A day in the streets

Taking a break from his usual shenanigans, and living in his workshop, Malvoes decides to walk through the roads of Shima . The sun beating down on him, he walks out with his usual vest and a green striped scroll strapped to his lower back. He stepped down the avenues with a happy tune in his step, and his usual smile adorning his face.

Altar was sitting on a rooftop, awaiting something exciting from this sun soaked paradise, relishing the days when he'd stand amongst the rooftops of Tengakure in the rain, able to see the whole city. Alas, there was nothing exciting going on and the rooftops here provided little view. The whole place was sand, sun, and water. That was all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Altar caught sight of a boy, walking down the street. The boy had an unusual jaunt to his step. A wide smile decorated his face. He was so happy and innocent. It was only natural of Altar, and all his Tengakure instincts, to want to go wipe the smile from his face and delimb him.

However, that was the old Altar. The new Altar was more calm and approachable, and much less hostile and abrasive. Though he was still pretty damn hostile and abrasive. So, having nothing else to do, Altar would wait until the boy was just under the building he was on top of, and jump from the height of it, landing right next to the boy, a bit behind him and to his right. Using this time of probable shock to study the boy, Altar would notice a resemblance. The unusually large smile, the glint of mischief in his eyes, the entirely-too-free-willed bounce...this boy reminded him a lot of himself when he was a Genin.

After studying the boy for a second or two, Altar would turn towards him, crimson eye softly glowing from the shadow cast over his face. "And what would your name be, young one? Haven't seen you before." Altar would say, flipping the hair out of his face to reveal a small smile and his mismatched eyes.

As he walks, Malvoes hears a whooshing sound slightly behind him, knowing this to be the sound of someone dropping from the rooftops, he sighs heavily as he turns, fully expecting a guard or a teacher to appear for something he did a day or two before. To his surprise it was not anyone of the sort, a stranger with brilliant white hair, and deep crimson eyes. "Such interesting eyes.." He mutters out of reflex, shaking out of the daze of his own thoughts he returns his smile to his face. "The name is Malvoes, just a local puppeteer, son of a craftsmen, a crafter as well, but I'm assuming you aren't a local, I've never seen your face while I've run through these streets." Malvoes looks over the stranger once again, to make sure that he hasn't seen him around Shima before.

Altar could've sworn he heard the boy mutter something, but it was well out of his hearing range. Still, the boy looked visibly stunned and dazzled from his entrance, and took a bit to compose himself before answering the question that had been put before him. He said something about being the son of a craftsman and a crafter, but the part of his well worded intoduction that caught Altar's ears was that he was a puppeteer. So, the second person he'd met to utilize that form of offense. Though he had never truly seen it in action. Perhaps if he could coax it from the boy later, he would be able to gauge just what a puppeteer was and how to combat one. But that was something for another time.

"I'm no islander, if that's what you mean" Altar would say, giving a slight chuckle. He figured that'd be obvious. He wasn't all that tanned, especially not after spending the past bit stranded in the rain, dragging a boy across borders with him. "I'm not from around here. I was born...well, eh...let's just say i'm from Tengakure. Nice to meet you, Mal. Name's Altar." He would say, before extending his hand to the boy.

He sees a prick of interest in the eyebrows of the stranger for a moment but then it passes, maybe he imagined it. Malvoes listens to his awkward and slightly uncomfortable introduction, grasping the hand and shaking it firmly he replies, "Pleasure to meet you Altar, I hope my little town will be and has been pleasant to you. You're welcome in my book." He ends his sentence smiling warmly at his new acquaintance. Besides his mysterious nature, Malvoes feels no ill intent from him, feeling no need to be wary or cold.

After a brief shaking of hands and a fairly decent introduction on both ends, Altar would start walking, motioning for the boy to walk along with him. "So...seeing as I am a visitor and newcomer to your village, any chance you can tell me anything about it?" Altar would say. If a yes, then he would listen, fully intent. Any information on this place could come in handy, no matter how insignificant it may seem. If the answer was a no, then Altar would give a small sigh, and lead the boy further on.

After about a minute and a half's worth of travel and idle chat, they would reach a secluded area that resembled an oasis. A few palm trees here and there for shade, a small pool of crystal clear water, and sand. Still. Fucking. Sand.

