Daraku made his way across the village, half-lost. Kōsai had given him specific directions to go to the Arbiter's Ground and leave behind a message and a rose for someone; whether this was a personal matter of hers or something more suspicious was still up in the air. Knowing her, it could easily have been one of her "warnings" before she decided to murder someone. Regardless, Daraku didn't exactly like doing jobs for her, but she paid him handsomely for what he did do and he didn't mind making money. He was always the opportunistic type, plain and simple. By the time he actually did find the Arbiter's Ground, he was surprised to find it was a tomb. He wasn't sure what to expect before he had arrived, but it certainly wasn't a tomb. This one was a large, open area that looked very different than most burial grounds. It looked more like an arena fit for battle than anything. It didn't matter, though, and his job was to go in, drop off the message, and then leave before anyone could notice him, just in case. He crossed the boundary into the Grounds and slid his hands into his pockets. The air was stale and it smelled of death, quite literally. He pulled the small letter from his right pocket and examined the name on the back. It read "Tatsuyuki" in Kanji.

So I guess my job now is to find Tatsuyuki... But who could that be, and why would he be in a tomb? It all seemed pretty shady. Not to mention the fact that the tomb made Daraku feel uncomfortable. He had experienced enough terrible things to have built a resistance to fear. Gore had never bothered him, death wasn't an issue. He was an assassin, or at least he had used to be, after all. But this place gave him an odd vibe and he wanted to get out as soon as possible. Daraku looked around a bit and was startled when he saw a girl standing not too far away from him. He must have been too distracted to notice her sooner; she was quite short, at least a foot shorter than he was, and she had black hair and wore black clothes. Quite fitting, for a tomb setting such as that. It looked like the whole "no one noticing him there" part of the plan was already out the window; he was too close at this point to hide or avoid confrontation with her. They stood around 5 meters or so away from one another. She was occupied, though; she held a pencil in hand and was scribbling something. Daraku sighed softly and slid the letter back into his pocket before resting that same hand on the sword strapped to his waist. "Hey...uh...whatcha writing?" he asked, trying not to make the situation awkward. Who knows? Maybe she could help him get to Tatsuyuki, whoever he was.

After Daraku approached her and asked her what she was writing, she pulled down her hood and put the pencil that was in her hand behind her ear. She explained that she was writing up a journal entry, and the tomb was merely a good setting to inspire her. He understood what she meant, to some extent; though he wasn't a writer himself, he could feel some sort of vibe from the tomb. Maybe that was just his apprehension toward it, though. He nodded and smiled back at her own kind expression, and she provided him with an introduction. "My name is Masayoshi Mari." She followed up by asking what his name was, and what he was doing there so late. Sadly, his excuse wasn't as good as hers, and it all looked very suspicious, but he wasn't going to avoid telling the truth. "I'm Ishido, Daraku! Nice to meet ya. As for why I'm here...erm.." he cleared his throat and sat down next to her, before pulling the letter out of his pocket. "I'm looking for this man named Tatsuyuki. I don't know anything about him, but as a favor to a friend, I'm supposed to drop a letter and a rose off to him here." saying that sentence out loud suddenly made it click in his mind, and he hopped back up immediately.

"So she's paying her respects to him! Duh, he really is dead!" Having burst out and said this quite loud, it echoed through the tomb for a little while and he awkwardly stood there waiting for the silence to come back. "Ahem, so yeah. I guess I'm just looking for his grave or whatever." He held the note and the rose in his right hand, carefully positioning his fingers so that he didn't prick himself with one of the thorns. He used his other hand to rub the sleepiness from his eyes, having had little to no sleep the previous night and now being awake for this. He hoped that he would be paid handsomely for this, especially because he couldn't understand why Kōsai couldn't just come to the Arbiter's Ground and do it herself. This was hardly a task fitting for someone of Daraku's skill level. "I've never been here before, I'm not even from Kumogakure, so this is all a little unfamiliar to me. Do you want to help me find this man?" He genuinely needed the help and didn't mind the company, now that he knew his mission wasn't anything illegal or dangerous. Plus, this Mari girl was very kind, so she could be of use in looking for Tatsuyuki.

