Afternoon Outing [OPEN]

[Nickito]

'I'm so glad that I decided to go out today instead of train. I can't believe how beautiful out it is!'

Kagami had woken up that morning with a lack of motivation to do any type of training whatsoever. A lack of motivation to do anything, really. She stayed in bed longer than she normally did, and took a much longer time to shower than was her usual. It was looking to be a lazy day indeed, until she looked out of her window and saw what she would be missing if she stayed inside.

The sun was out, the clouds spread out over the sky as if they had been white blots placed on a canvas, and the air was crisp and clean. She hadn't seen such a nice day in a long time, not since her earlier days in the Academy. Perhaps there had been beautiful days and she just hadn't noticed. So much of her time back then had been devoted to weaving illusions and practicing her Genjutsu that at some points, she hadn't been sure what was real and what wasn't. She knew for sure, though, that this beauty was real.

As she walked, she became ever more privy to the feeling of hunger deep inside her stomach. She ignored it for as long as she could, but when the noise began to crackle and grumble out of her and into the ears of people all around, Kagami rushed herself to the nearest restaurant. That restaurant just so happened to be a dango shack. Sitting herself down easily at the bar, Kagami got the attention of the young woman who was working and ordered.

"Excuse me. You don't happen to serve Nikudango here, do you? I could really go for some right now."

She smiled softly at the woman as she nodded, and when her stomach started to rumble, she walked away to quickly fill Kagami's order, but not before expressing surprise over the noise, causing Kagami's entire face to turn a crimson red that nearly matcher her eyes and her poncho.

[Hogosha Kenji]

This family is running me ragged...

His duties to his clan often had him wandering the streets, heading from one end of the village to another, and back again before the end of the day. His physical regiment was usually taken care of in that process, as he would tend to jog or run from one place to the next. Due to such, he couldn't really complain. He really had no idea how far he walked, jogged, or ran each day, simply using his clan's duties across the village to work for him in this regard, to keep him in shape and forget the fact that it was a tiring effort all its own. The tediousness of the tasks aside from all the journeying across the village were even more tiring, and by the end of the day, it was a task to get to sleep. Despite how tired he was, usually, at the end of the day, he was so wired up from all the activity that it took him ages to physically shut down.

On this particular day, he was especially stressed and tired, and yet, he had some time to spare. He was needed on the other end of the village for a meeting, but he would end up getting there far too early. So, rather than kill time on that end, he stopped along the way at a dango shack to take some time for relaxation, and have a treat he felt he deserved. He slipped in, and took a seat, smiling for the woman behind the counter. "Green tea and Mitarashi Dango, please."

Once he had sat down and made himself comfortable (and could feel at ease enough to relax), he glanced to the side, noticing the young girl he had met at the Hanashiba Gardens. He would smile lightly, and nod to her, as he settled in against the wall of the shack. He peered at the girl, with a smile on his face, which might seem like a complete contrary expression regarding how he had looked at their initial meeting. Usually, Kenji was a quiet person, one who preferred silence yet at the same time preferred company. It was an odd mix, even he knew, but it was just the way he was. Silence was just as disliked as noise was. It was that healthy balance in the middle that he preferred. Not many got that, and took him to be a cold and distanced person. He hoped to alter that perception in time, since he did really care a lot for the people in the village.

[Nickito]

'Isn't he the one from the gardens? Kenji something? '

Kagami had been concentrating so intensely on keeping her stomach and it's noises at bay that she hadn't even noticed Kenji enter the little shack of a restaurant. When he had sat down and spoke his order to the woman behind the counter though, her ears had perked up a bit and her head had shifted ever so slightly to the side, just far enough to catch a glimpse of him in her periphery. It was definitely him, but he seemed different from before. He was smiling. He was smiling at her.

She turned to face him slowly, and tried to return his smile, but her face twitched into a strange expression. Part smile, part confused squint. The kunoichi simply wasn't sure how to react. Whereas she knew her place with Neru and Daichi, due to being a student under the former and the later acting much younger than he had appeared to be, Kenji was new territory to her. She didn't know how to interact with him. Though they were both Genin, Kagami was a 14 year old girl and Kenji... wasn't.

"Oh, uh, hi Kenji. Nice to see you."

Despite being clueless, she was nevertheless her normal, kind self. She smiled at him a moment longer before turning back to face forward into the shack and found her food sitting before her. The rumble that emanated from her stomach just seconds after could have been heard from miles away, and instantly her face flashed a shade of red that almost blended perfectly with her eyes. Her arms went to wrap around her stomach, as if in an attempt to muffle the noise, but she knew that the damage had been done when the woman came back with more food to add onto her plate -- on the house.

