Inner Peace, Inward Flow, Internal Chaos (Open)

Richard was sat cross legged atop a tree stump in the dead centre of Finnek Forest. Miles from the academy, miles from the city and quite well off the beaten path. Not only was he sat atop this stump; the young man was bound in black chains, but these were not any old chains. These were the chains of his own weapon, his extending kusarigama, both of it's blades dug into the stump before his feet. His skin looked clean, save for a bad case of stubble, it didn't look as though he had been beaten down and left for dead. In fact he... he almost looked at pea-

There was a crackling from the bushes to his right and he was suddenly awoken, he had in fact been sleeping... he had not achieved nirvana, not even in his dreams. He immediately went to stretch but found his arms bound, there was no look of surprise in his eyes but that of initial anger... before a begrudging attempting to dull it. He heaved deep breaths, extending his claws with the inward... and retracting them with the outward. Extending them with the inward... and retracting them with the outward. From those bushes a simple bird flew, it looked to be a crow but, had it been something bigger, Richard would have revealed his position to the enemy.

He watched the black-bird soar off into the blue sky, cloudless... by the sun's position it must have been nearing midday. If it took such then Richard would sit here until the dead of night, perhaps even beyond. He had a problem, a problem no amount of dust honing or weapon practice would alleviate. Richard had a temper. Richard had always had a temper. He liked to blame it on forrest fires, other people's incompetence, anything but himself. Long ago he had refused himself the positive emotions, it was high time to refuse himself the negative as well. After all they were so deadly in this line of work; any rookie could slip up and get mad at themselves. End up mauled by Ursa Minor, even Creeps and Beowulf. His claws had stoped shifting, he breathed in through his nose... and out through his mouth.

Five hours ago Richard had orchestrated this whole scenario. He had his pet, Sanzaru, bind him in his own chains and affix him to this tree-stump. The chimp had been ordered not to return to the next day, though Richard doubted the monkey could muster such a will... he was far too soft. He'd cave and ruin thi-

Richard resumed his deep breaths, attempting... attempting to find peace within the blue forrest. Bright blue sky above and dark blue grass bellow. Plump little birds floating in the air, mushrooms growing from the base of tree-stumps and the beginnings of the beginnings of what would eventually be nuts and berries. He was in a small clearing the area's shape was not dissimilar to that of ketchup squeezed on the side of a plate. Circular, but not too circular; certainly lopsided. Probably perfect for dipping some chips into or some onion-

Richard's stomach roared and he joined it, claws unsheathing from their position tied behind his back! His teeth ground together as he wriggled, daggers in his eyes and and brows furrowed to sharpen.

Heaving a deep breath he went on to shout; "This is impossible! Why would I EVER have thought to... Graaaah..."

The sound echoed through the forrest but his rage boiled over quite quickly, he heaved deep breaths; wrapped from waist to shoulders in chains. Trying to discover inner peace... and failing horribly.

Slynt wiped the sweat off his brow as he finally put the shovel down, a small patch of clearly recently disturbed dirt in the middle of the otherwise indistinguishable ground.  The files had been a pain to bury, however he knew better than to not have an insurance policy in his line of work. He'd opted to wear the academy's uniform rather than his normal attire, seeing as how the work was ill-suited to his normal attire, the necklace from his normal attire being the sole addition.

Blackmail material tended to only be helpful if one could keep it from being stolen, and the silver haired man knew that now the safest place for the files was buried in the ground within the small metal box he'd left the files in.  He'd remember where they were, but in time nobody else would know this patch of dirt from any other within the unusually colored Finick forest.

He’d settled on walking back to the academy, taking the shovel with him for now to not leave more evidence of the file’s location. He had a copy of it of course, but it never hurt to be too careful when it came to such things, especially considering some of the individuals the material within the file implicated. No, it wouldn’t do at all to lose access to that catalogue of evidence should he need to use it, after all it wouldn’t be the first time a client or contact had tried to double cross the silver haired criminal.

He’d only just begun walking back to the academy however when a shout drew his attention. It hadn’t come from far, and Slynt found his curiosity peaked by the sudden shout in what should have been nothing but empty forest for miles. The sight that greeted him was an interesting one to say the least. A man chained up by a hunter’s weapon, seemingly stuck in place and obviously rather frustrated.  The fact he didn’t appear to e injured or bruised was a curiosity, one would assume he had simply let himself be tied up, or at least been unable to resist at the time.  

Slynt noted the clearing that this all took place in with a curious eye, though he failed to show it on his face. Instead his features elicited a sly smile, a slight predatory look in his eye as he decided to make his presence known. He was to the left of the chained man, leaning his body against one of the many trees in the areas as he spoke.  “That’s quite the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into.” He commented idly.

Richard had lowered his head once-more, attempting to fill it's entirety with nothing but nothing. It was hard to think about nothing when you forced it, it was much easier when you weren't trying... but given his predicament he didn't have much choice. Eventually he began to feel... something. It probably wasn't nirvana, to discover that in a matter of minutes was ridiculous, but he had begun to tap into some sort of peace only to be forced from it. Immediately claws were drawn, his brow furrowed and teeth began to bare.

