A Market Day (Priv/Snow/NK)

A day off at last.

Artemis entered her Konoha apartment after another late night of patrolling. She sat at the edge of her bed, taking off the long combat boots that she typically wore with her anbu attire. It took a minute but finally the boots came off and she let her whole body be sucked into the mattress, almost tempted to just lay there until her next mission came along. Since becoming an anbu, it seemed as if there was never a day to just rest. She didn’t have that luxury anymore to just enjoy an hour or to through the village market and enjoy the afternoon. Though, since her promotion, it seemed as if she had finally been given the chance to do just that, and she wasn’t going to just pass it up by just sleeping in bed all day. She’ll find time for some shut eye later.

Agent Cheschire put the rest of her anbu attire away. As she stripped herself from the uniform, it seemed as though she was changing into a whole new persona. The no chill attitude that consumed her during work hours turned into a socially awkward woman when it was off. Who could blame her though, her childhood was pretty rough. Not wasting any time, Artemis threw on a black and white kimono topped with her usually black bow that rested atop her head and headed out towards the village. She was going to enjoy as much of it as she could!

Upon making it towards the market, the village streets were crowded with people. Merchants yelled over the mundane conversations made by villagers, trying to sell their good. Kids ran through the people just walking by, playing a simple game of tag while their parents chatted amongst one another over cups of tea. It was a glorious day and while Artemis was alone, she could enjoy it anyhow. It was moments like these that she remembered why she had sworn to protect the village. Walking along from one stand to another, the girl’s eyes shined like a stars on a calm night. The sword shop was in full view. Without bumping into those in front of her, the woman made her way towards the shop.

Once in, she seemed like a little girl in a candy shop. She drooled over the many blades that decorated the shelves and walls. She going from wall to wall, admiring the work of every blade that was in the store. It had been a while since she had come here and it seemed like all the blades were different than the ones she had last seen. Too engaged in her sword gazing, The Pendragon bumped into a man wearing a long blue coat. Upon gently crashing into him, she would quickly turn around and bow down in respect. “My apologies!” She said rather quickly, before standing upwards once more.

Kiru, probably a little more suprised then a relatively skilled ninja should have been, jumped at the sudden contacr and fumbled with the blade in his hand heavily, nearly taking off a hand before catching it and setting it back on its display with a sigh of relief.

He had a small blush of embarrassment as he turned to the girl who bumped into him. While technically it WAS her fault he ended up being the one who felt bad, since he just showed signs of either the worst ninja sense ever or early onset parkinsons. The kimono clad girl looked like an average civilian but she seemed...different. The feeling wasnt something he could place, and even if she was a ninja, it wasnt just that. Well, at least she had apologized.

The Uzumaki...or Nara..or Nara-Uzumaki maybe? Anyway, the Blue clad boy gave a reasuring smile to the girl in response. "Its alright, I really should have been paying attention. I was a little caught up in some unique craftmanship. The names Kiru, Kiru Retsuno. What brings you to this shop of many sharp things miss..?"
He left the sentence open as a way of asking for her name. He had thought of introducing himself with one of his clan names instead of his fathers, but he wasnt sure he was up to it yet. He was only a recent inductee to the Nara clan and his exile from the Uzumaki, no matter how self imposed, had yet to be resolved.

Upon bumping into the male, he showed rather questionable skill in being caught off guard. The boy fumbled the sharp item as if it were a hot potato before reclaiming his hold on the weapon. Artemis rather just stood ready in case if the blade proved to be hazardous to any of the villagers that were also within the shop, an instinct she picked up during her ninja years. Upon seeing that he had a grasp on the weapon, The girl would have continued her courteous bow once he fully turned towards her. She was able to catch a glimpse of some of the man’s distinctive figured before her eyes faced the ground. Specifically the male’s right eye. Artemis had never seen such a distinct mark, and instantly became something that she took interest in.

Upon hearing the boy forgive her for her clumsiness, the girl would stand straight once more to face the male who took the blame for the even that occurred. It seemed as if he would a blade lover himself, something they instantly had in common. Kiru Retsuno was his name huh? The girl’s eyes quickly flicked towards the headband that rested upon his arm before laying her yellow irises back on his blue hues. This man known as Kiru claimed to be a Konoha shinobi, yet the woman had never heard of him previously. She was quote familiar with those among her ranks, who who truly was this man? It was a question that continued to plague Artemis.

