Welcome to Ryslig's test drive meme! If you're considering apping here, this is where you can try your characters out in the game's setting. A few things to note:
Lots of people have asked good questions on the FAQ, so do take a look.
You can only app ONE character per round so choose wisely.
Test drive meme threads can be used for your roleplay sample!
NEW! Players with characters already in the game can earn up to a maximum of 3 coins by replying to potential character threads! You will need to have your normal 20 comment AC in the game. You cannot use this to go over the bonus 10 coins per month total, but you can use it if you are missing some threads to reach that coin total. Same rules as normal bonuses apply.
Sample scenarios:
SCENARIO ONE: So you've just arrived, fresh out of the hospital, and already the natives are trying to get on your good side. Offers of food, shelter and other luxuries in return for hoping you don't eat them. They even have some helpful pamphlets to share with you. "How To Deal With Changes", "Alternatives to Human Flesh", "What to Expect When You're Expecting (to turn into a monster)" are all great pamphlets. There's even some detailing certain monsters, and the changes they go through.
Among these however, are some... not so helpful ones. "Bunnyipyips And You", "Axe Thief Axehounds," and "So you're becoming a Fur Bearing Trout" among others.
SCENARIO TWO: You've become hopelessly lost in Lager Woods. Paths don't seem to lead where you remember them leading, and you feel as if you're going around in circles. Childlike giggling can be heard from no direction in particular. Suddenly, you stumble upon another character, who seems to be just as lost as you! Perhaps you can find a way out together.
SCENARIO THREE: You've heard about the fog, but you've never seen it before. Now, the mist surrounds you. Barely able to see before you, you need to get home - and fast. It's far too dangerous in this situation.
SCENARIO FOUR: The time has come and you've found yourself becoming a monster. Is the change instant, or gradual? Are you familiar enough with monsters to know what's happening, or is it a complete shock? NOTE: Feel free to pick any monster type for this prompt, but note that you may not get the same one in game.
The look Itachi gives him for the teasing is long and unamused, but quite familiar nonetheless; it's not a serious expression, as Itachi's state of mind goes -- rather, it's his very normal overly-sober reaction to Kisame's sometimes lighthearted attitude. The expression really hasn't changed all that much since the early days of their partnership, when Itachi was a barely-teen boy trying to navigate a very adult world. "You may enjoy that," he responds, managing to come down just this side of prim. "Where I come from, we don't swim in the winter." As much as the Fire Country even has winter, for that matter -- which is to a far lesser degree than Kirigakure. Swimming in ice-cold water is not something he has ever developed a taste for.
More than anything else, it's a grasp at normalcy; everything is uprooted and unstable, they are both weakened severely from their normal state, and Itachi is having to suffer every bit of the vision loss he's been managing to put off through constant use of the Sharingan. It occurs to him, idly, that this would perhaps be easier to manage if he'd actually spent more time without it active as his vision slowly decayed -- if he'd made himself get used to functioning without it, instead of insisting on keeping it up until he was absolutely no longer able. There was no room to show weakness in Akatsuki, but he woul have been less unstable without it now, probably feel less helpless.
But that was past; this is now, and at least he has Kisame with him, so he is not navigating this dark blur alone. Dry, with fresh clothes, and hopefully with some kind of meal, he might even feel prepared to properly get his bearings in this new place, too.
"Heheheh..... That's because there is no such thing as winter, where you come from." Kisame smirks outright at just how prim Itachi sounds, and the all-too-familiar long-suffering look of a teenager trying way too hard to be serious and mature. If Itachi honestly didn't like him joking around, he would have said something years ago--so as far as he's concerned, a little lighthearted banter to help settle them both down was just what they needed. He gave Itachi's ponytail an absent squeeze before dropping it; better to let all that water fall onto the pavement, rather than slowly seep back out all over Itachi again.
"Then again, maybe it's just because you lot aren't near enough to the water for it. What a shame; it'd be a good way to toughen up the Academy kids." He muses; after all, they may have rivers and lakes, but the real water, the sort that matters most, will always be the sea. They have enough to ensure they stay temperate, clearly, but..... well, Konoha's in an easy climate, with plenty of fresh water and plenty of land, and gentle, mild seasons. Even the summers don't seem to get too hot there--whereas in Kirigakure? It's easy to get swelteringly hot tropical summers as readily as agonizingly cold winters. You can even go between the extremes, if you're willing to hike a little; the mountains always stay locked in the iron grip of snow and ice. That's where the Yuki clan hails from, after all.
