I have come to sleep with your queen [NK probably]

"You know I can't help but think I've taken a wrong turn." Takeo commented to himself, sweeping his fringe from his eyes. His hat had long since been discarded, finding the strange looks when someone caught sight of his eyes quite amusing, and now rested against his shoulder blades comfortably. Honestly, the nineteen year old shinobi had no idea where exactly he was. While his Byakugan was active as always, it wasn't really being used to help him navigate. No instead for once it was doing it's actual job and scouting for any potential threats to Takeo himself. It had been awhile since he had felt the need to do this, but being in a foreign land and all one can't be too careful. Unfortunately this new-found caution had a side effect, a lack of focus on anything else. And that is why Takeo found himself inside the halls of grandest of structures within the village of Hoshigakure. Still, it didn't seem like it was off limits or anything. Takeo spotted several people mulling about, sightseeing or something probably.

He also noticed some 'intimidating' guards barring doors and the like, so this place must hold some value. Now being the ever subtle and covert person he was, he strolled on up to one of the doors in order to walk right through. Imagine his surprise when he was told to stop? Takeo voiced his outrage, then was informed of the area being off-limits to the public and then he zoned out. Though he picked up something about a queen, which is when he decided to wave the man lecturing him off. "Yeah sure, sounds cool. But this is annoying, all this covert stuff. Pass a message on to whoever's in charge. I want to see them, now. You have five minutes before I decide to destroy the place." Of course, Takeo didn't expect the last comment to slide, but he had been itching to kill something for some time now. Perhaps the guards reacted badly he'd finally get his wish?

Who knows.

Ser Boros Blaunt, a dedicated but somewhat aging member of the Queensguard eyed this stranger warily. He was among the first of the old regime to get accustomed to ninja out in the open though most had the decency to abstain from ninjutsu while out in public. Ser Boros wasn't sure how this type of chakra worked but he was sure that you didn't need to know what a weapon did to be afraid of it. When the stranger requested a meeting with the Queen, the elderly knight was all set to disregard it. And then it came, the subtle note of a threat which made him swallow his words.

Thirty five years of guarding her royal highness and this is what it had come to, no respect for authority, no recognition of services. Sometimes Ser Boros wondered why he was still chained to his duty. Had he a wife and sons to go home to, would he still be here? Sometimes the old knight liked to fantasize that he wouldn't. That he would be somewhere far away, in a fishing village perhaps, spending the last of his days on God's green earth swimming in the ocean and frying up fish for his dinners. It was a peaceful dream, one often broken when the gong to change shifts went off.

"Very well, please wait here and I'll see if Her Grace is available," he stated flatly before disappearing through the door, leaving Ser Meryn to guard th door and the stranger alone. Of course Queen Shiera was in no position to greet a possible hostile. Had it been five years ago, maybe there would have been a chance. But Ser Boros had seen the queen row from a beautiful young princess to a frail old lady in too few years. So instead the knight headed towards the princess's chambers, announcing himself softly before entering, only to find the young blonde sitting on the bed with Prince Arata's head cradled in her lap.

"Come in Ser Boros, sorry, I'm just putting Arata to sleep," the blonde whispered, trying no to wake the young boy who's eyes looked on the verge of flustering open. When Ser Boros indicated that it was important, Akihan let out a small sight, bending down her head to place a brief kiss on her seven year old's forehead. Gently sliding his head off her lap, she tucked him in before gathering her pale pink gown around her and getting off the bed, following the Queensguard out the room.

"Is ii Her Grace, is she alright," the kunoichi asked worriedly only foe the knight to shake his head and explain there was a potentially dangerous visitor at the palace.

"Very well, I shall go see him now, please inform Denkiteki in case there's trouble." At the other side of the door Takeo was behind, Akihan dismissed the guard before opening it herself. The young woman didn't exactly cut an impressive figure in her still slightly rumpled gown and half loose braid, the only thing not out of place the small golden crown resting on her brow simply because of how tightly the handmaiden bound it to her golden locks every day. She would recognize the stranger in the same way he would likely recognize her, by the eyes. his a pale white while hers a soft gold.

"Good morrow, " she'd address the man with a slight curtsy. "I'm Akihana, how can I help you?" she'd add with a polite smile.

