A new Mascarade (Open)

As I exited the cave in which I had woken up (OOC: see my background for more details), I had to protect my eyes from the sunlight, even through the tinted lens of my Mask. After a few moments, I could see again, and noticed a trail going downhill, into a forest. Having no other place to go to and not wishing to stay in the cave, I followed what I reckognized as a way to the village itself.

Looking at my new environment, I could almost see no difference between Kumiaigakure and this one... Konoha, was it not? The only changes were the structure itself, as well as the geographical emplacement. A few changes of very little importance also caught my eye from time to time, but, in the end, this place was the same. People were seeminly living the same life we were, and this thought reassured me. I would not have tp learn any basic lifestyles in order to live amongst the people.

As I continued forward on my path, a question came to my mind. Since this was obviously not my place of birth, how would I live here? How would I be able to eat or rest with just my current possessions? Shaking my head, I carried on, lost in my thoughts. One thing at a time, shall we?

Yuven brought the bottle up to his moth, gulping in the water that was inside it. As he did, he felt a warm summer breeze pass his face, blowing his hair back, aswell as the bright sun, shooting it's rays of light down at the world below it. It was certainly a nice day, very calm. After drinking the last bit of water, Yuven walked towards the path of Konoha, were he would finally finish his long journey (or so he hoped).

However, upon arriving at the road, he saw a man wearing some sort of mask. There was something about this man that felt....different, although he wasn't sure what.

Approaching the man, Yuven said in a loud voice, "Hi, can i help you?"

I heard a voice nearby and quickly noticed its source. A young man was approaching, seemingly on an excusion or something like that. Maybe that was the chance I needed?

I looked in his direction and said, just loud enough to be heard:

"As a matter of fact, I would appreciate it, yes. I am a bit lost, to be honest. Could you please enlighten me on where I am?"

I guessed playing the lost card would be a good choice. After all, I was, indeed, lost...

Sighing with relieve that the man was not an enemy, Yuven nodded, "Well, right now we're in the northern forests. Konoha as just a rew minutes walk down that road." He pointed south at the direction of Konoha, already able to see some small buildings.

Turning back to look at this mysterious man, he said, "So, i'm guessing you're not from around here, correct? If so, were are you from?"

He had his usual smile on his face that day.

I shook my head in the negative. There would be no point in denying it, since I knew nothing of this world so far.

"Indeed, I am not. I come from the centerlands, and I was travelling until I lost my way. I know little of the villages and environments here, so I lost my trail and ended up here."

Although that person seemed good-intended, I prefered not to reveal all the truth so quickly. So far, there was nothing such as friends or foes, but I chose to remain on my guards. I did not die once to return to that state once more, especially when I just came back.

Nodding as a sign that he followed what he said, Yuven decided it was best to not ask any more question. However, that does not go to say he was not curious, quite the opposite actually. He had never heard of the "Centerlands", and was urging to find out more, but refrained from doing so.

"Do you want me to take you to the village?" He said, believing this man to be trustworthy, "i can get you in easily if you wish.

Putting a hand on my stomach, I looked down.

"I could use some restoration, yes. If it does not bother you, I would accept this offer. Please, lead on."

I motionned him to pass before me, to guide me. All this was bringing up my suspicion. Many people had tried to ill me before, what would make him different? I would have to be careful and keep an eye on him.

Yuven knew it would only take a while to get to Konoha, but he began to feel thirsty. Therefore, he reached into his pocket and took out his bottle of water (which was empty). After attempting to drink some water, but failing to do so due to the lack of the actual water, he sighed, turned to the man and asked, "Got anything to drink?"

Afte a quick examination of my pockets, I found nothing of the sort, except some ingredients I had kept with me. I shook my head negatively.

"I am afraid I have nothing of the sort on me right now. Like I said, I was searching for the nearest in order to get some rest and sustenance."

Laughing quiely before continuing to walk, he said "I guess jt cannot be helped, oh well." He glanced briefly at the horizon, noticing Konoha only a few steps ahead, "Well, we're here. Behold, Konohagakure, the Village hidden in the leaves."

He gestured at the massive village and walked past the gates, whispering something to the guards, and called this man in.

From the outside, the village seemed already impressive, but through the gates, it seemed to be even more impressive.

For the man to stop to whisper at the guards made me wary. Maybe was he not so good after all? Staying on my guards, I walked through the gate, admiring the environment and yet, keeping a look on the people around me.

"Quite impresive, I must say."

Nodding at this comment, Yuven looked at the massive buildings-including the manor of the Kage-in awe. Konha was indeed a mighty village.

Turning back to the man and trying to read his thoughts by his body position-although to no prevail-Yuven said, "One thing, I told the guards you were an ally, but they are still suspiciouse, so be careful ok?"

He gestured for the man to look around the village and tnat he sould guid him if need be.

I heard the man, yet I could not help to feel that something weird was going on. Why declare me as a friend through whispers rather than out loud?

I kept that thought in mind and carried on, admiring the buildings and other structures, as well as the village itself on the imaged perspective. Somehow, it felt like my home, Kumiaigakure, and this Konohagakure were not so different, in the end. But that would remain to be seen.

Yuven walked with the man for quite some time, showing him several important buildings and explaining things that the man was unaware of. Finally, Yuven arrived at a hotel, turning his head towards the man and saying, "This is your stop i'm guessing, if you want to rest."

But before the person could say anything, Yuven spoke once again, "Look buddy, the guards need some identification. The truth is, i told them to wait so i could ask you. If you wanna go in there, you'll need to remove the mask" Yuven sighed heavily.

Under my Mask, a smile drew itself on my face. In the end, it was always about seeing mt figure.

With a small but of laughter, I looked at the man standing before me and said:

"I am afraid that this is not going to happen. I need this Mask on for my own security and life, and I will never remove it."

He face-palmed, sighing at the same time, and said "Is that so?". That MAY have sounded like a threat to some, and for a moment, Yuven actually considered forcing him to take it off. But no. He was not that kind of person.

Nodding as if he understood his point of view, Yuven spoke, "Well, if you insist on keeping it on, you'll have some trouble in the hotel."

Considering his options,Yuven decided to help this man once again. "If it's too much of an in-convenience to you, you can come over to my place. I have a spare room you can borrow if you wish."

I shook my head, refusing his proposition. Although it might have been cheaper, I prefered to be on my own.

"That is a nice offer, but I will have to say no. I do not like to have debts to pay, so I keep them to the minimum. This hotel will do the thing, and I thank you for guiding me here."

Nodding again, Yuven bowed to the man, "It was my pleasure". However, he could still not shake the feeling that there was something about this man that bothered him. He normally trusted people he met, even random people, but this man was very suspicious. It's not every day you meet somebody outside of a cave who is wearing a man and refuses to take it off.

Yuven decided that he would keep an eye on this man, something which he happened to be good at. It's not like he would be stalking him or something, just.....making sure he didn't do anything. "Well," he said to the man, "I've got to go. See ya, and have a nice day." He walked off to his house, waving at the man, although still watching him moments afterwards.

I looked him go away, then entered the hotel. I rented a room, quite surprising since I had no money at all, and went uptairs to go to sleep. Even though I just came back to my senses, I felt drained of all my energy.

Yuven lay in his bed, still thinking about that mysterious man he had met today. He had SO MANY questions he had wanted to ask the man back then, but felt it would've been polite not to. Who is he? he thought to himself, before slowly closing his eyes and drifting off into a dream all about masks. Perhaps Yuven's questions would be answered some day, perhaps sooner than he expects.....
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