02-10-2016, 02:03 PM
Ururu was loath to do what she had done, which was turn away from a potential historical find. But something in her gut told her that the city was dangerous. Or maybe the feeling she was being watched. Either way the rumbling from that east didn’t help her paranoia either. It was too localized in feeling and too violent. Not like a real earthquake, those she was used to. Even in her day she could make those.
This had the feeling like everything else, oppressively false.
Exploring the various buildings on the outskirts of the city hadn’t yielded anything of note to the mission other than a feeling of something otherworldly. Before she left though there was one place she had her eye on for a while now coming back. What she could was that it had been a ranch and the grasslands area around her certainly would have made it a profitable venture. The proximity to the coast would meant the sea water would be filtered enough to keep the grass, especially if adapted for such, from ever growing dry.
“Profitable indeed”, Ururu said in a low tone even as her footsteps drowned out her words.
As the sun dipped into the horizon Ururu approached the manor. Here was where she had high hopes, nobility had access to books and other resources, and given what she had seen this was a preindustrial society such things would be an extreme rarity to those outside the well-endowed.
Unusually the building looked well maintained; a strong stone foundation (granite maybe) with marble inlays and a stained wood that she didn’t recognize, its design seemed more modern though the accents were completely foreign like everything else. The closest she could put it was possibly similar (and even that was a stretch) Iwagakure, though those had been old pictures from before the peace had been broken.
As with everything else there was no sign of human habitation in recent years, even here nature was taking its vengeance out on humanity’s laughable attempts at taming it. That left her no compunctions about invading the domicile through the front door without even so much a knock or proper announcement/apology of her presence. The collected clay dust on what she guessed was the front porch or the equivalent such was the first major give away that no one had gone through it in some time.
With little effort she mounted the entry way and pushed passed the threshold. The door resisted for a short moment before she could feel whatever timber crossbeam blocking her give way from its rotted out state. Experience being what it was that feel was definitely an old hard wood of some kind. It was the smell that brought back memories, musk of mold and minor decay, not strong. Otherwise it wouldn’t have boded well for her search for tomes of any kind.
Ururu entered with barely a rustle of her duster, the floor boards making more sound than it. But what interested her most was the sights. Light barely streamed in though her eyes were trained against such. Humans were visual beings and these frescos on the inner walls definitely had a dated look but in some ways surpassed her own world. This was of a people who had developed a culture with an appreciate of the arts.
A brief smile lit her face. At the very least her abduction could secure her and Hikaru some reading materials.
Hikaru…
Ururu’s eyes watered and any joy of exploration evaporated instantly. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t explore but she had to keep her eye on what was the matter of the entire operation.
Not bothering to linger, she moved on from what looked to be the lounge. Her head darting in each of the rooms while her mind recorded everything it could, a skill that every ninja needed but few ever mastered. Rooms passed by her sight at a pace, the large building showing various states of disrepair, what appeared to be house’s heirs room yielded what she had come here for.
In short order she found what she was looking for. A leather pack, dusty but functional even if it was slightly larger than someone her size should have been able to use. It had a militaristic feel to it with markings on the side that seemed to denote a rank of some sort? But more importantly it had space and a bedroll at the bottom.
Perfect.
With that settled Ururu moved on to a more important task. Knowledge. The master study, every building of this size and notable wealth had one. The frescos were much like the wall scrolls her people used to display artwork. Unfortunate in this case that they couldn’t be removed, as they were painted directly onto the wall.
Three more rooms were searched quickly and abandoned, a younger child’s room. Mostly toys. A servant’s room followed it, wet nurse maybe which went with the nursery she had found subsequently. Nothing. The fourth however was what she had come here for.
Maps of every sort were suddenly blazing into view on the far war. Below them a scribe’s desk which had a layer of dust nearly an inch thick. What was on either side of it was what she was looking for. Books. Some thick, some thin, all covered in leather, but better yet was the smell. The crisp taste of stale dry air as the last rays of light cut in as evening fell on the island.
This room had been positioned here specifically to take advantage of that fact. The heat keeping water at bay and allowing ink to dry faster, while simultaneously hiding the books from direct exposure due to carefully prepared angles in the room’s layout. Brilliant Ururu though wryly that her hopes would be pinned on a house design by a kindred spirit.
However she was out of time, she didn’t know this island or its ecology, what came out a night or anything else. Worse was she couldn’t call it a night either. Time was of the essence. Rushing a discovery of this magnitude was… sacrilegious… but if she didn’t do it now, who would and what might she lose.
With a hurried eye, Ururu began moving and sometimes leaping between sections of each bookcase grabbing any book that looked particularly notable or of an interesting subject and shoving it as gently as she could into the pack she wore. Sage help her that something might help her know about future threats she faced or how to save her family. It was only by his Grace and that Balance that she could even understand the words written here.