Had Kisame been able to follow Itachi's train of thought, he would have wholeheartedly agreed; functioning without your senses was dangerous, something to be trained and prepared for in the event that the worst possibility might arise. All Kirigakure shinobi were trained in at least basic blind-fighting in the mist, and the more ambitious trained in such thick fog they were both blind and half-deaf or worse. It was generally an exercise in sensing chakra and spatial awareness--not a bad thing for Itachi to have tried his hand at, if either of them had thought of it. Or at least just practicing in their inn rooms.....
Without that insight, though, he's distracted by spotting the pamphlets Itachi's been given. Kisame turns a little to get a better look, raising an eyebrow curiously. What's Itachi doing carrying around reading material? "What're these? I hope you weren't planning on settling in to read without even drying off from your swim....."
Itachi allows the comment on Konoha's winters to pass without response; it is certainly true, and being true, needs no rebuttal. The mild weather is pleasant for inhabitants, and
good for the growth of the forest that protects the village -- the forest which, despite Konoha's milquetoast reputation, is not exactly a safe place to live.
His attention follows Kisame's to the pamphlets, and he offers them over wordlessly; they're slightly damp from his hold, but as far as he can tell (which is not very far at all),
fundamentally undamaged. "The locals have been pressing them on me; I haven't had a chance to look at them yet." Which really means that he hasn't wanted to try, not with
his vision so deeply compromised. Kisame will understand that without him having to say it. Who really wants to be caught squinting at something he holds an inch from his
nose? Not Itachi. It's the sort of thing he'd probably try to hide even from Kisame, out of sheer stubborn pride.
But he trusts Kisame not to make a point about it -- trusts that the partner who has quietly and unobtrusively made room for his decreasing capacity will continue to do so. Trust is a risk in their lives, in their line of work; there is a part of him that wonders when Kisame will turn on him, when the trust he has placed in his partner will become too much, will reach some sort of critical mass of vulnerability that will have Kisame turning on him. It hasn't yet, though -- and with everything done, ended, complete at home, himself dead at Sasuke's hand, he's not sure it really matters anymore. There's a sense of freedom to being done.
"Knowing our luck, they're probably trying to recruit you into Jashinism or something. Let's take a look, here....." Kisame accepts the pamphlets with a flippant comment, carefully casual; even if Itachi had wanted to risk being seen--which he undoubtedly didn't--, this is..... actually quite a lot to sit and read through, especially with such poor vision. It's only natural to make light of the necessity of even reading them to begin with, to take them when they're offered and shake off what stray drops of water he can, to leaf through the small stack and read the titles aloud.
(Trust is always, always a risk. Trust in your comrades gets you betrayed or possibly fatally disappointed. Trust in your superiors means you can be exploited or deceived. Trust in your subordinates means you might not have what you need when and how you need it, relying on them when their skills or luck or character don't merit that kind of faith. Trust in yourself gets you killed like a damn fool, when your arrogance overtakes your talent. He's a fool to trust Itachi, after what the man has done to those he loves most--and Itachi is a fool to trust him, after what he's done to his comrades and countrymen. They make a fine pair of senseless sentimentalists, don't they?
Maybe that's why they work so well together--they clearly don't know any better. Or maybe they know perfectly well how they shouldn't trust each other, but somehow, they still can't help themselves. A little self-awareness is their saving grace, isn't it? That was all that separated comedy from tragedy--figures to be mocked and scorned for their well-deserved suffering, or sympathized with for their noble struggles against the inevitable.)
It's mostly for Itachi's sake, it's true--but also to make sure he's reading them right, as his tone clearly grows increasingly incredulous with each pamphlet he examines. "'Alternatives to human flesh'. 'Who moved my catnip?: Dealing with changes'. 'You ain't nothin' but a hellhound'. 'Go to Hell: Demons and faith'. 'Snipe Hunts'. 'What to expect when you're expecting..... to turn into a monster'. 'I believe I can fly: Tips and tricks to earn your wings'. 'Under the sea: Livin' la vida aqua'. 'So you're becoming a fur-bearing trout'. 'There's hair down there..... and everywhere else'...... Seriously? Is this some kind of joke?" Kisame snorts, looking half-inclined to just toss the whole bundle over his shoulder; he's pretty sure that last one's cover is illustrated with a crude rendition of..... what? A sexy wolf-girl?
