Down the rabbit hole...[Open]

Lucian felt as if he were swimming as he walked the streets of Hoshigakure, it was far too humid here for his liking. The humidity coupled with the unyielding sun made for an environment the genin found completely unfamiliar. Considering his own discomfort he was surprised to find the streets bustling with people of all ages, races and size. To them the weather was normal, to them this was a perfectly fine day. 


This is going to take some getting used to.


Unfortunately Lucian found it very hard to stick out from the crowd. Well, that isn't right, Lucian, in his robes and bald head, fit right in save for the headband of Funkagakure shining around his neck. However, the hulking metal puppet that followed him was a different story. At Lucian's right side his fingers danced this way and that willing the mechanized monster to walk in step behind him with the use of chakra threads. Sure he attracted a lot of attention, but it was the type of attention that deterred others from walking near him, which at this point in time was just fine with Lucian.

I really need to learn some fuinjutsu cause this puppet is getting to be quite the burden.


Lucian's metallic companion, unfortunately, did not deter the exhortations of the shopkeepers and salesmen he passed. The boy was certain he had someone trying to sell him a pet snake with two heads at one point. Though Lucian took it all in stride taking care not to get hung up at any one place for too long all the while looking for a place to stay the night. Akihana had not lied when she said the queen's joust had filled up much of the accommodations.

This is going to be a pain... 


Having given up on his search for a place to stay in Hoshigakure he stopped by the next shop to ask directions. Naturally, the shopkeeper tried to sell him his goods, in this case bars of soap and candles. However, Lucian politely rebuffed the man's every pitch until at last he gained the information he wanted, the location of the nearest public well. Many villages had places for its villagers to get water, it was merely a matter of finding them. Thus, Lucian set out with the directions ingrained in his mind.

Take a left here, duck through the alley there and you'll come out where you need to be...good grief...these directions.


After following what must have been the most roundabout way to get to the well the boy and his puppet finally arrived. Much to his surprise there were only a few people going to and from the well itself. Perhaps it was just the main roads that had been taken over by merchants? A bit disconcerted but undeterred he grabbed a large cup someone had left by the well and pulled the bucket up. Filling the cup with the cool well water he went behind the well so he stood in its shadow. The walls that bordered the well were about a meter and a half in height and made of solid stone. 

Feeling a bit defeated, Lucian slumped down with his back to the well's outer wall so he was now completely within the shadow. Here in its shadow he felt some relief from the sun. Making sure to bring his puppet down next to him he brought it to a sitting position and detached his chakra strings. Taking a deep breath he felt the exhaustion from the past week and a half catching up with him. In hopes of staving it off for a bit longer he took a few gulps of water to soothe his parched throat.

I still have a long way to go. So much for the easy path, eh?

What a hot day...

Komi was right at home today. She had lived in this heat her entire life. Wuark thought that maybe she liked it somewhat ; maybe she just liked making fun of Wuark becuase it was always the days like this that she insisted on perching herself right on Wuarks shoulder. She would end up cuddling and cooing at his face. For Komi it might have been perfect but for wuark it was a nightmare.

Wuark was born in Konoha, sometimes it got hot there but at least it wasn't so damn humid all the time. Water was seen as a refreshment not as the thing that made you sweat, which in turn made you hotter. Komi wasn't making it any easier on him either.

"WILL you get off of me, I am dying here!" Wuark would say in his more angered tone. Nope, the owl was just content to keep herself on his shoulder. Wuark just accepted it and decided just to let it be for now.

"Well, at least you give me some shade." Wuark would reply to the owl. The owl didn't do anything. Komi just looked to the distance as though she was ignoring him, maybe just to get back at him; maybe it was her way of saying "Karma is a bitch isn't it?"

Wuark had a tank top on and some lightly colored shorts. It was too hot to wear anything else today, after all he was just doing some labor for a nearby apartment, painting was a bitch on the days like this. Wuark would just sweat and the paint would just stick to him. All the time. Maybe that is why he was hired to do it, nobody else was dumb enough to do it, and wuark charged less than most other workers in the city.

"Well buddy, time to wash up." Wuark told komi; sometimes she would "help" wuark and make a mess. Wuark didn't know why Komi was so damn frustrating, for no reason, sometimes.

No matter Wuark would go down to the lower levels of his building and walk outside. He needed to get water from the well to run the shower.

However when he walked to his regular spot Wuark would notice somebody in the shadows, nothing new, people would sit at the well all the time; they would talk and tell stories and give Wuark jobs sometimes.

But Komi would ruffle around in an distressed fashion on his shoulder. It was her sign that she saw or heard something that could be unpleasant. Komi could see through the shadows with her superb vision and saw the ninja band around his neck; Komi stabbed Wuark slightly with her left talon: One of their signals for ninja.