Instead of looking at Kenji to note his reaction, she decided to pretend that he hadn't been present for the display her stomach had just made. She began to eat at a decent clip, though not to the point of seeming barbaric. The young woman was uncomfortable enough due to not knowing what to make of Kenji and not having the slightest hint as to how to socialize with him, she didn't need to add a complex created out of embarrassment to the list.

[Krethean]

It was definitely a nice day, and one Ujiyasu was definitely glad to take a break from doing missions on.

He decided to wander around, see what was going on today. When the village was peaceful, it was nice to unwind by going to different places. Kusagakure was growing still, so more and more places had begun opening up on a frequent basis. With the rapid growth came more missions, with more missions came more ryo and more satisfaction of helping out the village and this nation in general.

Recovery from the past calamities had certainly been achieved for the village as a whole. With Kusagakure's rise, more and more people flocked to the nation, and the village, intent on establishing themselves in there both for themselves and to promote growth. Signs of previous wars and the Yonbi attack became nothing more than bitter memories and a few memorial sites.

He looked around and spotted a dango shack to his left. He had to admit that he had never had dango before, despite it being a popular dish, but given that it is a common dish to have, he figured that it must be quite nice.

He entered the shack, with a casual and somewhat gentle manner, which belied his size and his imposing features. It was a bit of an amusement for him when asked if he practises Taijutsu, since he spent more of his time utilising his unique chakra nature. These days, he felt that some gifts and abilities were better left to develop on their own, while others required utmost training. He could imagine it was the case with Genjutsu users, and people who dedicate their training to Taijutsu. It was no different with Ujiyasu.

He took a seat and waited for the woman behind the counter to turn, noting that she was already busy with orders. He took the opportunity to see what they had on offer. When she was ready and faced Ujiyasu, he gave a small wave.

“Uhh, hey. Can I have some... Kuri Dango please. And... do you have any red iced tea available?”

The woman nodded and smiled at the boy.

“Yes we do. We just started making it as well, seeing as it’s started to become a bit popular.”

“Ahh great! Can I please have a glass of that then, please.”

She gave a nod as Ujiyasu handed her some Ryo, then went to work on his order as well as those that preceded his. Ujiyasu was quite happy, and surprised but he did feel it was a good idea to ask. His mission at the Tofu Dragon introduced him to red iced tea, and he had grown pretty fond of the drink, and sure that it would be a hit, he figured other establishments would make it too.

Ujiyasu looked as he waited and saw two more shinobi close by. One looked like a Genin but the other, he wasn’t too sure about. He looked like he could be a Chuunin or even Jounin, but he didn’t quite seem like he was either. Regardless, he felt it was better to greet them and introduce himself, rather than seem awkward.

“Hello there! I haven’t seen you two before, but I’m glad we have more shinobi. I’m Ujiyasu Nakamura.”

He got up briefly to bow to both of them, before he sat back onto the seat. He smiled warmly in greeting, which wasn't something he had done for a long while. Ever since the Chuunin Exams in fact. He didn't realise it, but he had begun to make a slow recovery from the ordeal.

[Hogosha Kenji]

Kagami's responses were understood. At least, to him because he knew what kind of person he usually was, and he knew how out of the ordinary he was today. The tasks of his family usually kept him so busy, he was on the verge of pulling out his hair. Which, is quite the task, given how much hair he has. Of course, thoughts on the differences in his behaviour would not linger for long, as she put on quite the display of being famished, and trying to hide it, and trying to look dignified while doing it. It cracked a smile anew on his lips, as he turned to his own food as it was set before him. He took a sip of his green tea, before glancing back to her.

"I think you better feed that beast, before it crawls its way out of your stomach."

Now on top of smiling more, and being more approachable, he was talking more! He really was a social person! He just did not like speaking too much. When it came to conversation, he felt that only the necessary should be discussed, and all the frivolity and extra should be left behind. Like Daichi's comments on how names were ordered when declaring who he was, and the insatiable desire to make stupid puns. He was sure Daichi had his positive qualities as well, but kids will be kids.

Yes, Kenji was not a 14 year old girl. He was thankful for that, no doubt about it. He did not explain why he was still a Genin at his age, because again, it was one of those things that only needed to be discussed by importance. He had said it before to others, not necessarily Kagami and Daichi, so he felt it need not be mentioned again. Of course, if Kagami asked, it was not likely something he would not mention. Those thoughts would be put aside with the arrival of a new ... arrival. Kenji turned in his seat, and glanced to the other boy.