Of course Kisame's reading them all aloud for him -- not only is he not calling out Itachi's inability to quickly or easily scan the titles, he's offering the assistance that makes up for it, and making it a completely natural thing, something that won't reveal Itachi's incapacity to anyone within earshot. Effusiveness isn't in Itachi's nature, but he knows Kisame will recognize his quiet gratitude.
Though the gratitude is soon overtaken by the same mixture of disbelief and derisive confusion that Kisame seems to be feeling. "Well, at least they're consistent." Turning into a monster? As much as he'd simply like to mock the notion, the fact that it's so universal -- and that the townfolk were so ardent in pressing these on him -- leads him to believe that they, at least, are genuine in their worry. That doesn't mean it's true (he's inclined to think otherwise, really) but that does mean it isn't meant humorously.
"The people here seem to take themselves more seriously than that," he answers Kisame's question aloud, frowning. "They seem... frightened. Superstition is what it is, of course, and there are many places where strangers are feared." It's the most reasonable answer, really... but something doesn't sit right about it.
Re: hhghghgh what the fuck comment formatting /)_(\
With a man as inexpressive as Itachi, any reaction is a hint at the depth of sentiment that backs it, something rare and valuable to appreciate. It's easy to recognize the gratitude, and the way it's eclipsed by the strangeness of the pamphlets; he's entirely unsurprised. "I suppose you're right..... Fear of outsiders isn't anything new. Old beliefs are hard to shake." Fear of those who are different is old hat, too. Kiri, far more than the soft, sunshine-drenched spring land of Konoha, is a place of suspicion and mistrust, where fear and paranoia are all too common. Those of them with bloodlines had long been considered monsters.
People were always afraid. Maybe they always would be. The Massacres were proof enough of that.
And frankly? He recognized this kind of fear all too well. This was the sort of calm before the storm, from what he understood of it--the middle stage between uneasy wariness and shunning, and the sort of hysterical terror that led to reckless abandon, to such fierce aggression it nearly became suicidal in its own right. After all, at that point, what did it matter? If they had nothing left to lose and only the imminent terror of wondering when they would die, there was no reason not to lash back out at the monsters in their midst. These townsfolk..... Their fears had been confirmed somehow. They were past simple paranoia, but not yet fear-maddened enough or galvanized by a charismatic enough leader to revolt and murder all of them that they could; they still had hope.
Kisame's smile is a thin, grim line, sharp and bright as a kunai's edge, eyes knowing. Even so, there's not even a hint of such old bitterness in his voice as he flips a pamphlet open at random, scanning the contents at a glance. "Still, these are awfully specific for simple superstition. This one has different diagrams of wing types and advice on how to use each." He flips it closed again before Itachi would have the chance to look--so who would blame him for not even trying?--, cracking open another to investigate.
Itachi well remembers hearing about the Water Country's purge of its
bloodlines; it isn't something he has ever inquired deeply about, not to
Kisame -- not with Kisame's obvious diversion from standard human
appearance, and Itachi's own history of obliterating a bloodline. It's a
sensitive topic for both of them. And their partnership has never
encompassed space to dig up old pains and discuss them piece by bloody
piece. It simply isn't their way.
This, though -- he frowns, mulling over the titles, and over Kisame's point
about wings. Obviously there is more to this than superstition, but just
what it is they're pointing toward -- well. He'd like to think that
it's nothing more than particularly detailed fantasy. After all, it's
quite possible for a group of people to dream up highly detailed
superstitions; such a thing has been known before.
"They're focused," he says slowly. "They're prepared. These people were
waiting outside the hospital with these pamphlets, waiting for the people
who were pulled out of the ocean." It leaves him thinking they're serious
-- not to mention the offers of aid, of food, of gifts... but not, he has
noticed, shelter. They don't want strangers under their roofs, for
all they want to feed and clothe and supply them. "I am willing to believe
there is something motivating their certainty." Which is not
necessarily the same thing as thinking they're right, of course. He's not
quite that credulous.
Even if he's inclined to skepticism and cynicism by nature, Kisame believes. He has learned to trust in his gills and use his teeth as a weapon, in his lifetime, and care very little about losing a few in a fight; they're replaced within hours by others, and more grow in as backup within days, after all. Humans only ever get two sets. He's learned that most humans' sense of smell is so poor it's nearly non-existent, that humans only have one set of eyelids, that they never sense air or water currents--let alone electric currents--in terms of anything other than 'none' or 'some' or 'a lot'. They would never be able to orient themselves or navigate with them.