It was a strange feeling, being left alone in a room after making a threat to destroy the place with a stranger. Honestly Takeo felt rather foolish, he didn't much enjoy awkward situations. So, Takeo passed the time by examining the room he was standing in, the walls and all that. All the while he was counting down the seconds in the back of his mind. Though after awhile he did grow awful bored of that. Thus, he turned his attention to the one guard who remained by the door. Looking the man over, Takeo felt the need to laugh. It was pathetic honestly, this man posed no threat whatsoever to anyone. Even the person he had greeted at the gates was stronger than this one was. Takeo smirked slightly, how long would it take for him to kill the man he wondered?

The seconds would tick by, his mind thinking of the fastest and most entertaining way he could end the man's life. Sadly, none of them proved that fun. The guard was just too weak to provide any sort of entertainment for him while he waited. It would more than likely take about half a second for him to end the man's life, even less than that if Takeo put some marginal effort into it. One's thing for sure, he doubted the man would even be aware of his own demise until at least some time had passed afterwards. "Boring." Takeo sighed, the fingers on his left hand beginning to twitch and tap against his thigh. The urge was there again. It had been sometime since he had felt it. Takeo felt that it happened any time he visited a new place. The lust to end the life of an insignificant person. There were about two minutes to go when Takeo finally snapped. "Time's up!" He declared happily, his left hand sharply swinging upwards as he jabbed his index finger in the direction of the man. However, whatever would have followed from that was stopped by the opening of the door. Takeo's attention moved away from his soon to be victim, focusing solely on the person who stood there. Of course, the movement of his hand would change. In a smooth and casual movement his hand would change direction to reach up and swipe his fringe from his eyes once again. And in a brief moment, Takeo examined the lone figure in the doorway.

The first thing that Takeo noticed was that this person seemed relatively insignificant. With creased clothing and unkempt hair, it looked like she had been dragged out of bed in order to come here, which was probably true now that he thought about it. The woman wasn't exactly attractive either. Takeo had a scale of rating someone's attractiveness. The scale ranged from Xyxer to Takeo. Xyxer being hideously ugly, and Takeo being as close in appearance to that of a living god that walked the mortal plane. On this scale, she was about a six and three quarters. Though Takeo did cut her some slack based on the fact that she had about five minutes to get here, a short deadline to get prepared honestly. Then there was the crown that was perched on her head, signifying that she was royalty of some sort. Or at least an important person, Takeo didn't known the workings of this place all too well. It was safe to say that this person might be the Queen, though the lack of escort of any guards threw this into question for a moment. However that was when Takeo's senses, dulled from lack of combat, kicked in fully. "Finally." He murmured to himself, a grin on a his face.

She was strong. Not physically of course. The woman looked like she would have trouble trying to lift a newborn. But she possessed a chakra level higher than any he had sensed since arriving in this village. It was high enough to rival, even surpass perhaps, Takeo's own. Finally, someone that could at least put up a decent fight in this vermin infested place that was known as Hoshigakure. The thrill of finding someone that might be equal to him distracted him for a moment. Though then his eyes finally locked with hers. Takeo took note of the golden appearance of the eyes. Takeo's themselves were quite an oddity, one being the milky white of the Byakugan while the other was the coal black colour of an inactive Sharingan. This woman was definitely a shinobi, one who possessed some sort of bloodline ability it was safe to guess.

Takeo found himself slightly caught up in the appearance of the woman that when she addressed him he remained silent for several seconds. Though he quickly snapped back to attention. "Good morrow?" He questioned with a slight frown, though just shrugged it off. "Hey there, name's Takeo. I'm a semi-retired shinobi and former leader of a village that has long since been destroyed. I am a fan of sight-seeing though, oh and of drinking. I dislike long walks on the beach. I don't like being stopped by guards." He paused for a moment. "When I'm bored I do stupid things like cutting people's limbs off and destroying villages. And I'm growing bored. Is there anything entertaining to do around here?" Speaking the words as if it were just casual small talk, Takeo truly had amazing social skills.

At first Akihana couldn't even tell if the man had heard her. At least he made no response which made the Kunoichi look around self consciously. The palace's ante chambers and outer halls were always open to the public and today was no exception. Despite Ser Boros's warnings, the stranger had not harmed anyone. Perhaps he was joking? Akihana knew shinobi ran on a sense of humor quite unlike the people of Hoshigakure and she could only be grateful for that. Taking the moment to attempt to smooth down the silk of her gown, she waited patiently for him to reply.

And when he did, it seemed all the information had been waiting to tumble out of Takeo at once, his words running over each in a jumble that Akihana was only able to catch because she had two sons with similar speech habits when they were trying to get away with something.