“Well I’m a woman who indulges in rather sharp things!” She replied enthusiastically “They’re especially fun to play with.” She added on as she continued to eye the wide variety of swords behind the counter. While they weren’t even close to the ones she owned, she could still marvel at the craftsmanship used to create them. “Oh how rude of me, My name is Artemis, of the Pendragon clan.” She placed out a gentle hand towards the fellow she bumped into, hoping to shake hands with the male. “It is a grand pleasure!” The girl showed an odd confidence towards the male. It was rather strange for her since she was usually rather socially awkward. The girl stared into the male’s blue irises, captivated by his eyes. There was something about him that was off, and it was in her anbu instinct to figure out what it was.

“Say, Kiru-San, May you allow me to invite you to a cup of tea? I feel truly awful for what happened. Besides, it is my first day off in months and would really enjoy the company!” The girl asked filled with joy. She wasn’t sure whether she was starting to become delusional from the workload that had been placed on her, or if she was truly just this gleeful. Either way, it would be nice to interact with someone other than her own conscious.

The girl didnt seem to mind his rather embarrassinh antics, even to go as far as to reply to him in a rather enthusiastic manner. Well at least he hadn't made an entire fool of himself, though her terminology of calling the swords fun things threw him off a bit. There were usually two types of people who considered weapons fun. Either those that had never weilded them, or those that immensely enjoyed weilding them. Kiru himself was rather partial to his sword use and designing, so he had been known to refer to them as toys. Somehow, this girl didnt strike him as someone who couldnt defens themselves.

Her name, Artemis, was actually really neat. Though that she openly admitted to being in a clan was another testament to the odd feeling he got about her. She was clearly not worried what he knew about her, and so far wasnt clearly trying to hide anything. Technically, Kiru wasnt either but that didnt mean he didnt conveinantly leave information out either. He smiled at her, happy to meet someone who seemed so happy to meet him as well, and gave her a firm handshake, making sure not to crush her hand but also somewhay to test her grip. It wouldnt be plainly obvious he was doing anything buy being friendly, and this was more out of curiosity then suspicion.

Now, as she was inviting him to tea, he began to wonder if they were perhaps studying each other. There was no clear way to be sure. His headband had already signified himself as a ninja, so he'd already given so much away. It had started to feel like a game, to see how much he could find out about her without asking. "I can't say I've been out for tea in a long while myself, so that sounds absolutely wonderful. It'll be nice to have such nice company as well!"
She seemed to have noticed his eyes, which was nothing strange. The seal within one of them was something he got used to people staring at and therefore revealed nothing helpful about the girl. Anyone could be inquisitive.

The man gave her a rather firm handshake, a sign of common respect. Artemis fought off the urge to leave behind a mark seal within the palm of the man’s hand as that might have led to complications if she was caught doing do. Though, she would be sure to get someone later on to check if the man had left one on her. If he was a ninja, whether of the leaf or not, there was always the possibility he was knowledgable in one of the most basic fuuinjutsm skills. Artemis would return the gesture and give the man a rather firm shake herself, though she didn’t quite have the strength he did.

While the girl gave her surname willingly, she figured there was nothing to hide. Her connection to the pendragon clan meant very little to her utmost opinion, as she could have only been connected to it through her husband, if she had one that is. Or she could have very well be lying much like her new acquaintance, though the two who played this game of 21 questions would surely never know, not until the time was right that is.

“Wonderful!” Artemis did a little leap of joy once the man had agreed to accompany her on getting a cup of tea. “I know just the place!” Without warning, the girl headed off towards the exit, assuming the Kiru would follow along towards the little tea shop that was just around the corner. It was her favourite spot to come to at the crack of dawn once her night shifts were over, and before her day shifts would begin. Making her way through the crowds of people, she would enter the little family owned shop which was relatively empty for the business of the shopping district. Artemis found a seat near a table of two that was located at the centre of the room. Once her newfound friend had sat down himself, she would waste no time to make small talk while the waitress handed them petite little menus. “So Retsuno-San, I am quite curious. What is that marking that decorates your right eye?” Artemis spared no time getting to the questions. Maybe it was her lack of social skills that contributed to the scenario, but she sure hoped he didn’t mind answering. It was genuine curiosity rather than her operative instinct.