"We can stop here for a bit. I despise crowded streets. Never much been one for a lot of people in a tiny place like that, anyways. And besides, here there's shade and all that good stuff." Altar would say, settling himself down beside a tree in the shade. "You know, you have a mischievous air about you. I was not different from that when I was young. So come now, tell me if you've done anything...haphazard. Committed a petty crime, perhaps?" Altar would ask the boy, his once trademark grin returning to his face, memories of his young self flashing in front of his eyes.

Malvoes follows Altar, looking up at the sky as he speaks. "Not much to say really, we have plenty of docks and shipyards, I know a really nice ramen shop, there's my workshop and home, we have a lot of connection to the other islands, the people here are friendly and I believe our main export is sand." Malvoes chuckles slightly at his own joke.

"We can stop here for a bit. I despise crowded streets. Never much been one for a lot of people in a tiny place like that, anyways. And besides, here there's shade and all that good stuff." He sits Down with Altar, nodding in agreement, "I can understand, I usually just stay in my workshop, crowds were never my thing." He'd dip his hands into the water and splash his face as his new friend asks a slightly forward question. He'd smile mischievously at Altar, "Haphazard may as well be my middle name."

Altar would listen to the boy's response, a dim fire lighting in his eyes and his smirk only growing larger. He already liked this boy. So he was a hooligan after all. Though he bore no cuts, scrapes, or bruises of any kind. Perhaps he was a gifted escape artist. Or perhaps he had yet to be in a serious fight. Altar would need to remember that. Perhaps he'd test the boy and see what happened.

"So...I was correct, you are a mischief maker. But...you bear no wear. This could be mild coincidence, or maybe you're like a ninja Houdini. Or maybe...just maybe...you're a coward. Tell me, have you ever stood your ground in a fight?" Altar would say, awaiting an answer. He felt bad for demoralizing the boy like this, but he was curious just how much he was alike Altar. Altar as a child was...one of a kind, let's say that. He had had a 'fuck all in my way and the rest can go to hell' attitude. He had always tried to fight, whether he was justified or not. He was chaos and anarchy incarnate. Hell, he had almost killed a superior in his first real fight! But now that he had matured, he was better about learning to control himself. While still very irresponsible and brash, he was progressing towards his ultimate goal.

So he wanted to find out whether this boy was alike him or not. If he grew to remain as child Altar was, he'd need to be set straight. He feared for the boy's life if that was what it came to.

Listening to his elder, he smiles grimly at the word coward for a split second, kicking a small pebble with his right foot, he tilts his head left and right, looking up as he replies.
"I only steal on occasion, it's become a habit because that's the only way I could get food when I was first left alone, but I'm more of a prankster, I craft small things like stink or smoke bombs and other tricks, make graffiti, I even make my own paint. An emerald smile is my call sign, like this." He pulls the bandana up from around his neck to reveal the emerald grin painted across it. "But to answer your question I've never felt the need for conflict, fighting is something I've always avoided, the only major conflict I've had to face was a bear I trapped, with out killing it."

Altar's face would fall slightly. So this boy didn't have the bloodlust that Altar used to. That was, most likely, for the best. Though that bloodlust had gotten him through a lot, and had saved his sister...looking back, Altar wondered what had become of his sister. He wondered if she was alright, if she had settled in well.  He'd have to visit her as well as Youta soon. He missed them both sorely.

Altar would look the boy up and down before deciding what to do. "Alright, stand up. Though you resemble me, there's one thing that separates us. Where I see the usefulness of conflict, you seem to only see a waste of energy. So, i'm deducing here that you don't have much experience in combat. Seeing as this quiet little island country has been...let's say inhabited...by the residents of Tengakure, one of the most violent villages around, you should learn some basic self defense at least, so you don't end up dying at the hands of the less kind of us in exchange for petty theft." Altar would say, rising to his feet. He hadn't has the best experience in fights, but mostly due to his shit luck. He knew he had skill and he could at least help the boy learn the basics.

Altar would walk the boy a few meters away, then turn and walk back alone. Once the same few meters, what seemed to be about 5, separated them, Altar would take a fighting stance. The oasis just to the right, they had a good sized area to spar in. "Alright, i'll go as easy as possible on you. You might be sore, and there might be bruises here and there, but you should be relatively unharmed." Altar would say, activating both his Byakugan and Meigan and motioning for the boy to begin.

~Alright, stats and AP and all that good stuff are exempt. You can vague your puppet/s with you if you don't have them~