He's learned, too, how to use a shark tail and fins, and the razor-scales that come with them when he fuses with Samehada. He's learned how to taste chakra as much as sense it, with his sword in his hands. He knows what it means to be inhuman, and to transform into something Other, something greater than yourself.
They both know what it means to be a monster, and what is done to monsters..... But Itachi, perhaps mercifully, has never quite literally experienced such things in full. Bloodlines seem to be..... venerated in Konoha, after all, and to gain a new form of sight is worlds different than your whole body changing. They might not talk about such sensitive matters of the past, but then again, do they really need to? Leaving such things unspoken has served them well enough so far, and Kisame sees no need to drag up the past now. That doesn't concern them right now. What concerns them right now, beyond even the looming possibility of transforming into monsters in the future, is the townsfolks' reaction to them and how to navigate them to the best possible advantage.
It seems the best possible option would be to confirm their fear, to take advantage of their hospitality--but in a controlled way. They can be something to be feared, yet also looked to for mercy, for kindness, for protection. Anything dangerous is a double-edged sword, after all--to have it on your side is even better than not having it there at all. So Kisame smiles wider to better reveal the terrible sharp inhumanity of his teeth, straightens up to his full imposing height, shoulders squared and chest out, poised. It's a subtle change, but a profound one--he radiates the danger of someone who knows fully well what he is, and even revels in acting on it.
He is the Monster of the Bloody Mist, and while he may not always like such a menacing title, he's always taken pride in it. "You've got that right. If they're so eager to provide for us, then we can take what they're willing to give--and if they're so anxious to see monsters in every shadow, then we can give them what they expect. That's not a hard role to fill at all."
"No, it isn't." Itachi's response is quiet, subdued. He knows that role, he's lived that role. As much as he may be an ordinary human -- truly ordinary now, without even the Sharingan to distinguish him from the common masses of humanity that crowd this land -- compared to Kisame, the mantle of monster has long grown comfortable and accustomed on his shoulders, earned for the acts he willingly (as much as any choice can be said to be willing) committed. If there was a time for him to grow tired of it, to grow relucant to shoulder it still further -- that time has long since passed.
But he is tired of it. To have it lifted from his shoulders even for the short breath of freedom that was the Edo Tensei -- to have, just for a moment, no obligation to pretend to an unruffled sociopathy -- has given him a taste of something easier, and shouldering again that burden (no matter how fully he deserves it, no matter how inescapably soiled with blood his existence is) leaves him with an obscure ache somewhere in the deep corners of his psyche.
He has, however, no right to complain of it. He is a monster, as far as everyone around him is concerned -- as far as he himself is concerned. It's the simple truth of his existence. A monster is defined by his acts, by what he does and wills himself to be -- and by that measure, Itachi is every bit as much a monster as Kisame.
So he agrees with Kisame, and locks away that flicker of regret. There is no such thing as a fresh start, after all; every person carries the burden of their history, and there is no release from it except death. (And even that release is not absolute; he is once again proof of that.)
There's a pause before he speaks again. "We can't rely on charity. It may be of assistance, but it's unreliable." They'll have to find some form of work -- this doesn't seem like the sort of place where mercenaries are in high demand, and he'll need to gravely reassess his capabilities, but between them, surely they can manage something.
"Ah, we don't need to rely on it. Why would we?" Kisame waves his handful of pamphlets dismissively, spreading his hands wide; as opposed to how Itachi's air has grown subdued and solemn, Kisame's seems to be lighter and more energetic now, an easy confidence bordering on boisterousness. He sounds practically optimistic, in fact, just like he's grown too restless with peaceful traveling and is spoiling for a fight so he can really cut loose--like surrendering the pretense of humanity and all the expectations that come with it is downright liberating. Between the two of them, he has every faith that they can scrape together a comfortable living in a modest town like this one.
Vandere may not need mercenaries, but that didn't preclude town guards or police, if monsters were allowed--and if not? What town didn't have at least one wealthy, powerful family? What elite citizen wouldn't want a pet monster at their beck and call as a bodyguard? All that power and prestige right at their fingertips, to have a creature so terrible obeying them as a master..... And aside from that, even? They don't necessarily need to fight, if it isn't practical. Kisame's not sure what they teach Academy brats and Genin in Konoha, but he's not too proud to work at a trade if need be. Hauling cargo on the docks or in a warehouse, hard manual labor, construction, shipwrighting, weaponsmithing..... His practical skills may be rusty, but he could brush up on them and do just fine.
