RP Log: Tobi meets Temari!
An annoyed sigh escaped Temari as she shifted in the throne. How she hated sitting in that chair, especially for long periods of time. And the throne room was such a silly formality. She would much prefer to receive guests in a parlor or study or something, where everyone could be much more comfortable. But the world she lived in stated that she simply had to meet guests in this way, with this process, and that greeting. What a waste of time.
She wasn't even sure who she was meeting anymore, and questioned a maid at her side to find out that she was taking in a messenger. All this fanfare, just for a letter. Wonderful.
Tobi hummed to himself, sighing happily. A small mission; of sorts- delivery, but it was still a service for Akatsuki. To say the least, Tobi was enthralled. The attention was focused solely on the entrance hall towards the throne room and because of his clouded eye, he could only watch with 90degree peripheral. His heels clicking over the stone floor and dark hair shaking slightly (Tobi was known for putting a bounce in his step) and the natural flamboyance he holds was what let him come crashing into one of the fair maidens who yelped loudly- her voice echoing across the walls.
The sudden shrill cry from the halls was undeniably that of Mayu. Temari sighed, burying her face in one hand, and waving at the maid next to her, Rei, who nodded in compliance, understanding the unspoken order.
There was only one way they could be headed, as it was the welcoming party for the messenger, and sure enough she found the three girls squealing and acting up in general. At Rei's appearance, they began jabbering all at once, something about this jerk tried to do inappropriate things to him, and he looked just like those other weird guys, and what was going on, and he had tried to touch one of them! A stern look and a shush calmed the girls, who flushed and composed themselves, gazes at the floor.
"I apologize for their behavior," Rei said with a deep bow towards the stranger. "They have no reason to be acting so foolishly, and will be reprimanded. I assume you are here to see the queen? Please follow me sir."
With another curt bow, and a glare in the directions of the three dejected girls, Rei led the way back to the throne room.
The screams shocked Tobi into a momentary coma and once coming to, he pressed a hand to his heart, apologizing profusely before the ramblings and incessant complains began. Each woman was quite pretty, as he saw and he was sure he had made one flushed with a fever. "Ano..." He paused.
Such accusations, that he heard, what were they saying that he did- or they did. It didn’t make any sense to him, so when Rei finally came to salvate him, he follows after while staring at the women who are flustered and are humbled.
"Hai, the queen." He murmured, his adrenaline still pumping. Such a terrifying shock in such a beautiful place!
Temari was just beginning to lose her patience as Rei brought their visitor through the doors, and with a polite curtsy, returned to her spot. Temari looked the messenger up and down as he entered the room. He was certainly a little different that the other Akatsuki she'd met-- he held himself differently. He didn't seem to have that over-confidence that seemed so common to them. It was a bit of a relief, at least.
"Suna welcomes you," she said in her most formal tone. She hated it with a passion but with servants and the like watching, she had to be on her best behavior. "I understand you have a message for me?"
Tobi smiled happily, looking upon the blonde woman and was slightly startled by the matter of her age. She didn't look very old. Rather, much younger than he had expected her. Though, he should have guessed that age was not which ruled over the rulers. It was the maturity, propriety and sovereignty. Forgetting to bow, he waves his gloved arm, happily bouncing as he had finally reached his destination.
"Ahhh...Hai!" He exclaims, almost forgetting himself. It was then that he bowed his head, exasperated if nothing else. It was a scroll, if anything that he had been instructed to gift the young woman. A scroll which was ornamented in a silly looking ribbon- which Tobi was tempted to tear off. It was the color of sea grass. He has never liked the ocean. It was too gorgeous and seductive and Tobi had a slight shudder. He just didn't like the thought of drowning. (Once I held my breath. And not being able to breathe is a terrible thing. It hurts in a way that I'll take in anything around me. I was outside of the water at the time and I choked on the breeching breeze. But I couldn’t imagine if it was water. I think I cried a little when I finally caught my breath. I never wanted to do that again.)
