sunshineverse | [Closed] Open diplomacy between Sunagakure and Summoning Island

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[Closed] Open diplomacy between Sunagakure and Summoning Island

Where: Sunagakure

When: Late May (Haven't narrowed it down yet)

Who: Baki, Gale and Argilla

Notes: Baki gives the two foreign nin an introduction to Suna and they probably discuss boring politics and stuff like that. Or will they?

The formation of a new shinobi entity was always a complicated and tense process. It wasn't an uncommon event, entirely. Splinter group from villages could gather together, shinobi sometimes even sprung out of previously civilian populations. In the current state of the world, the villages were tangled in roles of competition, varying alliances and brimming conflict. A newly formed group that thrust themselves out into such a world could quickly find themselves endangered or preyed upon by a larger group.

Summoning Island and its people had two things on their side; relative physical isolation, and the fact that Suna wasn't interested in making any more war for itself. Even though Baki himself wasn't certain if the village should enter into an alliance in full, he was more than willing to be the one to reach out to the new entity and greet the visiting nin. One would think with the death of the Kazekage, the village would be on lockdown, but to Baki, showing Sunagakure was still willing to communicate with others outside their own close allies was important.

As per typical for such a situation, he waited to greet them at one of the gates tucked into the massive stone walls around the village. The guard force around him was much higher than usual, with all the nervousness that an unknown element brought along with it. Baki, on the other hand, kept his arms neatly folded behind his back, chin tipped up in waiting.

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Gale shrugs minutely at her raised eyebrow as they continue, but their... host? ignores the slip, so Gale sees no reason to bring it up. But he also notices Argilla's drifting closer, and shifts his own movements so that his hand brushes against hers once, appearing almost accidental, but meant as a gesture of solidarity and understanding.

But the description, and the obvious civilian presence continue to intrigue Gale. "Are they the most vulnerable civilians in your territory? Or perhaps, are their skills most useful to the soldiers?"

Those are the two major reasons that Gale can hazard a guess at for civilians living so closely with the soldiers in their base. He doesn't really dislike the idea, and really, the only worry is the civilians disturbing the routine that the soldiers need to maintain safety. Rules and extending knowledge would easily prevent that. But for all of that, it's new and Gale watches especially any interactions between obvious civilians and Suna shinobi, at least when he isn't looking at the eateries and shops.

"This is all very different from our own base on our island."

She gives Gale a wan smile. It was as much as in thanks as it was acknowledgment. The gesture was a help in settling her back into the calm needed for the meeting. It would make any talks go more smoothly if they were a united front. And it would possibly make them think twice about attempting to delay them from the rest of their trip for whatever potential plans they are entertaining.

Strange to her as it, Argilla likes that civilians are present in the village population. Something made it feel like it gave the Suna shinobi a purpose. Reminded them every day what they were doing as a military group. And it was pleasing to watch the young shinobi buy flowers from a civilian woman who chatted with him about something other. But watching the people only did so much.

They still had no idea where they were going, no matter how well they were watching the streets to build their own mental maps in case they need to make a hasty exit. "Would it be alright to ask where you're taking us to talk?"

While a lot of gestures slip past his notice, the point of contact between the two of them doesn't, and it's blatant enough that he can at least perceive some of the sentiment behind it.

"I imagine it must be different than what you're used to." The implication that they don't have civilians on Summoning Island is an important one, one that is starting to build his mental image of what it must be like. Questions of vulnerability or usefulness are unpleasant to him. "As you can probably guess, much of the land in Wind Country can be inhospitable, whether from the environment or the wildlife that lives here. In Sunagakure, they enjoy the protection of the walls, the shinobi, and our established infrastructure. In return, we enjoy a number of things from them, least of which being more diverse trade." He explains. Right now he's feeling more like a teacher than an ambassador.

At Argilla's question, he snaps back into a straighter posture, guiding them down another road. In front of them they can see taller buildings rise, imposing and round shaped, as they come closer to the center of the village.

"We will be meeting in a government building we use for relaying and assigning missions. There will be private rooms for us to talk there." He gestures out towards one such building that seems to be in continuing activity. It's a logical choice, not only because of the building's regular use, but also because of the shinobi population inside should something unexpected occur.

"And many shinobi present should we prove a threat." Gale hums in approval. It's something he would seek to arrange for if there was a visitor to their island. While not the most welcoming, or best for their cause, it proves that Sunagakure takes its safety seriously, and that is pleasing.

Gale doesn't say anything more, hearing the question behind the words well enough but not wanting to talk where so many could be listening in. They can discuss things further when they are settled somewhere private, and he nods slightly at Argilla to indicate his opinion on the matter. He's sure she'll understand what his look towards the building means.

Wise village to meet in such a way with strangers. She could just imagine how Gale felt about Baki's answer. And she can't find any fault in the choice herself. Until you reached the point where if attacked she and Gale wouldn't be so easily overwhelmed by numbers. They were two of the Embryon's core members for a reason.

"We find that acceptable." So basically they can and will talk more then.