Just as she was about to leave, laden by books though she was, she stopped by the wall of maps and stole what looked to be a world map. Though none appeared to of the island, with any luck this would lend context to her cache.
And with that Ururu fled, heading back the way she came and out the door just as darkness became the ruler of her life.
This had the feeling like everything else, oppressively false.
Exploring the various buildings on the outskirts of the city hadn’t yielded anything of note to the mission other than a feeling of something otherworldly. Before she left though there was one place she had her eye on for a while now coming back. What she could was that it had been a ranch and the grasslands area around her certainly would have made it a profitable venture. The proximity to the coast would meant the sea water would be filtered enough to keep the grass, especially if adapted for such, from ever growing dry.
“Profitable indeed”, Ururu said in a low tone even as her footsteps drowned out her words.
As the sun dipped into the horizon Ururu approached the manor. Here was where she had high hopes, nobility had access to books and other resources, and given what she had seen this was a preindustrial society such things would be an extreme rarity to those outside the well-endowed.
Unusually the building looked well maintained; a strong stone foundation (granite maybe) with marble inlays and a stained wood that she didn’t recognize, its design seemed more modern though the accents were completely foreign like everything else. The closest she could put it was possibly similar (and even that was a stretch) Iwagakure, though those had been old pictures from before the peace had been broken.
As with everything else there was no sign of human habitation in recent years, even here nature was taking its vengeance out on humanity’s laughable attempts at taming it. That left her no compunctions about invading the domicile through the front door without even so much a knock or proper announcement/apology of her presence. The collected clay dust on what she guessed was the front porch or the equivalent such was the first major give away that no one had gone through it in some time.
With little effort she mounted the entry way and pushed passed the threshold. The door resisted for a short moment before she could feel whatever timber crossbeam blocking her give way from its rotted out state. Experience being what it was that feel was definitely an old hard wood of some kind. It was the smell that brought back memories, musk of mold and minor decay, not strong. Otherwise it wouldn’t have boded well for her search for tomes of any kind.
Ururu entered with barely a rustle of her duster, the floor boards making more sound than it. But what interested her most was the sights. Light barely streamed in though her eyes were trained against such. Humans were visual beings and these frescos on the inner walls definitely had a dated look but in some ways surpassed her own world. This was of a people who had developed a culture with an appreciate of the arts.
A brief smile lit her face. At the very least her abduction could secure her and Hikaru some reading materials.
Hikaru…
Ururu’s eyes watered and any joy of exploration evaporated instantly. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t explore but she had to keep her eye on what was the matter of the entire operation.
Not bothering to linger, she moved on from what looked to be the lounge. Her head darting in each of the rooms while her mind recorded everything it could, a skill that every ninja needed but few ever mastered. Rooms passed by her sight at a pace, the large building showing various states of disrepair, what appeared to be house’s heirs room yielded what she had come here for.
In short order she found what she was looking for. A leather pack, dusty but functional even if it was slightly larger than someone her size should have been able to use. It had a militaristic feel to it with markings on the side that seemed to denote a rank of some sort? But more importantly it had space and a bedroll at the bottom.
Perfect.
With that settled Ururu moved on to a more important task. Knowledge. The master study, every building of this size and notable wealth had one. The frescos were much like the wall scrolls her people used to display artwork. Unfortunate in this case that they couldn’t be removed, as they were painted directly onto the wall.
Three more rooms were searched quickly and abandoned, a younger child’s room. Mostly toys. A servant’s room followed it, wet nurse maybe which went with the nursery she had found subsequently. Nothing. The fourth however was what she had come here for.
Maps of every sort were suddenly blazing into view on the far war. Below them a scribe’s desk which had a layer of dust nearly an inch thick. What was on either side of it was what she was looking for. Books. Some thick, some thin, all covered in leather, but better yet was the smell. The crisp taste of stale dry air as the last rays of light cut in as evening fell on the island.
This room had been positioned here specifically to take advantage of that fact. The heat keeping water at bay and allowing ink to dry faster, while simultaneously hiding the books from direct exposure due to carefully prepared angles in the room’s layout. Brilliant Ururu though wryly that her hopes would be pinned on a house design by a kindred spirit.
However she was out of time, she didn’t know this island or its ecology, what came out a night or anything else. Worse was she couldn’t call it a night either. Time was of the essence. Rushing a discovery of this magnitude was… sacrilegious… but if she didn’t do it now, who would and what might she lose.
With a hurried eye, Ururu began moving and sometimes leaping between sections of each bookcase grabbing any book that looked particularly notable or of an interesting subject and shoving it as gently as she could into the pack she wore. Sage help her that something might help her know about future threats she faced or how to save her family. It was only by his Grace and that Balance that she could even understand the words written here.
Just as she was about to leave, laden by books though she was, she stopped by the wall of maps and stole what looked to be a world map. Though none appeared to of the island, with any luck this would lend context to her cache.
And with that Ururu fled, heading back the way she came and out the door just as darkness became the ruler of her life.