The ribbon held the paper which already looked yellowed from cooking and drying after being made. Written upon't was neat writing which Tobi was instructed not to look at. And he promised he wouldn’t.
Temari nodded and as if on cue, Rei once again stepped down and accepted the scroll from him, handing it back to the queen. Such formality…I will never understand why things can’t be handed to me directly…if it’s a bomb or something I’m sure a few feet won’t make any difference. She complained inwardly as she delicately undid the ribbon-my, the Akatsuki could be fancy when they wanted to-and unraveled the scroll. She took a glance over it and nodded in acknowledgement. Completely uneventful. She wasn’t sure why they had bothered to send it at all, but it was their loss, not hers.
“I don’t believe I caught your name, messenger,” she said, handing the half-curled scroll to another servant. She had the feeling that this guy wasn’t all there, or at least wasn’t on the same level as the other Akatsuki members. No, none of them ever showed her any sort of respect, and she had some to expect nothing more of them. And while he had hesitated, a simple bow of the head was more reverence than she had gotten from the rest of them combined. Maybe this was her chance to learn a little more about them, if she played her cards right. “But either way, will you be staying the night? Surely you’d like to get some rest before you head back.”
Scratching the side of his cheek with a curled finger, he cocked his head. "Uh- Uhm..." Her offer was definitely a pleasing one, though he couldn’t deny the creeping thought, 'Was Zetsu watching him?'
"Ok!" He ruled out, deciding that if, indeed, anyone was watching they would step up to reprimand him when the time permitted it. Wondering what the Queen-lady would be like. He wanted to talk to her further- she seemed tense when there were so many people.
'Not a people-person?' He wondered.
Tobi was a people person.
Smiling gently, more so than she was wont to, Temari stood, and with a small gesture of her hand, the various servants and maids dismissed themselves with bows and curtsies. As far as the servant-master relationship went, she tended to be fair-handed, and in return, they were generally obedient and had learned to listen to what was going on, so that she rarely had to give them orders. A small gesture here, a nod there, and they generally knew what to do. Knowing that his arrangements would be taken care of to her liking, she stepped down off the platform-how she hated how high up it put her, when she preferred being at eye level-and made a motion indicating that he follow her.
“I’ll take you around the castle,” she said, putting one foot forward to make sure he got the message.. “And you can tell me about yourself, hmm?”
Tobi brought a thoughtful finger to his lower lip (he had adapted many childish habits since he had woken) and gave a nod. "Ok, lady. What can I call you?" He falls into stride with her, bringing his hand back down again- cheeks flared as he saw her confused look. He had been told he was tall.
His dark hair is slightly disheveled as the wind from the outside had sent his 'scarf' rattling around his neck, nearly suffocating him. In the end he had managed to stuff it into his jacket, not realizing that a strand drifted in front of his blind eye.
Temari chuckled lightly at his informal manner, amused by the stark contrast between his simply juvenile mannerisms and the blatant disrespect his peers showed her. No one had ever called her ‘lady’ in such a brazen manner-discounting the time she snuck away and pretend she was a commoner, but that was entirely another story-but his innocence seemed to prove that it was not intended. It was almost a little bit cute, if not a little odd and confusing. Of course she had her reservations, that it might be an act, and that he might really be cold-blooded assassin sent to kill her, but she took precautions against such things on a regular basis and could always fall back on her magic if she needed to. While the thought lay in the back of her mind that she might be in danger, and she kept alert, she did not let on that she was any bit suspicious.
“To make life easier, you may call me Temari,” she replied. Despite her air of dignity, she really did feel that way. Formal titles were a bother. “And what shall I call you, sir?”
Offering her a smile, he outstretched and held out his hand, his other hand tapping over his finger tips with each syllable spoken. "To-bi. Tobi. Watashi wa Tobi."
Beginning to step over the floor again- he didn't realize when he had stopped- he turned to her. "You're pretty, Temari." Simply a remark. Nothing more.
