Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Of course you do. You've made me happier than i've ever been in while, Kia. and i mean a while."
Austin smiled sincerely now, then closed is eyes for a moment. He exhaled quietly, then re-opend his eyes.
"And i mean that. from the bottom of my heart. you mae me happy."

Austin smiled, and placed his hand atop Kia's to hold it in place.
"Don't mention it."
Austin noticed something all of a sudden;
The rain had stopped. Pale gray sunlight poked through his window, casting a slightly blocked shadow. Austin looked over to his window to see what was sitting at the windowsill, and he saw it.

There, perched on the sill, was a hawk. And attached to it's leg, was a scroll. Austin slowly left Kia's side, and moved to the window to open it. The hawk poked through curiously, jumping to stand on Austin's desk. Austin reached out and removed the scroll carefully, and checked the leg of the hawk.

"Just as I thought. This is their fastest messenger..."
Austin pulled out a small treat and gave it to the hawk, and placed the scroll on the desk. He formed a few handsigns, then placed his hand on the scroll. The protective sealing jutsu placed pon it released, and the scroll, in turn, unraveled across his desk. Austin read to himself very quietly, Seeming to acknowledge what he already knew with small nods of his head. Austin's eyes went wide when he suddenly reached the end of the scroll.

"They want...ME?...To be..Kaze..."
Austin backed away from the scroll carefully, then collapsed into his desk chair.
He remained still, not moving. He seemed surprised, excited, and horrified all at the same ********. I can't turn them down. They need a leader right now, especially with the low populous..."
Austin quickly took a pencil and wrote some words down, re-rolled the scroll, then placed it on the hawk's leg.
"Go. Give them my response."
The hawk left in a flap of wings, a single frayed feather remaining on his austin's desk as proof of his visit.

" To tell the truth, I have no idea."
Austin chuckled to himself. Why? To try to laugh off the tension in his mind. To reassure himself that this was all some sort of joke, and nothing that had just happened was real.

But it was. After his chuckles faded, austin's eyes became slightly cold, and worried.

Austin nodded slightly after a moment.

"All right, i will.."

Finding himself needing a cigarette badly, he moved to his desk to roll one up. He placed it in his mouth shortly after, then focused chakra to his finger for a second. he snapped his finger, and the tip of his thumb lit up with a flame. he quickly lit the cigarette and put out the flame, taking a big draw of smoke only a moment after.

Austin muttered to himself as he smoked, trying to calm his thoughts. He had to figure out what he was gaining, what he was losing, his responsibilities, limited political actions..There was so much to take in. I mean, he just became Kazekage. The lord of the village hidden in the sand. The strongest ninja in the entire land of wind.

Well, technically anyway. He wasnt the only Sannin from his squad.

After the last ash fell from austin's cigarette, he sighed.
"I need a bath."
Austin wrote a note explaining where he went for kia, and left the room a few moment after. a slight darkness enveloped the room as if his leaving changed the entire mood.