Finally. Now let's get this party started.
Characters: Deidara, Sasori
Setting [time/place]: Sometime during the first night of the festival
Brief summary: Getting into the village was easy. Finding a hotel? (Snort)
Rating: PG
It had been two days' travel to Konohagakure, and by the time Deidara arrived with his partner, it was with a thinly restrained desire to see something go up in flames. The stern walls of the Leaf Village calmed him somewhat, or more accurately, his mental picture of their destruction. The pride of the Fire Country would burn.
The festival lights shown bright in the early evening, and as planned, they would use the festival as their excuse to enter the usually high-security compound. Deidara reached a hand into the pouch at his side and removed a clay bird mask, which he affixed over his face comfortably, and turned glanced at his partner through the eye holes.
"Shall we proceed, un?"
From inside his disguise--a burly, blonde puppet he'd hollowed out and revamped so the face had looked more mask-like for the occasion--Sasori moved his fingers slightly out of habit, causing the puppet's arms to wrap the scratchy new cloak tighter around the wooden shoulders.
He didn't answer Deidara at first, instead glancing at the sturdy walls surrounding their destination. Being the snappish, irritable, impatient person he was, it had been a slight relief to see the flashing lights shoot through the sky to assure him of their arrival. He had been to Konoha only twice before, both experiences being uneventful, and Sasori found himself looking forward to this.
Finally, he turned to his partner, regarding him only somewhat before answering with a curt, "Let's go."
Deidara responded immediately to his partner's assent, slipping out of his cloak, stuffing it away, and striding forward eagerly, straight up the road. It went against all of his ninja training to walk directly up a path to a door that was not his own (and even then, one could never be too careful) but he knew that an innocent party-seeker would have no need to conceal his movements. So he stayed in the open, concealed all weapons, and hailed the guards cheerily before checking to see if Sasori was at his side.
"Hello, there!" he called, "Beautiful evening, isn't it! I could see the festival lights all the way from the woods." The guards responded customarily, if not a bit lightly in spirit of the festival, asking their names and origin. Deidara decided to let his partner answer those ones. He was better at those things.
Sasori almost rolled his eyes at Deidara's cheeriness. Even now, when everything was crucial, it seemed to be ever-present.
At his partner's greeting, the guards turned on him, their expressions light and easy-going, but their eyes seemed tense and wary. A simple twitch of his fingers, and the empty shell around him let out a bright smile to rival his partner's. Almost immediately, the guards asked--demanded, more like--what their names were, and where they had come from.
Sasori knew that the blonde would leave the answering to him, and he quickly formed the answers in his head, going over them quickly before offering an answer.
"We are Sakamoto Eiji--" here, he moved his puppet's arm to gesture to himself. "And Yuusuke. We were born in Konohagakure no Sato, but after our parents died, we moved to Kumogakure." Again, he made the husk's lips twitch upward into an almost deterring smile. "We've come for the festival." If any other person had attempted speaking as he had, there would have been a dull echo, giving away the hollowness of the doll, but Sasori was a master of many trades, and threw his voice successfully enough to allow them passage into the village.
Deidara smirked at his partner's smooth answer, gave another friendly wave at the guards, and passed through the gates as they were opened, keeping up his jaunty demeanor once inside the walls. The atmosphere hit him full on. The lights, the noise, the smells, a shock ran through him. The energy...so much of it. He quivered lightly and his smile became genuine. He had the ability to increase that energy so mcuh, redirect it and heighten it to the fury of panic. To keep himself in check, he turned his attention to his partner, though his hands twitched.
"This seems to be quite the place, danna," he said, though it was still an understatement. He could not help but share his opinions with his partner, though "The energy here is art, un. It is going everywhere at once, but it can be solidified into a single emotion, one single masterpiece" he did not dampen his smile, visible with his mask's design, talking blatantly of his plans for this festival, but then he turned serious. "We can wander later, un, but we should find a place to stay, first." His eyes swept the streets, lined with all sorts of activities and stands. This might be easier said than done.
Sasori took a quick glance around as Deidara spoke, grimacing at the sights. He didn't know what was so fantastic about it all--the lights were bright and harsh, as loud in sight as the music and chatter around them was in sound. The extreme...giddines of it all grated slightly, and Sasori found himself wishing that they could find the Kyuubi and get this all over with.
"We can wander later, un, but we should find a place to stay, first."
At this, he grunted, moving forward and weaving around the many people. It was possible he'd bumped into a few people as he walked, but he ignored the surroundings as best he could, heading to the nearest "Vacancy" sign. Unfortunately, every inn they passed seemed full, and he was getting irritated with the lack of accomadations. Granted, he would never use them, but not supplying a place to stay while visitors flocked to the square was downright rude.