Komi would fly high above and land on one of the lampposts while Wuark would shyly walk towards the well. He didn't want to the other well it would be too far away but he didn't want anything to happen to him or Komi. He would approach the water pale in hand. If he needed to run he was ready.

Kuro was lost in this new city. There were merchants practically EVERYWHERE, but he'd found a simple way to deal with them. He simply took a deep breath and absorbed his coat, leaving himself shirtless and turned his pockets inside out, to show that he had no money to buy their wares or goods or whatever they were settling. Vixie struggled to avoid being stepped on or snatched by someone who'd try to sell her off. Kuro was starting the feel the effects of the heat too. For one of the first times in his life, he was starting to seriously worry about getting dehydrated. Then Kuro saw something that stood out. Some kind of giant metal man following a bald guy. Now THAT was something to follow! Kuro followed behind them until they reached some kind of well. 

Kuro watched a few people gather water then walked up and looked into the well himself. It seemed to be fairly deep... so he went ahead and dove in. Once he hit the water, anyone one nearby would hear a sound similar to a bucket of water being dumped into the well. Kuro bond himself to the water and replenished himself before using Sticky Water to climb himself back up to the top. Anyone looking would see a large puddle of water pull itself out of the well. The water would then pool next to the well and Vixie would walk over, lapping up a bit before Kuro reformed and patted her head, his body still soaked and dripping from excess water he'd absorbed and brought up with him. "That tickles silly!" He would laugh and walk to a wall, leaning against it before forming his guitar in his hands from his chest with liquid inventory and beginning to play a simple tune for anyone around the well. Vixie would sit next to him, her tail moving side to side like a metronome in time with the music while she looked around at everyone, curiously watching them.

Maybe I could just bum it on the street...

Yes, Lucian sat with his back to the well's border thinking where he would stay for the night. For now that was his number one priority. Food could come later, the boy decided everything else would fall into place once a roof arched over his head. Call it a psychological trick, but having a roof over his head was comforting. The only question that now remained being where would he stay...

Luckily for Lucian his wreck bound train of thought was halted ever abruptly by the arrival of quite a few interesting characters. Upending the cup he drained the last of the water down his throat. With his cup now empty and his mind full he thought it better not to linger. However, he would soon find himself caught up even if it were for just a moment. 

Pushing up from his seated position Lucian rose stiffly from where he once was. Much to his chagrin he found that his left leg had fallen asleep ever so slightly. Leaning his weight on the side of the well he was rather surprised to see a man wearing a tank top approaching. Not wanting to be that awkward guy he rose his hand and spoke up.

"Good after---"

Lucian's greeting was cut off by what sounded like a splash in the well below. Unknown to him another man had stopped by the well, but instead of drinking water like any normal person he had jumped right in. Of course such a splash was what caused the genin to cease his greeting. Glancing down the well his eyes found a rather strange site. It seemed as if the water were bubbling up the well towards the surface. 

Of course the tank top wearing man could not see inside the well just yet, but he would no doubt see Lucian's reaction. His face furrowed in surprise Lucian stumbled back from the well a few steps as what looked like a blob made of water crawled from the well. Then, in a moment, the blob transformed into a person. All Lucian could do was cast his gaze back over to the man in the tank top and speak up once again, manners be damned. 

"You saw that right?" Lucian questioned bluntly, nodding over at the now solid white haired man playing some sort of musical instrument.

Sure, Lucian was a shinobi and as a shinobi he had seen a few things, but never this. Nothing had prepared him for a water man. The shock was so great that he had even neglected to activate his puppet in hopes of defense, it sat idle on the ground. The one good thing that might come from this lay in the fact that such an experience would no doubt serve as quite the talking point.

So much for being a quick thinking shinobi...idiot.

Wuark would look in shock as he saw what appeared to be a man forming out of the water. Komi from her perched position would have seen it all. She just sat there from the post. Looking intently down on the three people and waiting to see if she would have to intervene. At this point however all three people seemed friendly enough. Komi probably saw the water - man and thought something bizzare, like, "Is the water man inside me? Am I the water man?" the world may never know.

Meanwhile he would hear the ninja that was sitting speak up to Wuark. He forgot what he had said before this event just happened. Wuark now had two worries on his mind. The first was whether or not either one of these ninjas would try kill him and the other being, well, where he was going to get water now; he certainly isn't going to get it from there anymore. Who knows what contaminants are in there now.

I would think there would be rules against that here. I'm going to have to talk with the constable about this clear violation of the clean water laws in the city. Well we might as well make somewhat a good impression.

"Well, that can't be good for the well." Wuark would say....

Wuark would then wait for the other two people to respond. He still had plenty of worries and now he had even double the questions.