Daraku kept his gaze steady on the length of the tomb and its structure, searching for any indication of where specific graves would be. There had to be some kind of logical order so that people could properly pay respects; otherwise, having the grounds open to the public would be useless, essentially..."I would gladly like to provide any assistance I can, Ishido-san." Mari replied, genuinely. Daraku's grin widened slightly, and he was visibly happy. She continued, though, explaining that his grave would likely be deeper in the tomb, and that it was also her first time in the tomb and thus there was a substantial chance that she wouldn't be able to offer much to him in terms of directions and guidance. His smile fell just a bit because that meant more work for him, but he wasn't going to let a little bit of a challenge stop him. "Guess we're both going in blind, then," he said as he looked over Mari once more. The thing that stuck out most to him was her blue eyes, similar in color to his own. She also had a very formal and eloquent way of speaking, which was interesting enough. Fitting of a writer, he figured.

"Well, if you think it would be deeper in the tomb, then that's where we're headed!" Daraku's optimism was obvious enough, and he turned to face the dark corridor behind him. There was a few different paths to take, but he was sure enough that this Tatsuyuki wouldn't be in one of the more "important" graves. He wasn't a high-ranking person, according to the little information that Kōsai had provided; in fact, he wasn't even a ninja. His mind wandered, trying to find out her relationship with this deceased man. All signs led him to the idea that they must have been lovers, but he didn't want to open the letter to see for himself. As much as he didn't care, it was a violation of her privacy and thus would probably void his reward, which would make the whole task pointless to him. Money was what mattered here. So, Daraku directed himself toward the smaller section of the grounds where he assumed the regular people graves would be and started walking toward it. It was going to be a long trek, but he wasn't in a rush and he didn't feel like running. After a few steps, he stopped and turned back to look at Mari, waiting for her to follow. He raised his eyebrows slightly, causing his forehead to wrinkle a bit.

"Guess we're both going in blind, then,"

Mari noticed his smile fall, faintly. She felt slightly inadequate for the task, but with the set of circumstances that surrounded their meeting and the his given task, there was little that could be done about it. He didn't decline her offer, so she assumed that he wouldn't mind her company. She surely didn't mind his, as this was probably the unlikely, interesting event of the night.  The girl simply nodded at his words with understanding, her blue irises keeping a close eye upon man with brown and blonde hair. He spoke very casually. He appeared open and friendly, if not, from what she tell, just a little bit eccentric. She enjoyed meeting new  people, she considered herself and her life to be rather boring so to find someone with a little flair was something she always looked forward to.

"Well, if you think it would be deeper in the tomb, then that's where we're headed!" 

He seemed very optimistic over the whole situation, the girl only smiled at his excited tone. He lead the way first, heading to what seemed to be the area for common graves in the tomb. The pathways were dark, giving an aura fitting of its morbid surroundings. He took a few steps before turning to her and waiting for the girl to follow.

Mari of course decided to follow in suit, not wanting to bee rude or impolite by keeping him waiting. Though, unintentionally as it was, the girl indeed was a slow walker. She was petite, complete with a small frame and short legs. Besides that she never liked being in a hurry about anything, and always hated to be rushed. If rushing around was all one did, then how could any enjoyment be had? Or just simple time to laze around and do nothing but relax? (One of the girl's favorite pastimes) She could be fast when she wanted to be, but in a relaxed setting she realized that speed wasn't quite needed.

She walked slowly with him, also with the purpose of looking around at tombstones and various graves to see if the name "Tatsuyuki" could be seen anywhere around them. The light of the moon being the only thing shining doen upon the graveyard. She kept close to the man, though not uncomfortably so. She didn't outright believe a spirit would come and attack them, but it was a place where souls were put to rest. And while her previous believed encounter with a ghost turned out to be just this man, she still wanted to stay with a living being rather than a dead one if she could.

She still trained her eyes on searching for the particular grave when she began wondering just a little bit about the stranger she had run into. He mentioned not being from Kumogakure no Sato, likely a visitor or spectator for reason of the current event, the chuunin exams. Once again the girl was reminded of the fact that she had forgotten to sign up for those exams. It still peeved her just a little, but she was slowly coming to realize it was just another set of circumstances that played out as it did and nothing really could have been done. She did still come to Kumo in the end, so she did believe that while she wasn't participating, there had to have been some merit in coming here.