Deidara trailed along behind Sasori, glancing left and right, only half-focused on their current mission. It was some time before he was able to spot, past Sasori's shoulder, an inn that looked promising.
"How about there?!" he shouted to be heard over the crowd, and next pushed past his partner to lead the way, rather than attempt to communicate its location. He fought his way through the crowded lobby, and found upon inquiring at the front desk that the inn indeed did have rooms still left to fill. He was told that he was lucky he was here close to the beginning of the week, or else there usually no inns in all of the town to spare a room. The weather was nice enough, and the night life active enough, that it usually wasn't a problem. Deidara didn't care, he needed the room as a base of operations, and was more than thankful when he was handed the keys. He motioned to his partner to follow him.
Deidara having suddenly taken command, attempting to lead him to their goal caught Sasori rather off guard. But, being forced to follow, he trailed behind begrudgingly, scowling and keeping silent, even as they ascended the stairs into the room his partner had coerced from the inn-keeper.
The room itself was small, but homely and well-kept, and the instant the two had set foot inside, the puppet-master moved slightly, pushing his arms above him to pop the head off of his doll. His disguise of choice being one of the larger marionettes in his collection, and he huimself being of light stature, Sasori had no trouble slipping out of the stifling cage through the wooden neck.
He resisted the urge to grimace at the puppet as it crumpled to the floor after he had exited it, but made no moves to pick it up, instead moving quickly across the floor to seat himself upon one of the beds, looking for all the world as though he would not move from that spot unless there was a slight hope for bloodshed.
Deidara took a sweep of the room, humming to himself good-naturedly (he was caught up in the artistic flow of the festival atmosphere) as he peered into corners, drawers, cabinets, and the like. He ignored what would have been the disturbing image of his partner removing his head, had he not gotten used to it long ago, and peeked curiously into the shower at the complimentary soaps before returning to the room to find Sasori sitting on the bed.
Deidara seated himself cross-legged across from his partner on the companion bed, tossed off the mask that he had forgotten to remove upon his entry to the room, and let his one cunning eye fixate on his partner's. "This room is perfectly defensible and faces the street for both good observation and cover. Our arrival was not anticipated and there are no traps anywhere. I would say, un, that this first step went perfectly," He didn't hide his pleased grin, which quickly turned sadistic, out of habit.
"So what's next, danna…un?"
Sasori had hoped that Deidara would have taken the hint that the puppet master was in no mood for conversation, let alone of the good-natured sort. He really had, but knowing the blonde, there would, of course, be little to no privacy. The excitement practically seeped from the Iwa-nin, and an excited Deidara was an intolerable Deidara, at least to Sasori.
He let out an aggravated sigh, moving to recline on the bed by placing his hands behind his head. "I don't know what's next," he said, slightly snappish as he locked his eyes on the ceiling. "Why don't you scout the area while we wait for Itachi and Kisame to get here?" It wasn't a question, and it wasn't a request.
Deidara scowled slightly at the tone in which Sasori gave his order, but shrugged it off. His partner was always like that, and while the childish part of him hated to let the puppet master win, he couldn't say that he had not been planning on going back outside anyway. He stood and walked to the doorway. Itachi and Kisame probably were holed up in their respective location for the meanwhile, and his chances of running into them were slim, until they wanted to be found.
"Do you want anything while I'm out, danna?" He tossed a sly grin his partner's way "A few new bodies…un? Food? Some new thing to fiddle with while you are sitting here in the gloom, oh dark one?"
He paused, and looked over his shoulder, clearly waiting for an answer.
Sasori didn't know why Deidara had asked if he'd wanted anything. Considering that it was he the question was directed at, it was a rather loaded inquiry. Still, the only thing the puppet-master was in the mood for was solitude, and at the moment, he certainly was not getting any. This made Sasori a very unhappy person.
With a sigh more aggravated than he's given in many years, he sat up and turned to face the blonde, giving him a pointed grimace. "Deidara," he started snappishly. "We have been travelling for three days. I may not rest, but peace of mind is all I'm asking for before I gut you." With this, he closed his eyes and swirled back around to lay on the bed, once again tucking his hands beneath his head and ignoring whatever his partner chose to do.
Deidara only gave an amused snort at the threat, far too used to it to take it more than half seriously. Though on the other half he did know that failure to leave Sasori alone might actually result in physical harm. Oy. So he moved himself effectively out the door, with just a simple wave of his hand in parting, "Fair enough, danna, un. Catch ya later."
Deidara stepped into the hall, gave a quick glance either way out of habit, and strode off toward the stairs, blood racing excitedly. He had a festival to scope and some destruction to plan.