The building is surprisingly cool on the inside, in a vast difference to the sweltering, dry air outside. The buildings in Sunagakure were designed for circulation and staving off heat, even with out the use of electronic air conditioning. Shinobi sandals made soft sounds over the stone flooring. Those out or areiving to receive a mission gave the two foreigners curious glances but the presence of Baki prevented any concern from popping up.

He steps past the more populated areas of the halls, heading towards the back rooms reserved for meetings with clients. He pulls a door open, revealing a clean but empty room with a table and a few chairs.

"I hope this is satisfactory."

"It is."

Gale does a quick sweep of the room with his senses and once he's sure there is nothing amiss, settles in the chair that has the best balance between a defensive position and the need to reach the exit, just in case. He pulls the chair to one side out as well, and sits far enough back from the table so that he could easily stand and kick. Or transform.

Once they're all settled, Gale meets Baki's eye. "I could see that you had more questions you wished to ask. We cannot guarantee answers to all of them, as some answers could threaten the safety of our clan, but we will answer what we can safely provide. Let's take care of that portion first."

Once they are both settled, Baki remains standing, hands still folded at his back. He has a feeling this might really be one of their first diplomatic excursions. Acting as though Baki is about to start demanding secrets of their clan is something that could come off as vaguely insulting had he been anyone else. He himself is fairly understanding.

"I won't expect you to answer anything you find potentially compromising. Nor should you for anyone, unless you're in negotiations for a formal alliance." He glances between him and Argilla. "I merely want to know more about your circumstances. I hear that Summoning Island is located close to Lightning Country, correct?"

It potentially puts them in a difficult position. Of the Five Greater Villages, Kumo is one of the ones with the greatest heft and farthest reaching influence. If they find themselves in the village's territory and encroaching on their missions, they could draw animosity from the village.

"May I ask how your current organization was founded?"

Gale, moving carefully to telegraph that his motion is not offensive, produces a map. Overlaid on an otherwise blank spot between Sea Country and Sky Country in the same orange they wear on their clothing is an hand-drawn island.

"We have determined that this is our approximate location. It puts us further south and technically closer to Water Country than Lightning Country, but of the larger nations, the other that is close is Fire Country."

That complete, Gale leans back and rubs the bridge of his nose. How much to tell? In the end, he decides that omitting the experiment itself is acceptable, but it would be too difficult to answer without mentioning it at all.

"Summoning Island was the location selected by a group performing several experiments on captive test subjects. Our clan is formed by the survivors, after we broke free and overpowered our captors."

Not their first, they've both handled negotiations for tribe before; both with disastrous results. It leaves them understandably a little wary. Still, Argilla finds Gale's explanation of their circumstances for coming together acceptable. It leaves out details but that was always going to happen. There were things that they weren't ready to share with the world as a whole.

She glances to the map. The orange lines drawing her gaze. "As you can see, we've traveled considerable distance to get here." They were of little thread. The map showed clearly that many of the places one would place ports were impassable. The single port both an advantage and disadvantage. She trusted that Baki could see that and realize they weren't so unwise to share such information so carelessly.

The corrected position of their island was a little more beneficial to them than his precious estimate. Islands were difficult for invasions, the unsteady terrain of water making for much more devastating area denial than on land. One accessible port, that he could see, would make entering even more difficult. It did limit the islander's ability to organize and disembark, however. All and all, the island seems to have been built and placed rather strategically.

The words of Summoning Island's origins pull a deep frown from his face. Human trafficking is not something new to this world. Part of why ANBU is always hunting missing nin down is, if they are captured by another village than the one of their birth, they or their parts are typically sold elsewhere. Many war captives in the Third War never made it home. Human experimentation, similarly, is also well known. This means the two of them likely have very unusual techniques. Chaotic, perhaps. Maybe even dangerous for they themselves to use.

Baki feels a pang of pity rather than distrust, before he swallows the feeling down. He notices Gale's gesture again, must be a stress reflex. It's weird, but now that he thinks about it, the particular combination of Gale's green-teal eyes and hair is familiar to him. It's not an especially common set, but he could swear he's seen it before, years ago.

"The two of you, you weren't born on the island then, were you?"

Gale notices the frown and glances at Argilla. She's better at determining which emotion causes changes in expression. Regardless, the question is one they've asked themselves multiple times. Gale can only offer what they've guessed.

He shrugs slightly and spits out one word, 'law' with special vehemence. "We cannot answer that. We suspect the correct answer is no, but we have confirmed that all of our memories were tampered with. Before, not one of us remembered being children, and our first memories were almost all exactly the same. We were woken by the researchers--we were told they were priests--in a dark place underground, then told the 'law', given the bare minimum of weapons and armor and led up many fights stairs to the surface, and the rain."

Gale's hand moves, so that the back of it is brushing Argilla's, and he looks at her for a moment, expression distant and both sad and relieved at the same time. "It happened in groups, typically, though very few have the luxury of any others from their 'batch' still being alive."