"Any cushion they give us will just make things a little easier to start, and we can take it from there, no problem. Once we've got a reliable roof over our heads and some money to work with, we can figure things out from there." Like how to get back to the right continent, maybe, or at least contact Leader-sama or Zetsu. Pain should definitely know about one of his most powerful teams going missing, especially if this was anybody's fault in particular to deliberately bring them here.
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graveyardsmash2015-01-18 12:24 am
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More than anything else, it's a grasp at normalcy; everything is uprooted and unstable, they are both weakened severely from their normal state, and Itachi is having to suffer every bit of the vision loss he's been managing to put off through constant use of the Sharingan. It occurs to him, idly, that this would perhaps be easier to manage if he'd actually spent more time without it active as his vision slowly decayed -- if he'd made himself get used to functioning without it, instead of insisting on keeping it up until he was absolutely no longer able. There was no room to show weakness in Akatsuki, but he woul have been less unstable without it now, probably feel less helpless.
But that was past; this is now, and at least he has Kisame with him, so he is not navigating this dark blur alone. Dry, with fresh clothes, and hopefully with some kind of meal, he might even feel prepared to properly get his bearings in this new place, too.
no subject
"Then again, maybe it's just because you lot aren't near enough to the water for it. What a shame; it'd be a good way to toughen up the Academy kids." He muses; after all, they may have rivers and lakes, but the real water, the sort that matters most, will always be the sea. They have enough to ensure they stay temperate, clearly, but..... well, Konoha's in an easy climate, with plenty of fresh water and plenty of land, and gentle, mild seasons. Even the summers don't seem to get too hot there--whereas in Kirigakure? It's easy to get swelteringly hot tropical summers as readily as agonizingly cold winters. You can even go between the extremes, if you're willing to hike a little; the mountains always stay locked in the iron grip of snow and ice. That's where the Yuki clan hails from, after all.
Had Kisame been able to follow Itachi's train of thought, he would have wholeheartedly agreed; functioning without your senses was dangerous, something to be trained and prepared for in the event that the worst possibility might arise. All Kirigakure shinobi were trained in at least basic blind-fighting in the mist, and the more ambitious trained in such thick fog they were both blind and half-deaf or worse. It was generally an exercise in sensing chakra and spatial awareness--not a bad thing for Itachi to have tried his hand at, if either of them had thought of it. Or at least just practicing in their inn rooms.....
Without that insight, though, he's distracted by spotting the pamphlets Itachi's been given. Kisame turns a little to get a better look, raising an eyebrow curiously. What's Itachi doing carrying around reading material? "What're these? I hope you weren't planning on settling in to read without even drying off from your swim....."
no subject
good for the growth of the forest that protects the village -- the forest which, despite Konoha's milquetoast reputation, is not exactly a safe place to live.
His attention follows Kisame's to the pamphlets, and he offers them over wordlessly; they're slightly damp from his hold, but as far as he can tell (which is not very far at all),
fundamentally undamaged. "The locals have been pressing them on me; I haven't had a chance to look at them yet." Which really means that he hasn't wanted to try, not with
his vision so deeply compromised. Kisame will understand that without him having to say it. Who really wants to be caught squinting at something he holds an inch from his
nose? Not Itachi. It's the sort of thing he'd probably try to hide even from Kisame, out of sheer stubborn pride.
But he trusts Kisame not to make a point about it -- trusts that the partner who has quietly and unobtrusively made room for his decreasing capacity will continue to do so. Trust is a risk in their lives, in their line of work; there is a part of him that wonders when Kisame will turn on him, when the trust he has placed in his partner will become too much, will reach some sort of critical mass of vulnerability that will have Kisame turning on him. It hasn't yet, though -- and with everything done, ended, complete at home, himself dead at Sasuke's hand, he's not sure it really matters anymore. There's a sense of freedom to being done.
no subject
(Trust is always, always a risk. Trust in your comrades gets you betrayed or possibly fatally disappointed. Trust in your superiors means you can be exploited or deceived. Trust in your subordinates means you might not have what you need when and how you need it, relying on them when their skills or luck or character don't merit that kind of faith. Trust in yourself gets you killed like a damn fool, when your arrogance overtakes your talent. He's a fool to trust Itachi, after what the man has done to those he loves most--and Itachi is a fool to trust him, after what he's done to his comrades and countrymen. They make a fine pair of senseless sentimentalists, don't they?