Setting [time/place]: Sometime during the first night of the festival
Brief summary: Getting into the village was easy. Finding a hotel? (Snort)
Rating: PG
It had been two days' travel to Konohagakure, and by the time Deidara arrived with his partner, it was with a thinly restrained desire to see something go up in flames. The stern walls of the Leaf Village calmed him somewhat, or more accurately, his mental picture of their destruction. The pride of the Fire Country would burn.
The festival lights shown bright in the early evening, and as planned, they would use the festival as their excuse to enter the usually high-security compound. Deidara reached a hand into the pouch at his side and removed a clay bird mask, which he affixed over his face comfortably, and turned glanced at his partner through the eye holes.
"Shall we proceed, un?"
From inside his disguise--a burly, blonde puppet he'd hollowed out and revamped so the face had looked more mask-like for the occasion--Sasori moved his fingers slightly out of habit, causing the puppet's arms to wrap the scratchy new cloak tighter around the wooden shoulders.
He didn't answer Deidara at first, instead glancing at the sturdy walls surrounding their destination. Being the snappish, irritable, impatient person he was, it had been a slight relief to see the flashing lights shoot through the sky to assure him of their arrival. He had been to Konoha only twice before, both experiences being uneventful, and Sasori found himself looking forward to this.
Finally, he turned to his partner, regarding him only somewhat before answering with a curt, "Let's go."
Deidara responded immediately to his partner's assent, slipping out of his cloak, stuffing it away, and striding forward eagerly, straight up the road. It went against all of his ninja training to walk directly up a path to a door that was not his own (and even then, one could never be too careful) but he knew that an innocent party-seeker would have no need to conceal his movements. So he stayed in the open, concealed all weapons, and hailed the guards cheerily before checking to see if Sasori was at his side.
"Hello, there!" he called, "Beautiful evening, isn't it! I could see the festival lights all the way from the woods." The guards responded customarily, if not a bit lightly in spirit of the festival, asking their names and origin. Deidara decided to let his partner answer those ones. He was better at those things.
Sasori almost rolled his eyes at Deidara's cheeriness. Even now, when everything was crucial, it seemed to be ever-present.
At his partner's greeting, the guards turned on him, their expressions light and easy-going, but their eyes seemed tense and wary. A simple twitch of his fingers, and the empty shell around him let out a bright smile to rival his partner's. Almost immediately, the guards asked--demanded, more like--what their names were, and where they had come from.
Sasori knew that the blonde would leave the answering to him, and he quickly formed the answers in his head, going over them quickly before offering an answer.
"We are Sakamoto Eiji--" here, he moved his puppet's arm to gesture to himself. "And Yuusuke. We were born in Konohagakure no Sato, but after our parents died, we moved to Kumogakure." Again, he made the husk's lips twitch upward into an almost deterring smile. "We've come for the festival." If any other person had attempted speaking as he had, there would have been a dull echo, giving away the hollowness of the doll, but Sasori was a master of many trades, and threw his voice successfully enough to allow them passage into the village.
Deidara smirked at his partner's smooth answer, gave another friendly wave at the guards, and passed through the gates as they were opened, keeping up his jaunty demeanor once inside the walls. The atmosphere hit him full on. The lights, the noise, the smells, a shock ran through him. The energy...so much of it. He quivered lightly and his smile became genuine. He had the ability to increase that energy so mcuh, redirect it and heighten it to the fury of panic. To keep himself in check, he turned his attention to his partner, though his hands twitched.
"This seems to be quite the place, danna," he said, though it was still an understatement. He could not help but share his opinions with his partner, though "The energy here is art, un. It is going everywhere at once, but it can be solidified into a single emotion, one single masterpiece" he did not dampen his smile, visible with his mask's design, talking blatantly of his plans for this festival, but then he turned serious. "We can wander later, un, but we should find a place to stay, first." His eyes swept the streets, lined with all sorts of activities and stands. This might be easier said than done.
Sasori took a quick glance around as Deidara spoke, grimacing at the sights. He didn't know what was so fantastic about it all--the lights were bright and harsh, as loud in sight as the music and chatter around them was in sound. The extreme...giddines of it all grated slightly, and Sasori found himself wishing that they could find the Kyuubi and get this all over with.
"We can wander later, un, but we should find a place to stay, first."
At this, he grunted, moving forward and weaving around the many people. It was possible he'd bumped into a few people as he walked, but he ignored the surroundings as best he could, heading to the nearest "Vacancy" sign. Unfortunately, every inn they passed seemed full, and he was getting irritated with the lack of accomadations. Granted, he would never use them, but not supplying a place to stay while visitors flocked to the square was downright rude.