"Well Lord Takeo, welcome to Hoshigakure. Our ruler, her Highness Queen Shiera the third of her name, has taken ill so she couldn't be here to greet you herself. I however would be happy to show you round Hoshi," the blonde explained with a kind smile, reaching out a hand to shake Takeo's if he was so inclined. if not, she would retract the slim hand until it disappeared in the folds of her dress.

"There are many taverns here and we serve both the local brews and imported ones if that's more to your liking. I'd suggest our home brewn ale though, unless you don't have a pallet for sweetness. I personally find it heavenly." Trying to go through his list, she moved on to the next item. "Village destroying I'm afraid is of the table. It would really just put a damper on everyone's day and it wouldn't be nice. However, I can get you some legos and we can build a model city out of it which you can then destroy," she offered, wanting to help. She knew shinobi got bored easily. It was the cost of living at such high stakes, placidity bored them. It was why Akihana had long ago decided that being a shinobi would never define her. Being a mother would.

"I've never been to a beach properly," she admitted when he mentioned he didn't like walks on it. "I mean, my grandfather told me of seaside towns a long time ago but I've never actually been to one. But by the sound of it, you don't have a ihgh opinion of them so I supposed I haven't missed much."

At the idea of more entertainment in Hoshi, Akihana's face lit up. "The City Blessed by the Stars has some of the most diverse and expansive religions of the world. We have everything from monasteries to mosques to temples to churches to smaller shrines dedicated to the more subtle religions and faiths. Indeed near sunset, Hoshi lights up with lamps from various establishments to honor the different Gods. It's truly beautiful, best viewed at the city square. A huge marketplace erects itself there and children put on shows. There are ale and gambling houses as well as tourneys and jousts. And of course if you travel a bit out of our bounds, there's the shadow lands but those are dangerous. Our ninja forces have been trying to clean up that area but we've met some... hindrances so I would advice you not venture to the shadow lands."

Takeo was slightly taken aback by being referred to as 'Lord Takeo'. It felt quite strange, though at the same time quite satisfying. The way that they spoke in this village seemed to be different than other villages, this place was awfully strange he found. The next bit of information proved quite useful. It confirmed that this woman was not in fact the Queen. A Princess instead perhaps? Though she didn't really carry herself or talked like one would expect. Another thing that Takeo found odd was the fact that the leader was ill, yet she had not be usurped in favour of a stronger ruler. Curious, he decided to voice his curiosity. "The leader is ill..odd how someone else hasn't removed her from power then." He commented lightly, looking about the room as he did. "Some flea tried to do that to me before." Takeo frowned as he recalled the incident, his left hand moving up to rub the jagged scar that ran along the side of his neck and collar bone. "Though I was unwell for reasons other than illness at the time, so maybe it's different."

It was after he finished speaking he realised that he had been ignoring her hand. Takeo blinked, and quickly moved to shake it. This was quite an odd situation he found himself in. Honestly this wasn't the reaction he had been expecting when he had waltzed into the place and started throwing threats about. What a bizarre experience. Takeo found himself caught off guard when the woman, Akihana her name was or something, began to talk about the taverns or whatever. Had she actually listened to everything he had said? That was supposed to just be random banter before the woman responded to the threat of him destroying the place. Perhaps this was some sort of mind game she was playing, an odd tactic. Was she stalling for someone else to arrive? Takeo found himself scanning the area through the vision of his Byakugan, looking out for any reinforcements that might be arriving.

And then Akihana changed to talking about something completely different. Now normally he would have found himself insulted by the words, it seemed like she was trying to mock him. "Are you mocking me? What the fuck are legos?" He didn't have long to let anger build up though, as the woman continued through the list of things he had said in order to reply to. So he just found himself standing there blankly as she continued to speak.

Maybe the crown signified that she was a tour guide? That might explain this nonsense. Takeo tuned out for the last part of her little speech, though he did perk up at mention of these 'shadow lands'. It sounded like an interesting place to visit. "Yeah that's nice, what kind of food do you guy's eat?" It had been awhile since he had actually eaten Takeo remembered, so perhaps now he could get some information on the important things.

