asking a lot of questions but it's because I want to make sure you're safe.

[She nods, the motion enthusiastic this time. Her hair bounces around her shoulders.]

Uh-huh! I like him a lot. I'm safe, don't worry.

Yeah? Well, that's comforting. It's nice to know that there are still people in the world like that.

[It's starting to occur to him that trying to find out more might be a pointless venture. After all, when he was her age, prying any secrets about his own clan and missions out of him was borderline impossible and even then, that's assuming that there are secrets to be found.]

Alright, interrogation over. [he reaches out to ruffle her hair] Ignore me, I'm just being a bleeding heart.

[And it's all Soldier's fault.]

Yeah! When he found out I was alone, he took me in right away.

[She doesn't mind having her hair ruffled. It reminds her of the time she spent with Rider and Waver. Still, when she speaks again, she seems a little downcast.]

I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk to someone kind of like me.

[Even if bonding over shared experiences is hard when you can't admit what those experiences are, exactly.]

[And she's breaking his heart all over again. Stop that, kid.]

We can still talk, I just don't want you to feel pressured into answering lots of questions- there's probably a lot you're not allowed to say, isn't there? [tilts head at] It was the same for me when I was in training.

[She nods, frowning to herself again. She has probably already said too much, but...]

Promise you won't tell anyone about what I already said?

[He gives her a very serious, very sincere look in return.]

I swear on my honour as a shinobi, Rasha. I won't breathe a word of it to anyone else if you promise not to tell anyone you managed to sneak up on me.

Okay! [She nods very seriously. That sounds like a fair exchange.] I promise I won't tell anyone!

[He ruffles her hair again, not quite managing to stop himself from laughing and breaking his poker-face.] You're a good girl. Are you out running errands?

[She brightens as he calls her a good girl, almost-but-not-quite smiling and still looking pleased nonetheless. His question isn't exactly something she can answer truthfully, so this time, she lies.]

Mm-mm, I'm just exploring. I like to explore.

Good idea. You should probably get well acquainted with the place if you're going to be working here.

[He's completely sincere again- this is one professional to another, after all. Or maybe it's easier to make light of it than try and pick his way through the knee-jerk paternal tangle of feelings her potentially even being anything like he is evokes in him.

The Ninja pauses.] Hey, do you want to see a magic trick?

Uh-huh. [She agrees with a nod. She's proud of her talents, and she appreciates that he seems to be taking her seriously, so there's a hint of childish boasting in her tone when she tells him:] I'm good at remembering directions.

[When he asks if she wants to see a magic trick, though, her eyes widen, the expression she fixes him with intent and eager.]

A magic trick?

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