The more he spoke, the more she was becoming convinced that this simply couldn’t be an act. It was almost too extravagant, and such a superfluous performance would be suspicious. These guys weren’t stupid, not normally, and she was sure they would have realized this flaw beforehand.
“Well Tobi, it’s nice to meet yo-“Before she could finish, he interjected, and she almost burst out laughing, but the statement startled her as much as it amused her, and that was her saving grace. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that…she’d been complimented before, surely, but never so bluntly-at least not by another adult-and she was nearly at a loss for words. “Wh-why thank you, that’s very nice of you. Say…Tobi, do you like tea?”
"Tea? I do. Very much so. Do you like chamomile?" He asked with a pleasant tone, finally bringing his hand to his forehead. As if feverous in the thought of the herbal flavors. He frowned as he felt the stray strands and removed them- brushing them to the side with a pert hum. "By chance, you offer?" He asked grinning again, pale teeth glimmering from the dim light.
Tobi wouldn’t mind drinking with Temari, she was nice. He decided he liked her.
Absolutely oblivious. But Temari didn’t let on the slight hint of disgust that was coming over her. Was this really one of the vicious killers she had come to fear? Maybe he was just a lackey they had dressed up to look the part. Yes, it had to be something like that she reasoned. It would have been almost endearing, had he been a messenger from anywhere else, but this was just a bit pathetic.
Never the less, she still might be able to get something out of him.
“I suppose we could find some chamomile,” she said, keeping up the fake pleasantries. She wasn’t entirely sure they had something so common-they tended to only have rare and expensive stuff. But whether he would notice a substitution was another story. She had led them to a reading room, instructing a maid just on her way out to bring them some tea. Two chairs sat to either side of a small table, perfect for such a situation, and she took one of them, motioning for her guest to sit in the other. “Tea will be ready but in the meantime…tell me something about yourself. You seem like an…interesting fellow.”
Pleased with the attention Temari was granting him with, Tobi followed her wishes and sat, looking around the fine room. Taking a liking to the quietly warm air, he nodded his head and the stray strand fell over his left eye again. Not that the clouded pigment could tell. It was only the slight touch which disturbed him enough to brush it away. "What do you mean, Temari? I told you my name! Tobi." ("Say it! T-O-B-I. Heehee.")
"What else do you want to know?" Fidgeting with his legs (Knee's pressed together and they bobbed as his feet tapped and rocked off of the floor.), Tobi managed to clasp his hands and tilt his head. Temari was awfully young. And he voiced these thoughts.
"How old are you?" He asked with a pleasant smile.
Temari was a little taken aback by such an audacious question, and his avoidance of her own. Was he on to her, or just not all there? She kept with the latter route, deciding to press it for all it was worth, still hopeful that she would glean some useful bit of information from him.
“I…I don’t think that’s a very polite thing to ask a lady,” she replied sternly. The maid from earlier arrived then with a silver tray, setting it on the table and carefully pouring two cups before Temari dismissed her with a nod. “However…I will tell you, if you tell me something first. Let’s say…what do you like to do in your free time?”
There wasn’t much he could say to that that would be of any use to her, but she had to test the waters a bit, see if she could get him to open up to her, past her name and what sort of tea he liked.
"Uhm..." He paused, a thoughtful finger brought to his lips again. Nodding his head, yet his brows furrowed absent mindedly- though his lids arched when shut to send a smile to the made. "Thank you."
Giving a glance down to the cups, he lowered his head and sniffed- giggling a moment later. "The vapors tickle." He whispered. Looking up at her, he nods. "Ah... Well.. I like to spend time with my teacher- though... lately he hasn’t been very happy with me stopping by. I don’t think I can tell you who he is. It's a secret."
Not chancing a sip from the brewed tea, he nods again, in thought. "Unless, do you know Zetsu?"
Ignorance is bliss.