At his question of why no one had tried to usurp the Queen, a look of shock and horror crossed Akihana's face before her features were schooled back into the polite expression she usually wore. "Why would anyone try to hurt a person already unwell?" she asked, golden eyes large with curiosity and wonder. "Our Queen is our greatest treasure, without her, there is no Hoshi. No one would ever dream of hurting Her Grace. We light candles and pray for her good health every night so the Gods may grant her a longer life and a prosperous reign." At first, Akihana had not been among the prayers, thinking that her medical jutsu could treat a broken heart. She had been wrong and in the last few weeks, had found herself too lighting a candle for Queen Shiera's health.

"I can help heal that scar," she offered lightly, her golden eyes tracing the mark he reached to rub subconsciously, no doubt at the memory of being usurped from somewhere. The blonde didn't know this man at all but she knew he must have had a difficult life if these were the scars he had to show for it. "If you want of course. I know some shinobi like to wear their scars like badges of honour. But if the memory pains you, I can make it go away."

The kunoichi raised her eyebrows in slight disapproval as he used an expletive to emphasize his question about legos, the same expression Arata would have gotten at using a no no word. She often tried to steer her boys right by adding harmless words into the mix. As it was, the word Lord Takeo had used would be "fudge", that was how she was going to think of it. "Legos are building blocks in the form of toys. They help teach children about construction and making new shape and structures. I had our Academy Ninja get a lot of lego sets for the students, it teaches them to shape things psychically before they get on to chakra manipulation. I can show you our legos in the royal playroom, though currently there's a huge dollhouse dominating the place. I'm afraid seven little girls recently used the playroom to try their hand at dress up and playing house."

All thoughts of toys and dollhouses were removed from her mind however when the young man mentioned food. Had he not eaten? If there was one thing Akihana wouldn't allow, it was for someone to go hungry. "Oh dear, how rude of me. I should have asked you for refreshments first thing, I'm terribly sorry," she tried to make amends, golden orbs lowered in embarrassment as she turned towards the door once more. "Please follow me into the royal kitchens, I'll make you something right away. the staff is probably busy with dinner preparations but I can whip you up anything you like," she offered, leading him through the door and down to one of the many kitchen spaces the palace utilized for different events.

"After all, you're in Hoshi meaning you're our guest," she smiled happily, inviting him to take a seat at the small kitchen table. "What would you like to have?"

Takeo found himself amused by the woman's reaction and response to him questioning how the Queen hadn't been overthrown. What an odd place this was. Or perhaps Tengakure had been the odd place? Though, Takeo had visited some other places in his time, and they seemed fairly similar to Tengakure. So this place was the oddity, along with this woman. No normal human had that level of chakra, so she was obviously a kunoichi yet she didn't act like any one he had met before. Takeo didn't bother to respond, just letting the amused expression he carried speak for itself.

Though that expression changed when she spoke of the scar. His eyes narrowed and once more he traced his fingers along it. "A kind offer," Takeo replied to her, "There is no honour in having scars. It shows that at some point you were weak enough to let yourself be harmed. I keep the scar as a reminder to not trust those that are supposed to be close to me. So I will decline your offer." At least for now anyway he would keep the scar. Did the memory of receiving it pain him? Not particularly, it just served as a reminder to never take part in a battle half-heartedly. It also reminded him that the people he led and protected had tried to betray him. The memory made Takeo laugh if anything, at how pathetic he had been during that period, at least that's what he told himself anyway.

While he found himself somewhat lost in his own thoughts he caught the reaction to the use of the curse word. Takeo rolled his eyes in response, so she was one of those people. Honestly how could someone in this day and age still be so sensitive. It was just a word, words meant nothing when it came down to it. He listened quietly as Akihana explained to him what this 'lego' thing was. He scowled, "Toys? Playroom? I am not a child woman. Why would I want to play with toys and build things to destroy? Destroying actual villages is far more satisfying." Takeo smiled towards her, his eyes scanning her face for her reaction to his words. This woman amused Takeo greatly, more so than any person he had met within the last few months. It was quite enjoyable to converse with her.

For the second time Takeo found himself thrown off guard by the woman's response to his question about food. He found himself unsure of how to respond, all he'd asked was what they ate. "Oh..um, it's fine don't worry about it." A mumbled response, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. "I was just cu-" Stopping mid-sentence as the woman had already started making her way back through the doorway. Takeo remained unmoving for a moment, then slowly followed after. Normally he would have just scoffed and dismissed the offer but he was quite hungry. Though, he did wonder if it was worth suffering through the hunger in order to avoid the awkward feeling he had now. He kept a small distance between him and Aki, hanging back about five to six feet. Takeo felt quite uneasy, thrown off by the odd behaviour of the female no doubt. Keeping a watchful eye with his Byakugan on his surroundings he soon found himself nearly walking into the woman when they finally arrived at their destination.