"Now, some memories have returned, but they are jumbled at best. For most of us, it manifests as only a strange sense of familiarity without knowing why, or knowing something--a name, a place, an activity--without knowing why or how we know."

She merely nods at Gale. The frown doesn't have anything to do with being sad. And she's hesitant to call how he seems angry. Perhaps displeased would be accurate. Whatever it was she didn't think it was a bad reaction them specifically.

There's a moment where she tenses at the idea of sharing just how compromised their memories are. It isn't something she really likes sharing or talking about. It's enough to suffer the gaps and blank spaces on their own. At least the tribe is all on the same page with their memories. As much as she would like to know where she came from or remember being a child, telling people outside the tribe feels wrong.

She smiles a little at the touch. Her fingers responding in kind. She understands that look, the feelings behind it. They'd survived the loss of a lot of comrades. Embryon and not. They were each others constants since they joined their first tribe together.

She lets out a slow breath. "Feelings. We didn't always have feelings or only had very basic understanding before memories started coming back."

He listens intently to what information they're volunteering to him. Indeed, this is different than the previous, political information. Personal, to the point he's once again disarmed by hearing it. By the sound of it, each of them were kidnapped, or at least taken from their homes. They were put through experiments where few survived. His frown darkens even further.

If they had asked him, he would have advised them against forming a village. He would have told them to go through missing persons reports throughout the villages, learn where they came from and reconnect with living family members if they can find them. But they hadn't asked him, and he isn't about to give them this opinion either. Missing persons reports, though... he might just go through them himself.

"I see." he relaxes his expression. "I will be frank with the both of you, and you are welcome to stop me if I am speaking out of turn. There is no small amount of prejudice among shinobi villages when it comes to subjects of human experimentation. It is similarly possible it will be discovered that your ...researchers may have been criminals from other villages. Therefore in the future it may be in your best interests to withhold that information for a time. Or else, take some time to differentiate your current village from your past. Make a name for yourselves, is what I mean." He explains.

"We are attempting to be careful with information, however, our memories being tampered with extends as far as language and concepts in some cases. We often have to ask for clarification in ways that cause suspicion or confusion in others, because the concepts are ubiquitous elsewhere."

Gale shrugs slightly. That is his reasoning for revealing it. Better to be open and honest so one side can't claim betrayal or use it as an excuse to back out of an alliance after the fact. If the information removes allies or makes enemies they will deal with it when the time comes. However, there is one thing he must clear up.

"We are not a village, nor are we trying to claim that status. Becoming one is unlikely as well, though the final decision will be Leader's. We are a tribe, which we have determined is closest to clan. Still, reputation is important to cultivate. If you have any suggestions, we will listen to them."

It amuses Argilla, how so many of the people they have spoken with or met are warning them about what information they share. Clearly they think them a little more damaged in the head than they actually were. They were far more protective of the information that could prove harmful. This was more a clarification of how best to communicate with them, and to not consider them purposely obtuse in most cases.

Argilla isn't entirely pleased with the idea of building a reputation. It would make them targets for further hostility if they proved to distinguish themselves from the other groups in the world. There's a fractional shift to her posture, her body language closing off.

"Perhaps suggestions that would not make us targets for hostile action."

When he thinks about it, both of their unusual speech habits make a lot of sense. Neither of them underwent typical circumstance on their island, and by the sound of it they could have been held there for years. Grown up there, even. The idea of anyone undergoing such a thing at the hands of some uncaring researchers could turn his stomach.

"These days it is unusual for a clan to establish themselves rather than form a village." he explains. These days, independent clans held a sort of negative connotation to them. Villages were seen as a sign of stability, despite the conflict and competition that occurred between them. Solitary clans hearkened back to the old days, the dark period of clan warfare. "It will similarly make it less likely for other villages to form formal alliances with you."

He reaches up a hand, rubbing over the bridge of his nose in thought. "On the other hand it makes you less of a target. What will be most important for you starting off will to find work that does not put you into conflict with another village or entity. I assume you do intend to offer your services as shinobi." He isn't going to bother inquiring as to what their skills are, as curious as he is. No one gives out trade secrets for free.

Edited 2015-06-24 08:47 (UTC)

"A village is made up of multiple clans, in addition to other individuals that do not belong to a specific clan, correct?"

Gale doesn't wait for confirmation before continuing. "The other tribes in the ruins are all gone, dead, or absorbed into the Embryon when their leaders died. We do not fit the qualifications for a village. If this fact makes it unlikely that others will ally with us, we will deal with that as it appears. We will not deceive or pretend to be something that we are not, as that will have worse consequences."

Satisfied with his explanation, Gale took a moment to consider the next question. "We are soldiers. All we know is war, even though we hope for more peaceful work. We are not clear on many of the things that would qualify for shinobi service, as those things were not included, or removed from our memories. Records recovered from our captors indicate that that was our ultimate purpose, but we broke free and overpowered them before they could begin the next 'stage' of their experiments."

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[Closed] Open diplomacy between Sunagakure and Summoning Island

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