"Ishido-san, if you do not mind me asking, what village do you hail from? You had said that you were unfamiliar with Kumogakure no Sato." The girl had decided to ask, she was genuinely curious. She turned her head to him, her hands crossing her chest as she held on to her notebook. "I, myself, am from Sunagakure no Sato." She added her own home village on, thinking it proper of her so he wouldn't feel so forced or out of the blue by stating where he was from. In the slight chance that he was from the same village, Mari kept a small hope. If they happened to be, then she would likely be able to speak with him again. If not, the chances of a second meeting were slim. She hoped it was the former.

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Ah Sorry for taking so long! D: Thanks for being patient >.>

They walked together along the narrow path, where tombstones lined them on both sides. Daraku casually read everyone, still having yet to find Tatsuyuki. He lifted a hand and brushed it over one of the marble stones, causing dust and dirt to fly into the air. He wiped his hand off on his pants afterwards and Mari spoke. She started off formally addressing him as Ishido-san, which he didn't particularly mind but still found so unusual since he was used to informal talk whether or not it was necessarily appropriate or polite. She then asked what village he hailed from, since he had mentioned he wasn't from Kumogakure no Sato. Furthermore, she added in that she herself was from Sunagakure no Sato, and Daraku flashed a smirk as soon as he heard that. "Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Looks like you and I are from the same village." He thought of Seiryū, who was also from Sunagakure. It seemed the Chuunin Exams had attracted other people from the Land of Wind aside from just Daraku; in fact, he hadn't even really come directly from Kaze no Kuni anyhow since he was in Kirigakure no Sato previously. He missed his own village dearly, and made a mental note to return as soon as the Chuunin Exams ended, maybe even sooner if need be. Last he'd heard, the final rounds had begun, meaning that he could probably spectate a match or two if he wanted. Some of those Genin were...terribly mediocre. But others, the powerful ones; they were real entertaining. They had potential and they deserved to win.

Daraku was glad that Mari was from his village. It never hurt to build more ties from his own village, and creating a bond here might make up for his...conflict with Seiryū. A new friend instead of another unintentional enemy. He stopped for a moment, looking to his right on Mari's side at a gray tombstone. The name on it was what caught his eye, and surely enough, "Tatsuyuki" was engraved in the front. "Here it is! Shit, that was easy. Perfect." He took the card and placed it in front of the grave along with the rose, and then hoisted himself onto the stone, sitting on it like a chair. Was doing that disrespectful? People always told each other to respect the dead, but it never really mattered, did it? The dead wouldn't be feeling it and they wouldn't even know, so what difference did it make? Unless he was like, graverobbing or something, it shouldn't have been a big deal. He twisted his back until it popped, and he did a little bit of stretching before addressing Mari again from atop his makeshift seat.

"My job here is done, then, but I'll stick around for a while longer. I don't have anything else to do tonight...how has the village been? It's been so long since I left, I was staying in Kirigakure no Sato for a whole year before I came here to see the Exams. I plan on going back to Suna as soon as possible to get back to business."


OOC: No problem, I'm patient when it comes to social threads :)

Mari remained standing near the tombstone and she explained to Daraku the current happenings of Sunagakure, which were rather uneventful. She said it was quiet, but she did mention that since she was simply a Genin she may not know the inner processes of the higher ranks. Daraku thought of Suzume when Mari said the words "higher ranks"; he wondered how she was doing, since he hadn't seen her in so long. Knowing her though, she was doing just fine. Being the Kazekage was a busy job, but she managed it well. "Haha, well if my past experiences in Suna are any indication of what the 'high ranks' are like, it's still pretty quiet overall. Peaceful village, more peaceful than the rest in my opinion. Konoha and Kiri and even in Iwa, too, there's wars and criminals and crazy stuff happening. Suna, on the other hand, has always been calm and I like it that way." He shifted a bit to find a comfortable position on the stone, but it was such a hard and unforgiving surface. No back support, to boot. "So you're a Genin, then? Alright, that's cool. I'm surprised you weren't in the exams!" He said with a grin as he hopped off of the grave and brushed off his pants. He figured he'd start to head back soon, since he did need to report back to Kōsai.

Daraku reestablished eye contact with his friend and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Welp, I'm gonna get going so I can get paid, heh. It was very nice meeting you, Mayasoshi Mari. I'll see you once we're both back in Suna!" He gave her a wink, adding to his oh-so-irresistible charm (or so he personally believed) as he turned to leave. Kōsai was likely waiting on him at the Sky Bar, since she had purposely neglected to tell him where her "headquarters" were or where she lived. He dashed away, headed toward the center of the village at full speed.


[Exit thread]