Takeo examined the room carefully, though his attention snapped back to his guide when she asked him something. "Hm?" His head tilted slightly to the right, "Oh." Once again feeling awkward he sat down by the table and frowned. "I'm....not aware what food you people eat. Anything that can be made quickly will do."

Listening to this man's reasoning for keeping the scar, Akihana nodded politely. It wasn't her place to judge anyone on this earth though there was no rule against the sadness that radiated from her golden gaze for a moment as he explained his refusal. A physical mark to remind yourself to not trust others, the idea seemed heartbreaking to Akihana. Of course the world wasn't perfect, the people in it even less so but she had always believed in humanity, believed that there was a code of right and wrong, a universal law that even the most cruel and heartless adhered to. The blonde herself couldn't explain her unshakable faith in humanity but to her, it looked like Takeo had lost his faith. Had they been friends, she would have reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly. As it was, she simply listened. if that was the only thing she could do for him, then she would do it to the best of her ability.

At his admission of destroying villages, the blonde cast her eyes downwards. It wasn't his fault. Destruction was something shinobi were made accustomed to. In that sense, it wasn't he who had failed the system but rather she. In her Genjutsu studies, the medical ninja had learned that once exposed to enough violence, a mind would grow unaffected by it. Whether this meant that Akihana had seen too little violence or that her mind was flawed in some way she did not know. She only knew that every depraved merciless act she ever saw left deep cuts on her soul, healed into by her own personal faith in all things good and a promised to do two good things for every one bad one she witnessed. "My village was destroyed," she admitted quietly, not quite meeting his gaze. "It wasn't satisfying. It was..." Not sure how to put all the bloodshed into words, the kunoichi simply trailed off before looking up with a smile once again and leading him through the doors to the kitchens.

Where talk of battle wounds and wasted lives didn't deter Takeo, it seemed simple questions about food did. Akihana watched as the young man transformed from a sharp witted, sarcastic and trigger happy ninja into rather an awkward person as he assured her that whatever she served would be fine. That was her queue, after all, there were few thing she loved more than cooking and baking things for people to enjoy. "Well, we do a lot with spices here, you know how it is, hot country, hot food. I'll just fry up some Tikka for you and I'm sure there's some dough rising somewhere for naan." With that, she was off, retrieving the marinated chicken from the fridge while the stove warmed and crackled with oil. Once the chicken was safely cooking on medium heat, she began rolling out the dough, using the rolling pin to flatten the shape of the naan out before cutting it carefully. Some people didn't really cut it to make it even from all corners. Not Akihana, Takeo was a guest and he would be treated to the best.

Inserting the naan into the oven, the kunoichi used her fire jutsu to expedite the baking process a bit, all the while maintaining a conversation with the young man who sat on the table.

"I like cooking, personally. I used to do it a lot when I was back home. You see, I'm not from here either. Not that it feels unlike home, I think its just about how you adjust with new people and at new places. but I'm sure you know all about that, as you mentioned being a traveler," she quipped, turning the chicken over to fry it equally on both sides as the naan baked in the oven. The coriander source was made in five minutes, Akihana crushing the leaves in a small plate and mixing it with salt and yogurt to form the traditional chutney that the folks of Hoshi enjoyed on hot days. To top off the meal, the young woman poured a full jug of chaanch in front of him, placing a glass beside it.

"There we go, the chicken's done, it was marinated for a while so its perfect now, and here's the naan, fresh out the oven. Why don't you give it all a try and see if you like it. if not, i can make you something more... universal like pizza."

His expression turned to one of curiosity at the mention of spices. The young man had a vague idea of what they were, though had never tried them out in any of his food before. And then the names of what Takeo assumed were food were thrown about. He was clueless about it all, evident by the look on his face as woman took off to start cooking. "Uh...okay?" Shrugging, he leant back in the chair and began to rock back and forth on the back legs of it. Remaining silent for several seconds as he did his balancing act with the hind legs of the chair, Takeo grew bored. His attention turning to Aki as she went about doing whatever the hell she was doing.