Upon sighting the individual this stare loosened however, identifying the student as a dweeb. The type to actually wear their uniform, despite it's restrictive nature; it was unfit for combat in Richard's eyes. He had some kind of smile on his face, some kinda look in in his eyes... he seemed to think quite highly of himself. There was a stupid amount of white hair on his head to... some of it was short while other strands hung long; it seemed some of it would get in the way of his vision to. Shovel over his shoulder... well, Richard supposed digging holes was some kind of strength training. But you were as well working a tyre, you'd do less damage to the environment. He was stupidly tall as well, another notch against him, but Richard thought this of most people. The student had at least a foot on Richard.

Having made his analysis he ranked the brat somewhere between C and B+ pending his semblance and equipment.... perhaps he was underestimating his intelligence to, his outfit was stupid but perhaps he was the suck-up type of student. It must have been a good half minute but Richard responded; "Yes it is, one I've gotten myself into. And shall see myself out of it. What's that look about, brat?"

Richard could get out of this bind at any time with the aid of his semblance, these chains were meant to be a reminder and keep him working... but if this runt thought he stood a chance Richard would take him down. Richard wasn't known for rookie-crushing, though he had knocked one or two upstarts down a peg, honestly it had been a while since he had brawled with another person. It went against his intentions but if he wanted a fight Richard would take him.

The man appeared to be sizing him up, if Slynt had to guess. He would probably do the same thing if he were in such a position. In fact, he would still assess the man’s threat potential if not for the fact that the chains hindered his ability to estimate the man’s capabilities. There were also the complications of aura and semblances, which could make judging such things difficult by appearance alone. Often people were not what they seemed to be, as he himself had been reminded only recently.

“I see.” He commented at the man’s response. The silver haired man raised an eyebrow at the use of the word brat, considering he appeared both taller and likely older than the other man.

Of course, the other man’s stature could have had something to do with that probably, but Slynt decided that perhaps it would be best not to mention that yet. Instead he decided to focus on what he couldn’t quite grasp the reasons for, namely the cause of the predicament. “and surely you can’t blame me for staring, after all you make for quite the spectacle like that.” He dismissed nonchalantly while still thinking. The other man likely was a huntsman, or at least a fellow student. Given that he wasn’t panicking over his predicament. He didn’t see a weapon outside of the Kusarigama, making him wonder if the man simply had his weapon in a more portable state.

Or perhaps he was dumb enough to allow himself to be subdued with his own weapon? Unlikely, as it was a rather ridiculous to assume such. “And how did you find yourself in this situation out of curiosity?” The silver haired man didn’t bother to move, simply holding his expression as he looked at the other. “It would be best to be on my guard after all, if there’s some madman walking around immobilizing people.”

Finnek Forest. A place which Nyx didn't expected to be in. The forest was rather unusual as most of the plants and trees had a blur hue to them which Nyx found somewhat pretty. However, sightseeing wasn't the reason why Nyx was in Finnek Forest to begin with. She was currently on a contract hit. However, the hit was quite out of the ordinary for Nyx as she wasn't tasked with killing another person. To be exact, her client wanted her to track down and kill a extremely large wild boar that killed his son and daughter.

Nyx accepted the contract and had spent most of her time tracking down the cursed creature. However, she had came close to ending the creature's life but good luck saved it life many times. Currently, Nyx had lost track of the creature in the dense forest, so she was busy trying to track it down. After tracking her target for a while, Nyx soon found herself in a clearing. As she approached, Nyx saw a rather unusual sight even for her who had seen/experienced many situations during her life as an assassin.

As Nyx entered the clearing, she saw the silver-haired man that she had talked to a couple days prior. Across from him was another man who looked like he was in a bit of a predicament. Nyx saw that the man was chained to a rather large tree stump. Nyx was not sure what the man was tied up with but she had to guess that is was a weapon of some sort. Nyx had a rather emotionless expression on her face as she contemplated helping the man out of his predicament.

Richard's brow furrowed, claws drew behind his back; "As I just said, I got myself into this situation. This is entirely intentional, if you must know I'm attempting to achieve inner peace, now please shut up. I'm trying to work and your pointless postulating is distracting me." This statement, despite it's bluntness, would probably raise further questions; how could it not? At the very least some kind of guttural, confused, statement. Richard just wanted to loose himself from these feelings of anger... and the set of eyes upon him simply exacerbated his rage.

Inner Peace... Inner Peace, Deep Breaths in... Deep Breaths out... Deep Breaths in... Deep Breaths ou-

The sound of further footsteps in the forrest drew Richard's attention, his eyes opened and his brow furrowed. Teeth were bore once-more. The chains rattled as he turned to look at her, claws extended once again. "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU IN THIS FORREST?! WHY?! I CAN'T ACHIEVE NIRVANA WITH SO MANY BRATS AROUND ME! BUZZ OFF!"