Kuro heard Wuark's comment about him diving into not being good for the water and spoke up, still playing his guitar. "Actually, that's some of the purest drinking water you'll find around here. Any dirt or anything that was on me when I went in, came out with me. Actually, The water should be even cleaner now. I gathered up any bits of dirt and stuff from it and left it on the ground when I came back up." Kuro would finish his song and reabsorb his guitar into his body before bowing and introducing himself. "My name is Kuro Hozuki, a Genin of Yuki. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be good friends." Vixie would then tug on his pants to get his attention. "Oh, yes, this is my friend Vixie. She seems to like everyone around here too, so I know you aren't bad people." Kuro would smile politely, getting a good feeling that he was about to make new friends.

Lucian had never been a fan of music. Perhaps it was due to his disciplined upbringing or his very nature, it was hard to tell. Despite his general disdain for it he could still appreciate it at times and the twangy tune Kuro played felt almost fitting. The man in the tank top seemed to be a faster thinker than Lucian as he instantly questioned the safety of one jumping into a well. Now, that the genin thought about it it did seem quite unsanitary. 

Luckily such thoughts were partially put at ease when the white haired man explained how pure the water was. To be completely honest he did not buy the explanation entirely, but stranger things had happened. Like people being able to transform into water. Moreover the man's guitar appeared to be made of water as well. This whole experience was quite baffling to Lucian. Of course his face had long since hardened back to a emotionless mask so such confusion lay hidden just beneath the surface.

However, a thin smile quickly etched itself across Lucian's face upon Kuro's introduction. It was not a friendly smile though it could no doubt be interpreted as one. Rather it was a smile of realization. 

Hozuki, Hozuki, Hozuki that's the clan! Yes, I had forgotten. They are the water form clan. Now it makes sense, how could I have been so stupid?

"Good afternoon Kuro, my name is Lucian, genin of Funkagakure. Pleased to meet you and Vixie." Lucian replied rather plainly accenting his last words with a nod in Kuro's direction. He then trained his gaze back on the tank top wearing man, it was his turn for introductions. Naturally the whole introduction thing seemed a bit odd considering the pretext for it had been a bit shaky, but Lucian was more than willing to meet new people.

So, you wanted to meet new people? Here is your chance, don't go blowing it. Act normal, act like you don't come from a village where they eat babies. Yeah, that'll do it, normal.

Wuark listened closely to the water blobs response. It was kind of interesting to wuark the way that he described it.

"Ill take some water from that well, actually." Playing on the young guitarist use of the word actually twice during his reply.

HE would look up to Komi the owl who would lower his head down in shame. She seemed to disprove of the use of Wuarks words; well who know what the owl is really thinks.

If Kuro allowed Wuark would walk to the well, and well, actually fetch some water out of it. Then once his pale was full he would start walking back to the triangle formation. However a little closer this time.


Wuark would listen to to Kuro speak. Telling the group what his name was and saying that he 'wanted to be friends'. Hmmm, and ninja that wanted to make friends... not quite consistent; at least that's whats wuark thought.

Komi would stare down Vixie. She was probably wondering something sinister, like if she could devour the beast in just one sitting or not, but who really knows what owls are thinking.

Wuark would reply.

"Hi, my names Wuark, and I live here." He would say.

Kuro smiled at the two new people he'd met and then grinned a bit as he glanced at Vixie. She could sense the owls darker thoughts and kept an eye on her. She could also sense the nervousness and tension that Kuro's new 'friends' had. She looked to Kuro and shivered a bit to get what she could tell across to him. Kuro nodded slightly then stretched a bit, showing them that he was relaxed and unworried. "Well, I'm currently just starting to make a sort of tour around the villages. I started in Konoha and this was my first stop, since it's in a corner of my map. I'll be hanging around for... I dunno. Until I get bored I guess. Wuark, you said you live here, but what are you doing in town Lucian? If either of you have something I can help with, I'd be glad to assist. I spent nearly the entierty of my stay in Konoha training some of their Genin, so I'm pretty decent at sparring if you just need someone to practice with."

Ah, he is quite talkative....great....

"I suppose my reason for being here is much the same as yours then," Lucian shot back smoothly. "I am seeing the world, simple as that." 

With that the genin fell silent returning to his thoughts. Undoubtedly Kuro  was quite friendly, almost too an unnerving extent. On the other hand, Wuark seemed to be a man of few words, something Lucian could respect. Then it struck him, perhaps he could use this chance to garner a bit of help in his current situation.

"I am sorry Kuro, but I am not one for needless violence, sparring included." The Funkagakure shinobi stated matter of factly. "Though, perhaps at a later time, we could train together. In the mean time would either of you know a place to stay this evening? To be completely honest I have no idea where I am going." 

Shrugging sheepishly at his own ignorance, Lucian cast his gaze back to Wuark this time. Sure, it was possible that Kuro knew of a place to stay, but it was far more likely that Wuark, the native, knew better. It was quite fortuitous to have met these two, so far anyway.

Let's see where using words gets me....Whats the worst that could come from asking? Not much, right? Right???