Takeo had never been one for cooking himself, so he was utterly lost in what was going on. As time passed he began to pick at the dirt under his nails, adjust his clothes, and style his hair. Random things because he was beginning to grow quite bored. Though he found his attention diverted back again when Aki spoke. "I don't really adjust to places. Since I don't stick around in one place for too long any more." He replied, leaning forward so that the chair finally slammed back down onto all four legs. Then he rested his elbows on the table and rested his hands against his cheeks. "I haven't encountered a place I want to stay in yet. Not since Tengakure anyway." Clicking his tongue in his mouth Takeo pondered on more things to say. "You said earlier that the destruction of your village wasn't satisfying. It'd be strange if it had been satisfying. Unless you were like me and you destroyed your own village."

Takeo didn't bother to continue speaking after that, deciding to just wait until the food was finally done with. He eyed the food that was in front of him carefully. Perhaps it was poisoned? Takeo felt a tinge of regret of having not actually paid attention to the cooking process, such a rookie mistake. "I have no idea what any of this is." He mumbled to himself, reaching out slowly as if the food might suddenly come to life and try to kill him. Testing the waters a bit, he took a small bit of everything to taste. It was odd, though not bad. What he cared about was if it were edible or not. Deeming that everything was edible, he tore through the food at a rapid rate.

It took him a few minutes to finish the food. And Takeo paused for a moment. "That was..alright." He said with a frown, how did someone compliment food? Whatever, he didn't care enough to bother dwelling on it. Pushing himself from the chair he stood up, stretching his arms in the air. "What's a joust by the way?" Takeo finally questioned, recalling the mention of that earlier. It had been mentioned along with tournaments, so he assumed it was some sort of competition. So perhaps he could find some entertainment in this city before he left to go...wherever.

As she went about preparing food for the young man, Akihana interspersed her conversations with small stretches of silence for his answers or even introspection should he choose to indulge in them. He mentioned he didn't adjust to places, a sad admission by all counts and yet the blonde couldn't keep a smile from her lips - bending down to fetch the freshly baked naan and hiding it in the process - at how at home Takeo must have been to start the self grooming process right here in the kitchen. Perhaps he would adjust to this place? It was wishful thinking on her part but what was life without a few wishes, even if Akihana knew all too well the likelihood of them coming true. "I think your hair looks great the way it is," she smiled warmly as he styled his white locks in various ways. "Though of course, hairstyle is a preference, mine usually depends on what picture my son picked out from a storybook that day."

The talk of village destruction made the soft smile fade from her lips, her eyes shadowed with sadness as she considered his query. "I could never have destroyed my village. I loved it. It was a part of me and then someone came along and..." The blonde trailed off, unsure how much to divulge. Kumo's destruction was no secret certainly but saying it out loud made it so much more poignant. She still remembered seeing what the demon priest had done to the place and the people that had been, that still were, her friends. "I wasn't born in Kumogakure but it is the only home I had before I came to Haven. I had a life there, it wasn't important and it certainly wasn't grand but it was mine. Now... I don't even know if any of the people I used to know back then are alive. Have you heard of the fall of Kumogakure, it happened about a year ago."

Her somber tone melted away for the most part when Takeo started to scrutinize the food hesitantly. She could understand the nervousness at trying something new and he admitted as much but still, she had to applaud his courage as he tried it all anyway, soon cutting a fine path through the courses she'd laid out, making her smile once more. Few things gave Akihana as much joy as giving people food and Takeo seemed like he had a healthy appetite. The Kunoichi made a note to pack him some sandwiches when he left and to keep checking on whether he had enough to eat during his stay in Hoshi.

"A joust," she explained warmly, picking up the plates as he stood up. He was done eating and there was no shame in clearing the table and stacking the dishes for the hard working servants of the palace. "Is a game played on horses. Two men mount their horses, holding up long lances by which they attempt to unhorse another. We have a shinobi variation too where instead of lances, we use jutsu but that's usually done when civilians aren't around. i personally think its more of a challenge to do it without the use of chakra, with just your skill and intellect working to unseat the other competitor." It was a game Akihana had grown fond of much later than the rest of Hoshi's customs. At first, her primary concern had been the safety of the two horsed competitors but later on the blonde had realized that the game was only about unseating one man from a horse, not about violence or pain. Plus the added safety measures around the field in which the joust was held had ensured no one got seriously hurt.

"Would you like to watch a match? There's going to be one this weekend, I believe. A good one too since both champions have remained undefeated in their respective contests so far. I wasn't planning to watch but if you like, I could go with you, or have someone else escort you if my company is too banal."