Kirigakure's Somatology Laboratory.

[Nujabes]

I hadn't been gone for long; it was a couple of minutes, at most. When I returned to the the Lab, I held two things in my arms. In my left was a lavish set of robes, draped over the forearm and tailored to Coco's figure. I'd sized her up the moment we met, and though we'd shared nothing more than a dinner, it was relatively easy to guess her dimensions. In my right was a small bouquet of fire lilies, in full bloom.

I set the flowers down first as I entered, glancing first at Coco (who was awake now) and then at Hotaru wth my single visible eye. "As promised," I said. "I wasn't sure what kind you liked, so I just picked some."

My attention notably shifted to Coco as I stepped closer, handing her the robes. "These should fit you well, and should do until my shinobi return with some of your wardrobe from Iwagakure. They should return in several days time." I paused, giving Coco's exposed body a once over. I was glad to see she wasn't scared - Hotaru's skills were increasing each and every time I came to her.

"Hotaru, would you mind giving the Tsuchikage and I a moment alone? There's another gift for you outside." I fell silent after that, looming over Coco. There was so much that I wanted to say -- so much that I wanted to ask.

But, for the moment, I bit my tongue.

[Hotaru]

An introduction was muddled together with tales of her recent exploits. For Hotaru, the situation was all a bit surreal. As a former shinobi of Iwagakure, it was strange for her to not only be talking to her 'would have been' leader, but also to receive insight on what she likely would have been doing had she stayed in the service of the Tsuchikage.

Akira you fuck up. Why did you leave me alone with the Tsuchikage.

"Sounds like you've been busy. "

She replied simply, trying not to seem too interested or standoffish on the topic of her previous hometown. Despite what she saw to be an increased military presence, the Tsuchikage's admission of failure reaffirmed Hotaru's decision to abandon her home. The only trick now was to avoid detection.

She hadn't exactly been a 'shining star' in the military machine of Iwagakure, and despite a win in the chuunin exams years ago thanks to her command of the lava release, her chakra control was deemed better suited for work as a medic. Tucked away out of the spotlight to train, study, and heal, it was unlikely that this Tsuchikage appointed after Hotaru's departure would be able to identify her.

"I'm Hotaru. Sounds like you've been through a lot. My 'story' as you put it isn't nearly as interesting. It seems it's all i can do just to keep this village alive. Not much time to get out and explore or overthrow villages. Sunagakure must have done something pretty bad to incur a full village assault. Was it worth it?"

She was curious if the kage had any regrets after all of her exploits. With her limited successes, was it really wise to abandon the village to run around in danger? Though it wasn't her home any longer, it seemed . . . irresponsible.

Before they could discuss politics further, Akira entered with clothing and flowers. Robes for Coco, and fire lilies for herself. Though she didn't normally like flowers, the lilies suited her and so they were accepted. With the bouquet in hand, she raised an eyebrow and left apprehensively. The two generals were now alone, but what they were going to talk about was anybodys guess.

[/blockquote]