Of Ninjas and Underhanded Tactics

[estaunsinterius]

Character(s): Sephiroth, Konan, Zetsu
Content: A meeting that changes everything
Setting: Near Niflheim gate
Time: Late afternoon
Warnings: The beginnings of subterfuge. =D

Comments

[angelicorigami]

Konan was on the move.

Having temporarily removed her Akatsuki robe in favor of a white dress, she was planning on doing a bit of exploration, and perhaps trying to gather information from the visitors here. The citizens were of little use, it seemed.

She decided the best place to start would be at one of the gates, and so, bringing Zetsu along for company, and because between the two of them they were very unlikely to miss any bit of information, she moved quickly, scanning the crowd for anyone interesting.

The tall, silver-haired man certainly caught her attention. She watched him a moment, curiously, and then approached him. Certainly this was no citizen.

"Hello," she said with a small smile. "Are you waiting for someone?"

[weeatbodies]

The unrest of the city's inhabitants--citizens and visitors alike, it seemed--around them was palpable, a sharp, stirring scent that hung in the air and made his nerves all but quiver with anticipation of action. This barely repressed collective urge for something to happen made him only too glad to accompany Konan in her explorations--something he certainly would have done anyway, simply out of duty and respect. After all, she was his superior, he was one of the Akatsuki held most accountable for knowledge acquisition, and he had been here for quite some time. It was the sort of job his livelihood and usefulness depended on, even in a place as strange as this

[estaunsinterius]

Sephiroth saw the two approaching, the woman in her dress and the man in his odd uniform. The former was a shapely young lady of indeterminate age, the latter a rugged looking older man, and they obviously knew one another. Perhaps the man was her bodyguard. Perhaps it was the other way around; Sephiroth was not unfamiliar with the gait of martially inclined people, and both of these had the posture and walk of trained fighters.

His initial observations made, Sephiroth returned the same small smile alongside a polite nod. "No. Simply observing, for the moment. It's obvious the two of you are not natives; what brings you to the gate today?" It wasn't unusual to find people trying to leave the city, for whatever reason. After all, wasn't that why he was here? These two, though he had never seen them, could have such a plan. The man was certainly dressed for a hard trek. The woman, however... A quandary, one that had him wondering.

[angelicorigami]

"Knowing the terrain is always useful," Konan replied truthfully; there was no need to lie about it. "I have not been here long, but it seems there are many interesting people around these gates."

And, if her instincts were right, she had certainly found someone interesting. He had the look of one who was not unfamiliar with battle, and he seemed to have some level of control when it came to expressing oneself properly.

He could prove useful.

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu offered another nod, this time in response to Konan's comments; he had little else to say about the matter, though had Konan expressed her thoughts, he would have agreed with her. He respected her opinions, naturally--she was the second-in-command, after all, and he was nothing if not loyal. Besides that, he trusted her instincts. She was far sharper than almost anyone gave her credit for, and that fact alone made him glad to be on her good side.He took up a relaxed but alert position where he'd stopped, arms casually crossed and fingers roving seemingly by habit. Not over his scars, even--he sported one or two on his face, but there were far more on his arms, like any experienced, close-quarters knife-fighter--, but tracing the lines of the characters that happened to be tattooed on closest to where his hands rested. Let the leaders talk, and he would listen--this silver-haired man had an unmistakable air of authority about him.