Maybe that's why they work so well together--they clearly don't know any better. Or maybe they know perfectly well how they shouldn't trust each other, but somehow, they still can't help themselves. A little self-awareness is their saving grace, isn't it? That was all that separated comedy from tragedy--figures to be mocked and scorned for their well-deserved suffering, or sympathized with for their noble struggles against the inevitable.)
It's mostly for Itachi's sake, it's true--but also to make sure he's reading them right, as his tone clearly grows increasingly incredulous with each pamphlet he examines. "'Alternatives to human flesh'. 'Who moved my catnip?: Dealing with changes'. 'You ain't nothin' but a hellhound'. 'Go to Hell: Demons and faith'. 'Snipe Hunts'. 'What to expect when you're expecting..... to turn into a monster'. 'I believe I can fly: Tips and tricks to earn your wings'. 'Under the sea: Livin' la vida aqua'. 'So you're becoming a fur-bearing trout'. 'There's hair down there..... and everywhere else'...... Seriously? Is this some kind of joke?" Kisame snorts, looking half-inclined to just toss the whole bundle over his shoulder; he's pretty sure that last one's cover is illustrated with a crude rendition of..... what? A sexy wolf-girl?
hhghghgh what the fuck comment formatting /)_(\
Though the gratitude is soon overtaken by the same mixture of disbelief and derisive confusion that Kisame seems to be feeling. "Well, at least they're consistent." Turning into a monster? As much as he'd simply like to mock the notion, the fact that it's so universal -- and that the townfolk were so ardent in pressing these on him -- leads him to believe that they, at least, are genuine in their worry. That doesn't mean it's true (he's inclined to think otherwise, really) but that does mean it isn't meant humorously.
"The people here seem to take themselves more seriously than that," he answers Kisame's question aloud, frowning. "They seem... frightened. Superstition is what it is, of course, and there are many places where strangers are feared." It's the most reasonable answer, really... but something doesn't sit right about it.
Re: hhghghgh what the fuck comment formatting /)_(\
People were always afraid. Maybe they always would be. The Massacres were proof enough of that.
And frankly? He recognized this kind of fear all too well. This was the sort of calm before the storm, from what he understood of it--the middle stage between uneasy wariness and shunning, and the sort of hysterical terror that led to reckless abandon, to such fierce aggression it nearly became suicidal in its own right. After all, at that point, what did it matter? If they had nothing left to lose and only the imminent terror of wondering when they would die, there was no reason not to lash back out at the monsters in their midst. These townsfolk..... Their fears had been confirmed somehow. They were past simple paranoia, but not yet fear-maddened enough or galvanized by a charismatic enough leader to revolt and murder all of them that they could; they still had hope.
Kisame's smile is a thin, grim line, sharp and bright as a kunai's edge, eyes knowing. Even so, there's not even a hint of such old bitterness in his voice as he flips a pamphlet open at random, scanning the contents at a glance. "Still, these are awfully specific for simple superstition. This one has different diagrams of wing types and advice on how to use each." He flips it closed again before Itachi would have the chance to look--so who would blame him for not even trying?--, cracking open another to investigate.
no subject
Itachi well remembers hearing about the Water Country's purge of its bloodlines; it isn't something he has ever inquired deeply about, not to Kisame -- not with Kisame's obvious diversion from standard human appearance, and Itachi's own history of obliterating a bloodline. It's a sensitive topic for both of them. And their partnership has never encompassed space to dig up old pains and discuss them piece by bloody piece. It simply isn't their way.
This, though -- he frowns, mulling over the titles, and over Kisame's point about wings. Obviously there is more to this than superstition, but just what it is they're pointing toward -- well. He'd like to think that it's nothing more than particularly detailed fantasy. After all, it's quite possible for a group of people to dream up highly detailed superstitions; such a thing has been known before.