The girl seemed to be a bit weaker then him, but his test didnt help too much in the grand scale of things. She could have been testing him just as he was her. A simple game such as this was beginning to be pretty fun for the boy, as he was starting to assume she wasnt there to cause him harm. Perhaps he should relax more, though that wasnt quite easy to do given his proffesion.

The Girl was quite bubbly, jumping as he agreed to come with her with some excitement. With the proclemation that she knew a perfect place he followed her through the town a short ways. Some of this district had changed while he'd been gone, or perhaps, he'd just never looked at it that closely. The chosen tea shop was a nice cozy looking place, and seemed to be a good place for the two to hang out. Artemis led him to a table in the centre of the room, and he sat down as she did. They made small talk as the waitress handed them menus.

Artemis then asked a bold question, about the nature of the seal upon his right eye. That wasnt a question he could so easilly answer. Only one other living person knew about what the brand meant and he couldn't very well just go spouting every problem he had. Though the girl deserved some response, he would have to give her something. "Its a..brand of sorts. A reminder of something I still have to do. Something recently happened and ive been away from the village for a good..four months maybe? There was a man I defeated that left it on me. Between you and I I'd much rather not have it, but thats not quite how my life works out."
He said the last bit with a sort of sigh that summarized his almost fed up attitude with the complications of his life. He had probably given her more info then she needed, but sharing the info felt kind of nice.

[sorry for the wait :C]

The girl stared wide eyes at the man, awaiting the response that had tickled her interested since she laid her eyes on the stranger. Artemis took in the information much like a vacuum cleaner picks up dirt. She sucked it all right in and let her brain process the information. Her anbu instinct tried to dissect every chosen word used to describe the eye. Brand, a reminder, a man who left it on him. She let the man’s name wander her inner thoughts wander around, thrown into the large pile. Kiru Retsuno. If he had been in the village before, how come his name couldn’t ring any immediate bells? Surely she would have to bring up any files on him later in order to gather more information on not only just him, but this interesting brand that decorated his eye. “Indeed.” The girl finally let out, never breaking eye contact with the male unless he chose to look away. “Life doesn’t always play to our favour.” She could recall her tragic experiences in life, particularly being ripped from her family when she was young, and left to rot in a closet space.

“Are you ready?” The waitress asked standing at the side of the table, wearing a cute pink uniform. “Yes! May I have Gyokuro green tea?” The waitress nodded her head as as jotted down the order on a small notepad. “and for you sir?” The woman would as Kiru, waiting for his response. Once she had gotten his order, she would have headed back towards the kitchen to brew up the teas. “Sooo” Artemis began once more, her brain itching with questions. “Tell me about youuuu” she stretched out for no reason whatsoever. “Did you grow up in Konoha? What’s your life story?"

(Life happens to me too occasionally but im back!)

The girl seemed to study his every word as he told her about the mark. She was a very attentive listener even remaining in perfecteye contact as he described the situation that caused the brand, though he did it vaguely. He finished up and she responded in a way that suggested she understood, somewhat, the pain of a difficult life.

The Waitress arrived to take their order, and Kiru thought for a moment before responding, "Hojchica Tea for me please, thank you." (I apologize if i spelled that wrong)
Next the girl seemed to want to know where he had come from. Thay was a long and..difficult story. "I didn't grow up in konoha, I actually originally come from the village of Yukigakure. I was trained as a ninja of the snow until a man named Youka destroyed my village. Most of the survivors that were with me gave up the life of a ninja or otherwise vanished until it was just me and a few others. We moved here shortly after. Before Yuki, I was born in the Whirlpool village but I didn't live there long before I moved to Yuki. What about you? Have you always lived in Konoha?"
He didnt much want to discuss Yukigakure anymore. He could still vividly remember the women and children strung up across the village walls spelling the name of Youkas group. He had failed that village and the pain of that loss would never go away.