Deidara trailed along behind Sasori, glancing left and right, only half-focused on their current mission. It was some time before he was able to spot, past Sasori's shoulder, an inn that looked promising.
"How about there?!" he shouted to be heard over the crowd, and next pushed past his partner to lead the way, rather than attempt to communicate its location. He fought his way through the crowded lobby, and found upon inquiring at the front desk that the inn indeed did have rooms still left to fill. He was told that he was lucky he was here close to the beginning of the week, or else there usually no inns in all of the town to spare a room. The weather was nice enough, and the night life active enough, that it usually wasn't a problem. Deidara didn't care, he needed the room as a base of operations, and was more than thankful when he was handed the keys. He motioned to his partner to follow him.
Deidara having suddenly taken command, attempting to lead him to their goal caught Sasori rather off guard. But, being forced to follow, he trailed behind begrudgingly, scowling and keeping silent, even as they ascended the stairs into the room his partner had coerced from the inn-keeper.
The room itself was small, but homely and well-kept, and the instant the two had set foot inside, the puppet-master moved slightly, pushing his arms above him to pop the head off of his doll. His disguise of choice being one of the larger marionettes in his collection, and he huimself being of light stature, Sasori had no trouble slipping out of the stifling cage through the wooden neck.
He resisted the urge to grimace at the puppet as it crumpled to the floor after he had exited it, but made no moves to pick it up, instead moving quickly across the floor to seat himself upon one of the beds, looking for all the world as though he would not move from that spot unless there was a slight hope for bloodshed.
Deidara took a sweep of the room, humming to himself good-naturedly (he was caught up in the artistic flow of the festival atmosphere) as he peered into corners, drawers, cabinets, and the like. He ignored what would have been the disturbing image of his partner removing his head, had he not gotten used to it long ago, and peeked curiously into the shower at the complimentary soaps before returning to the room to find Sasori sitting on the bed.
Deidara seated himself cross-legged across from his partner on the companion bed, tossed off the mask that he had forgotten to remove upon his entry to the room, and let his one cunning eye fixate on his partner's. "This room is perfectly defensible and faces the street for both good observation and cover. Our arrival was not anticipated and there are no traps anywhere. I would say, un, that this first step went perfectly," He didn't hide his pleased grin, which quickly turned sadistic, out of habit.
"So what's next, danna…un?"
Sasori had hoped that Deidara would have taken the hint that the puppet master was in no mood for conversation, let alone of the good-natured sort. He really had, but knowing the blonde, there would, of course, be little to no privacy. The excitement practically seeped from the Iwa-nin, and an excited Deidara was an intolerable Deidara, at least to Sasori.
He let out an aggravated sigh, moving to recline on the bed by placing his hands behind his head. "I don't know what's next," he said, slightly snappish as he locked his eyes on the ceiling. "Why don't you scout the area while we wait for Itachi and Kisame to get here?" It wasn't a question, and it wasn't a request.
Deidara scowled slightly at the tone in which Sasori gave his order, but shrugged it off. His partner was always like that, and while the childish part of him hated to let the puppet master win, he couldn't say that he had not been planning on going back outside anyway. He stood and walked to the doorway. Itachi and Kisame probably were holed up in their respective location for the meanwhile, and his chances of running into them were slim, until they wanted to be found.
"Do you want anything while I'm out, danna?" He tossed a sly grin his partner's way "A few new bodies…un? Food? Some new thing to fiddle with while you are sitting here in the gloom, oh dark one?"
He paused, and looked over his shoulder, clearly waiting for an answer.
Sasori didn't know why Deidara had asked if he'd wanted anything. Considering that it was he the question was directed at, it was a rather loaded inquiry. Still, the only thing the puppet-master was in the mood for was solitude, and at the moment, he certainly was not getting any. This made Sasori a very unhappy person.
With a sigh more aggravated than he's given in many years, he sat up and turned to face the blonde, giving him a pointed grimace. "Deidara," he started snappishly. "We have been travelling for three days. I may not rest, but peace of mind is all I'm asking for before I gut you." With this, he closed his eyes and swirled back around to lay on the bed, once again tucking his hands beneath his head and ignoring whatever his partner chose to do.
Deidara only gave an amused snort at the threat, far too used to it to take it more than half seriously. Though on the other half he did know that failure to leave Sasori alone might actually result in physical harm. Oy. So he moved himself effectively out the door, with just a simple wave of his hand in parting, "Fair enough, danna, un. Catch ya later."
Deidara stepped into the hall, gave a quick glance either way out of habit, and strode off toward the stairs, blood racing excitedly. He had a festival to scope and some destruction to plan.