A grin spread across Temari’s face, as she saw her break. Calmly, she picked up the steaming porcelain cup, not bothering with cream and sugar as usual, and ventured a sip-it burned her tongue slightly but she didn’t let on. A straight face-or in this case, a friendly one-was the key to the game. She wasn’t one to lie, it didn’t suit her, and she couldn’t say she knew this Zetsu. They were probably another Akatsuki member, the name did sound vaguely familiar…and she figured that twisting the truth a little wasn’t exactly lying…
“I do believe I’ve met him before, yes,” she said. And she did believe she’d met him-she ventured that it was a him-but conveniently couldn’t remember where or when or quite what he looked like. And of course, she could be mistaken, but she was going to leave that little detail out. “What about him?”
"Oh, I was just wondering." He smiled. "Your turn, isn’t it?" He asked carefully lifting the cup and bringing it to his lips. Tobi hesitated to sip from the cup and settled on sucking a small amount in his mouth (obnoxiously slurping). He yelped as the heat bit his lower lip and pushed the cup back down on a saucer- his free hand carefully running fingers over his ailment before wiping tears from his eyes.
"It's hot, Temari."
“Yes it is, Tobi, why don’t you put it down and let it cool?” she suggested, feigning concern. “As for me, you want to know how old I am…hmm…well, let’s just say I’m old enough, shall we?”
She had hit a dead end, and she didn’t want to press any further…even if this Tobi was a certified nutcase, there was still the chance that he might say something back in Konoha, and her desire for information didn’t outweigh her desire to stay alive. But regulating her temper was also getting difficult, and restraining herself was taking a little more effort than it should have.
“Is there…anything else you’d like to ask me?” she prompted. Maybe if she couldn’t get any information out of him directly, she could derive something of use from the questions he asked of her…some hidden motivation, some intention, something.
Nodding and placing the tea cup down, he stared at it briefly before watching the steam rise over it. "I like tea." He whispered, as if not paying any attention to her question. The tea was brewed and not steeped- which was what he was used to. He was told before that brewing concoctions with tea is healthier and much more pungent if the leaves or 'fruit' remained in the liquid. So he was quite pleased by Temari's maid. She had to be well knowledged in understanding (the thought of laziness not once crossing his mind.)
"Is there anything I should know?" He asked, finally, glancing up to her and for the first time showing some propriety (if not the dexterity and vitality and Akatsuki member should show). At least he was cautious enough.
(Though, Tobi simply asked because he didn't want to be rude. He had a habit of being blunt.)
Imagine that.
Setting down her own cup alongside his, she couldn’t resist an honest smirk this time…maybe he was finally catching on to her? While she didn’t exactly like the idea, it was a bit of relief, lifting the weight of confusion off her shoulders. She wasn’t accustomed to being so confused, especially when it came to his type, and the hint of suspicion comforted her in an odd way.
“Well no, I don’t suppose there’s anything you should know,” she replied, formal tone still in tact. “I just supposed we could…have an exchange of sorts. So that we might know each other better.”
Tobi smiled again, outstretching his arm and holding his palm out for her. "Ah, I'd like to know you better too, Temari." Innocent, in his own way but he was blunt and could be rude (unintentionally).
"Don’t you have a daddy or brother to reign with you?" It must be weird to be the Queen when the King was only so far away- with holding the rebellion at the borders (as well as keeping them locked in the dungeon).
Her father…there was a sore spot, and she winced visibly at the thought of him. She’d rather not be reminded him, but she supposed the question was innocent enough. Of course, word should have gotten around a long time ago, but she wasn’t sure she trusted Tobi to be all that bright, despite the fact that the event had weakened Suna dramatically and would be a point of interest for the Akatsuki.
“My father…passed away some time ago, rest his soul,” she said, trying to keep her voice level as possible. “And my brother has been away for a while.”
She didn’t dare mention Gaara when it was avoidable, and she skirted the fact that there was the council, who actually made a large amount of the decisions. It was best not to flaunt the inner workings of one’s kingdom, if it could be avoided.
