Something Lost, Something Gained [Sagi/Open]

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

What a desolate place this is. Swirling sands, carried by the gusts of wind sometimes strong enough to want to knock Fujishima Shigenobu to the ground, stung eyes and skin alike as the man trudged ever further northward. Almost two months on that cursed island and he had literally nothing to show for it aside from some rather strange tan lines and a collection of seagull skulls that bordered on the psychotic. He had kept his first skull, the devil-bird he had come to refer to as Four Beak, but aside from that small item nothing now remained of his time on the island save his bandolier and the throwing knife that had kept him alive those long weeks. The sailors who had finally rescued him and the villagers of the villager where he had been dropped off had been far kinder than Shigenobu had had any reason to expect, and given that he literally came to them with not even the shirt on his back, far be it for him to have said anything other than thank you whenever something had been handed his way. 

So he now had a mish-mash of several different clothing styles and he had to say, it actually didn't look half bad. That it was his body filling them out certainly didn't hurt, but he could honestly get used to the style. The nice, wide-brimmed hat with the sharp downward curve at the rim was particularly attractive, if perhaps a bit garish of color. He figured he would definitely keep that one. Some of the other garb would need to replaced as soon as possible, of course, but it would do until he returned to the north. Hopefully. 

His thoughts were interrupted as he rounded a bend in the road that brought him to a rather large village. Finally, a place to stop and get some water! He had been walking for at least an hour and a half since he had last even seen another person, let alone an entire settlement of them. Quickening his pace a bit, he hurried on to enter the village.

[Shinrai Sagi]

Sagi was on his way back to Omi after having traveled to Bingo to assassinate a man who could prove troublesome to the Azai. He would have been home sooner if the courtesan had not requested he stay, but the travel didn't bother him too much. The heat was something he could overcome given he had control over the majority of the elements themselves.

Taking the road through Hoki, it was inevitable that Sagi would find himself in the sands of Gassantoda. During his time there, he would have discovered a small village, and made his way through it to observe how those in the Amako territories were living. This particular village, it seemed, was going through a drought. Normally, Sagi would not have cared, though these people were just like him: poor, downtrodden. He would help them, if only this once.

"You people have been without water long enough," he spoke, pulling out his staff of the Earth. Pointing it at the ground, sands themselves would split apart, forming a well. Taking another staff in his hand, he would create ice from the top to the bottom, with a small hole in the center. This hole would be serve to turn the ice to water - as he had no water staff -and he took his fire staff, shooting a pillar of flame up from the hole and into the sky. All of the ice melted, providing the people of the village with cool water.

Sagi would repeat this process about three times, insuring the people had enough to live off of without him needing to come back any time soon. The last well he formed would be directly in front of the man with the hat. The Shiroyasha turned to him, a small smile on his face.

"Seems you've arrived just in time to quench your thirst."

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

Outwardly, Fujishima Shigenobu's reaction to the rather impressive displays was for his face to grow slack, lips parting slightly, and his eyes to widen into roughly saucer shapes, and he stopped in his tracks to watch the events unfold. Inwardly, he wanted nothing more than to control power such as this, and was furiously thinking about where it could be found. And then the strange boy with the white hair repeated his ritual before Shige himself. The blast from the flames was like a hammer blow, throwing sand in every direction and buffeting Shige's clothing. Thankfully, he at least had the foresight to close his mouth and lower his head so that the brim of the hat deflected most of it. 

When he heard the boy's voice, he raised his head and three blue eyes met. Whoa, that's weird. Shige could only imagine how this kid would've been treated in his home village. Even better than he had been, that would be for certain. Shige was the first to move, nodding in what would probably be interpreted as respect toward the elementalist. 

So it would seem. You have my.... thanks. Who are you, to command such awesome power? 

Well, that was forward. Shige brought some water up from the well and tasted it while the other spoke. Now that was refreshing.

[Shinrai Sagi]

The man seemed rather blunt, and if Sagi cared at all he would not have responded. Though, he would maintain an image of kindness to these people, even if he knew nothing about them. Forming a small chunk of ice in the air, Sagi would grab it and take a bite of it.

"Chiba Kanji, at your service." He'd given a different name to every person he'd met since he left Omi, to play things safe. He didn't want anyone finding out about his ties to the Azai, especially when he had no clue what anyone was capable of. "Though I assure you, this is not much."

Sagi smiled, seeing the effect this had on the people. They were evidently very thirsty, and in a desert such as this their chances of finding any water at all were minimal. It was a good thing he'd recently found these staffs.

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

Chiba Kanji. Shigenobu smiled at the fake name and bowed his head in greeting. Well met indeed, Chiba Kanji. I am the Fujishima Shigenobu. You may have heard of me. He was, after all, kind of a big deal. His gaze followed that of the younger man around the village, where men were lining up to grab buckets of the new water. Shige wondered idly where they found water when random strangers did not bend nature's will to their own.

So you seem to not be from around here. Do you always wander the land performing what most would consider miracles? Rather nice of you, if you don't mind my saying so. Not many in your position would do the same. It seemed clear from the words and the motions that Shige was assuming this Kanji fellow was a member of the upper classes. His clothes were entirely too nice.

[Shinrai Sagi]

Sagi blinked at the man's introduction, that smile never leaving his face. It seems he saw himself how others saw Lord Nagamasa, or even that Imagawa bastard. But then, not once had Sagi ever heard this man's name - either of them, on any occasion - so... that would be a little disappointing for the man's ego, maybe. So he just rolled with "... Of course."

"Kanji" cocked a brow at the man's inquiry and statement, not entirely sure what made him assume he had any "position." Though, maybe that was his mistake, for using a name as notable as Chiba. Were he with Sakkaku, it was likely the two would have taken offense and left this man in a stone coffin. Sagi held his anger, however.

"What does it say about our land if acts of kindness are considered "miracles," eh?" the man laughed for a moment. "Do not be confused, I have no "position" that would keep me from helping those in need. I am a traveler, and so far my travels have taken me... here." The man shrugged. "I assume you're not from around these parts either."

Sagi eyed that hat.

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

Shigenobu raised the eyebrow over his blue eye quizzically. That's not entirely what he had meant.... Even among the eldest priests of his village, none could command such magic. But if this was commonplace where this man was from, then maybe Shigenobu could eventually learn something akin to it. Wouldn't that be exciting?

I would say that means that the people in charge aren't doing their jobs properly and seeing that the people that rely on them are provided for. But that may just be me.

Just a wanderer, eh? Itinerant monk or somesuch, he supposed. There was more to this man that there seemed, of that Shigenobu was beyond certain. What it was, however, he could not quite put a finger on. How terribly interesting. At the man's next pair of statements, Shigenobu paused for half a moment, a hand to his chin in thought. He saw no real reason to hide himself from anyone, let alone this flame-wielding though surprisingly well-dressed vagabond.

Ah, a traveler, yes. You could also say the same of myself, after a fashion. I was recently.... unavoidably detained just off the coast for a time, and am making my way back to where I came from, which is the Joetsu region. I guess you could say that will teach me to trust northern sailors.