"They're focused," he says slowly. "They're prepared. These people were waiting outside the hospital with these pamphlets, waiting for the people who were pulled out of the ocean." It leaves him thinking they're serious -- not to mention the offers of aid, of food, of gifts... but not, he has noticed, shelter. They don't want strangers under their roofs, for all they want to feed and clothe and supply them. "I am willing to believe there is something motivating their certainty." Which is not necessarily the same thing as thinking they're right, of course. He's not quite that credulous.
no subject
Even if he's inclined to skepticism and cynicism by nature, Kisame believes. He has learned to trust in his gills and use his teeth as a weapon, in his lifetime, and care very little about losing a few in a fight; they're replaced within hours by others, and more grow in as backup within days, after all. Humans only ever get two sets. He's learned that most humans' sense of smell is so poor it's nearly non-existent, that humans only have one set of eyelids, that they never sense air or water currents--let alone electric currents--in terms of anything other than 'none' or 'some' or 'a lot'. They would never be able to orient themselves or navigate with them.
He's learned, too, how to use a shark tail and fins, and the razor-scales that come with them when he fuses with Samehada. He's learned how to taste chakra as much as sense it, with his sword in his hands. He knows what it means to be inhuman, and to transform into something Other, something greater than yourself.
They both know what it means to be a monster, and what is done to monsters..... But Itachi, perhaps mercifully, has never quite literally experienced such things in full. Bloodlines seem to be..... venerated in Konoha, after all, and to gain a new form of sight is worlds different than your whole body changing. They might not talk about such sensitive matters of the past, but then again, do they really need to? Leaving such things unspoken has served them well enough so far, and Kisame sees no need to drag up the past now. That doesn't concern them right now. What concerns them right now, beyond even the looming possibility of transforming into monsters in the future, is the townsfolks' reaction to them and how to navigate them to the best possible advantage.
It seems the best possible option would be to confirm their fear, to take advantage of their hospitality--but in a controlled way. They can be something to be feared, yet also looked to for mercy, for kindness, for protection. Anything dangerous is a double-edged sword, after all--to have it on your side is even better than not having it there at all. So Kisame smiles wider to better reveal the terrible sharp inhumanity of his teeth, straightens up to his full imposing height, shoulders squared and chest out, poised. It's a subtle change, but a profound one--he radiates the danger of someone who knows fully well what he is, and even revels in acting on it.
He is the Monster of the Bloody Mist, and while he may not always like such a menacing title, he's always taken pride in it. "You've got that right. If they're so eager to provide for us, then we can take what they're willing to give--and if they're so anxious to see monsters in every shadow, then we can give them what they expect. That's not a hard role to fill at all."
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But he is tired of it. To have it lifted from his shoulders even for the short breath of freedom that was the Edo Tensei -- to have, just for a moment, no obligation to pretend to an unruffled sociopathy -- has given him a taste of something easier, and shouldering again that burden (no matter how fully he deserves it, no matter how inescapably soiled with blood his existence is) leaves him with an obscure ache somewhere in the deep corners of his psyche.
He has, however, no right to complain of it. He is a monster, as far as everyone around him is concerned -- as far as he himself is concerned. It's the simple truth of his existence. A monster is defined by his acts, by what he does and wills himself to be -- and by that measure, Itachi is every bit as much a monster as Kisame.
So he agrees with Kisame, and locks away that flicker of regret. There is no such thing as a fresh start, after all; every person carries the burden of their history, and there is no release from it except death. (And even that release is not absolute; he is once again proof of that.)
There's a pause before he speaks again. "We can't rely on charity. It may be of assistance, but it's unreliable." They'll have to find some form of work -- this doesn't seem like the sort of place where mercenaries are in high demand, and he'll need to gravely reassess his capabilities, but between them, surely they can manage something.
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Vandere may not need mercenaries, but that didn't preclude town guards or police, if monsters were allowed--and if not? What town didn't have at least one wealthy, powerful family? What elite citizen wouldn't want a pet monster at their beck and call as a bodyguard? All that power and prestige right at their fingertips, to have a creature so terrible obeying them as a master..... And aside from that, even? They don't necessarily need to fight, if it isn't practical. Kisame's not sure what they teach Academy brats and Genin in Konoha, but he's not too proud to work at a trade if need be. Hauling cargo on the docks or in a warehouse, hard manual labor, construction, shipwrighting, weaponsmithing..... His practical skills may be rusty, but he could brush up on them and do just fine.
"Any cushion they give us will just make things a little easier to start, and we can take it from there, no problem. Once we've got a reliable roof over our heads and some money to work with, we can figure things out from there." Like how to get back to the right continent, maybe, or at least contact Leader-sama or Zetsu. Pain should definitely know about one of his most powerful teams going missing, especially if this was anybody's fault in particular to deliberately bring them here.