"Oh!" Tobi practically shouted, smothering his mouth before babbling apologies. He didn't realize that he was being insensitive with the blunt question (how many times had he been reprimanded for this...?) and so he bowed his head and apologized again- so much so that his nose was pressed to the hot liquid of the tea.
Mewling his protest (What was that!?), he wiped his nose before glancing up with an embarrassed blush marring his pale cheeks. "Ah... Gomen, na...?"
Tobi nodded- not caring about whatever else he had said to her, as he had offended her slightly (he probably should have paid closer attention. It was most likely something beneficial to report at a later date.)
Temari simply sighed, an attempt at a smile looking out of place in the dull sadness that had taken over her expression. It wasn’t that she had very many fond memories of her biological father, and she couldn’t remember loving him much beyond what was required of a daughter, but something about it still bothered her when she thought it over.
“Do not be sorry, I’m sure there’s no way you could have known,” she mumbled, now feeling a twinge of grief. She never got too sad over the issue, but it was important enough to affect her demeanor if she had no other appearance to keep up. “He simply got ill, and there was not much we could do.”
"O...Oh... I see." He replied chancing a sip- not quite caring of the sting the heat caused him (it wasn’t too hot anymore.)- swallowing, and then bowing his head. “My condolences, Temari-san.”
Sheepishly, he looked up with a modest smile. “Thank you for the tea, it tastes good.” Tobi noted the strange color the brewing made- but it was only noticed for a moment as his blinded eye was clouded enough to trigger the hallucinations his concussion has given him since…- Tobi didn’t remember. He just knew he saw something bright purple.
On the wooden floors. Tobi wouldn’t comment on it, Zetsu taught him to ignore the strange objects, and if they were worth mentioning, the host(ess) would bring them up.
Turning the memory of her father’s death over in her mind, Temari’s thoughts were interrupted by the change in demeanor of her guest. It wasn’t that he did much of anything to catch her attention, but something about him was definitely different, and just enough to catch her eye. He seemed to be suddenly…distant, almost, focused on something else, or lost in thought. Or maybe contemplating and readying for an attack? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen something of the sort. She was once again on alert, but made sure to avoid doing anything provoking.
“Tobi, are you alright?” Just the right mixture of concern and idle disinterest. “If you are unwell, your room is certainly ready by now.”
Staring intently, Tobi does not respond until she speaks about a room. "A-Ah!" Flushing (Tobi doesn't wear his mask when off duty or with people he can trust. There was no secret that he was blind in the left eye.), his cheeks grown pink and he nods after babbling an apology.
"Could... I go there, Temari-san?" He asked gingerly, careful as she looked suspicious of him. He wasn't a scary person, was he?
She nodded-it was more like a short bob of the head, really-and stood, smoothing out the ruffles in her dress. Normally she would wait for her guest to stand with her, exit together, exchange the proper formalities, and all the other sorts of “normal” things. But this was no normal guest, and she was looking forward to getting back to her chambers, so she instead made her way swiftly to the door, nearly knocking the tea tray from where it rested. The threat of an attack still lingered, as she had never discounted the idea, and she wanted him somewhere the guards could keep an eye on him as quickly as possible. She was simply going to leave, but thought better of it, to mind her manners at least a little bit, and turned around, fake smile back in place, as was so common.
“I’ll fetch someone to take you to your room,” she said as sweetly as she could muster. “It was a pleasure having tea with you, but I’m afraid I have to make myself scarce now. I do hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your stay, and feel better.”
A shallow, polite curtsey, and she closed the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. Of course she wasn’t in the clear yet, but any threat there had been was less imminent. (although all things considered, she could not see Tobi as the violent type…) She instructed the maid dutifully waiting at the door to take him to his room, and then see to it that guards were posted outside, on her orders. She didn’t wait for an answer, or to make sure the girl did her job-she knew she would. Her focus was solely on getting to somewhere she could clear her head. Confusion just didn’t suit her.