Some yellow fool now, dressed in artic camouflage... but not only was this a blue forrest; they had failed to commit to it. Splashes of yellow, lots of black... were they wearing a tie- WERE THEY WEARING A TIE?!? Richard could feel his teeth grind, armed with a sniper no less... clearly they were the type to hide but their outfit was so counter intuitive! Long hair and pigtails?! How foolish could you get? Richard could feel himself growing redder, claws extending and retracting.

Deep breath in, deep breath out, deep breath in, deep breath out, deep breath in... deep breath out... deep breath in... deep breath out... deep breath in...

"Grimm are attracted to negative emotions... to counteract this... I am foregoing all of them. I don't make enemies... I don't make friends... I don't keep many possessions. It's a slow process but a necessary one, please don't make any more noise. I may appear restrained, but if either of you tick me off any more... I will run wild."

The silver haired man originally intended to leave the short stranger to whatever activity he’d planned on doing, after all there were plenty of other things he could be doing. He’d been about to turn around and leave in fact when the new arrival appeared. That however changed rather quickly however, and the outburst of the chained man only solidified his new decision.

The mysterious sniper girl appeared to have made her appearance. Though Slynt had to wonder whether it was coincidence or intentional. Given the fact she was as close as she was though, he doubted she was here merely to remove him. No, he’d imagine that she would have done so if she planned on killing him, as he’d allowed her plenty of opportunity. The girl was a curiosity to be sure, and the potential opportunity this encounter provided could prove interesting.

There was also the short man to consider, while he was chained, his behavior indicated that may not be as big of a hindrance as one might believe, or he could simply be an idiot. Either way it was a curiosity, and Slynt was more than willing to see where this situation would lead, it certainly proved to be amusing.

“That is quite the temper you have, perhaps the peace you seek is beyond your reach.” He commented casually, unconcerned by the threat. Even if a fight did somehow start, and he somehow lost said fight, it would certainly prove to be amusing. Not that he planned on losing, of course. “At the very least, it seems your current method of seeking peace is rather lacking.” The silver haired man noted, after all if one exploded at the mere presence of others, they likely were far from any true inner peace.

Though Slynt never did understand the point of such a pursuit, after all life was little without the chaos, and far less interesting in his opinion.

After watching the man who was tied up for a bit, Nyx decided to leave him tied up for now and let the Silver-Haired man deal with him. Anyways, Nyx had a contract to fulfill. It was starting to get dark. This would make it almost impossible for Nyx to track the boar she was tracking. She had no more time to hang around here. Nyx wanted to get this contract done before the night was up.

Nyx then turned around before walking away towards the western part of the clearing where she saw some fresh boar tracks. This was a rather good sign for Nyx as this provided her with information on where the boar went while she was distracted with the current situation. Nyx didn't say anything as she walked out of teh clearing so that she could examine the tracks in great detail. However, Nyx was listening carefully to her surrounding just in case the Silver Haired man or the man that was tied to the tie had any funny ideas.

"It's not working... cause you keep on talking!" Richard was angry. Not just angry, he was furious. He had warned the man not to make any more noise, he had told him hadn't he? He wasn't deaf, he wasn't dumb, he was doing this intentionally to tick him off! Richard went from crosslegged to crouching, hunched over as the chains held him down. If he beat this clown down not only would he have exercised, hopefully tiring himself out, but it'd serve as a warning to others; not to interrupt his attempts at finding peace! He braced in the crouched position, prepared to jump forward, building up to the press off he began to speak; still staring in the man's general direction. "Have you ever experienced-

As he pushed off to jump, before the chains could pull him down, the short man vanished. He would reappear around three metres behind the white haired man, his jump continuing and carrying him deeper into the forrest. "-the speed of sound?" Richard had not traveled at the speed of light, but understanding this would require and understanding and experience of teleportation semblances. He had in fact swapped place with a blade of blue grass, the single blade now resting on the tree-stump; two gouges before it where his weapon had once been fixed. Even if the man noticed the grass a sane man would assume it had simply fallen into place or been beneath his boots. This was a technique to intimidate an opponent, a shock-and-awe strategy to make them believe they were far further beneath him. As he flew through the air he stretched his arms, loosening a resounding crack, black chains released his body. As he raised his hands they would pass over and off his body, still tangled they would slowly begin to retract into their central holding box.

Communing with the ground he would reach beneath his scarf, turning and as he did so grasping a dust crystal. As he turned however... that blonde girl was in the corner of his vision. "Not leavin' will get ya dragged into this!" He would throw the crystal to the ground, earth beneath him fissuring and from it a series of jagged stones emerging; throwing soil and plant life into the air. It would race in the direction of the white haired man, halting with a crunch as it met the very stump he had been sat on; stalagmites imbedding in it but being held back by the root network. The force of the fissuring would send his weapon into the air, attempting to keep one eye on the white haired boy and his ears open to the blonde he would reach up to catch it by its central box.

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