"Hmm, greetings. I recall seeing you in the Atrium a couple times." he said with a nod, and left it at that. "Hogosha Kenji."

[Nickito]

Just as Kenji finished speaking, Kagami's face flashed brightly like a neon sign for a moment. It was as if every ounce of blood had rushed into her face for a split second, and the rest of her body had gone ever whiter than it normally was. She spun around on her stool to face Kenji, all barriers and sense of situation gone.

"HEY! I haven't eaten ALL DAY! I've been busy doing... Uh... Ninja things! You'd be as hungry as me too if you had been doing ninja things all day too!

She shifted back around on her stool and continued to inhale the food that sat before her, mentally kicking herself for her horrible lie of an excuse. Ninja things? Not only had she not been doing ninja things, she had actually said "ninja things"! What was she, 11? She also couldn't believe that she had lost a handle on herself like, and fumbled in her words too. It was always clear that someone was mad when they repeated things in the same sentence.

As she continued to eat though, she remembered the last time that she had been so hungry. It had been such a long time ago, before she had even started in the Academy. She was living with her mother still, and they had been going through one of their poorer times. She remembered that it had been that time that she finally decided to enroll in the Academy. She wanted to make herself a better life, and help her mother as well. As she calmed down, she made a short mental note to herself.

'Visit Mother sometime soon. Make sure she's doing alright.'

It was then that another shinobi entered the restaurant and placed an order. Three shinobi at the same time. Kagami couldn't help but wonder if this place was well known amongst the Kusa ninja, or if it was just always busy and was a more popular place than she had realized. When heth introduced himself, she turned her head and nodded with a smile in his direction. Her mouth was still full, and her stomach was still running on empty. She needed to clear up both issues before she would let herself speak and give her name to Ujiyasu.

[Nickito]

'This silence is killing me. Maybe I'll just go...'

The bar had become far too quiet for Kagami's liking. It was bordering on becoming an awkward silence -- if it hadn't already become one. Her food started to cool on her plate and settle in her stomach, and as she hated to waste food, she almost forced herself to finish each bite before allowing her to leave. Thankfully though, the woman who had served her had noticed that her stomach had ceased it's growling and that she had slowed in her eating. A take away box was placed in front of her with a gentle smile.

"Thank you very much. It was very delicious."

She took her plate and slid the leftover meal into the box, then closed it and sealed it up tight with a provided ribbon. She would be able to enjoy the food later when it was time to eat again, or when she actually managed to become hungry again. The young kunoichi couldn't remember a time in her life when she had eaten so voraciously, or when she had been provided with such delicious food. She left her payment, plus an extra tip of several ryo. It wasn't much, but it was all she could afford at the moment.

Sliding off of her occupied stool, Kagami took the box in her hands and turned to face the two men. She looked at them each for a single moment, a moment that stretched into something of an awkward pause. Unsure of whether she should say anything or just leave, as there had been no time for conversation, she merely bowed her head to them and stepped backwards out of the shack. Once out, Kagami turned around and let out a relieved sigh. The sound of her sandals was all that she could hear as she walked towards the center of the village.

Exit~

[vegapunk]

34 EXP @ Nickito

20 EXP @ Hogosha Kenji

6 EXP @ Kreathean

[Krethean]

Ujiyasu smiled at both Kusa ninjas before his order was placed in front of him. Thanking the woman, he ate his food and had some of the red tea with it. The sharp and slightly bitter taste went well with the sweet dango.

All the while, the place went rather quiet. Perhaps his appearance had made things a bit uneasy with the other two. He was the newcomer to those two after all. Ujiyasu himself didn't really have much to speak about. Despite people romanticising the Shinobi profession, the work a Shinobi does isn't typically the stuff one would pass on to children. Most of the work anyway. He believed that if he somehow became etched in history or something, he wouldn't go talking about it.

Legends are just tales after all. Someone does something, someone remembers it, everyone passes it on.

In the world he dreamed of, such tales would become nothing more than stories of the very distant past. So he didn't feel a desire to talk about how things were with Shinobi work. Unless there happened to be an important issue to discuss.

After a while, Ujiyasu finished his dango and tea. Satisfied, the young boy handed the empty plate to the woman and bowed in thanks before he exited the bar. The girl having already left beforehand, he gave a nod to the other Kusa Ninja before he left and headed into the village, ready for the day ahead.