Relaxing Night (Icarus)

Ichiro when off ninja duty had another profession he went after. It was simply cooking and being a chef. He enjoyed it almost as more than the adrenaline rush he gets when he goes on missions. If he would make a list on why he enjoys cooking it would be the experimenting with flavors and the aroma it creates.

Today was just another slow day in suna...well actually it was the end of the day. Ichiro had set up his food stand not long ago, it wasn't as big as one would expect but it did well thus far. He usually would get a lot of people to stop by during the night but it seemed it wouldn't be as so. There was at most 2 people who did stop to eat so that kept him going for a while without closing shop. “Tonight's special is sandfish! Sandfish ramen and Miso soup!” he joked. Actually the sandfish wasn't actually a fish. It was a reptile that was known for being able to “swim” in sand. If anything it was probably the closest thing he could get to seafood in Suna. Ichiro wasn't actually big on the...eating animals. He just doesn't do it especially being able to talk to them. Either way he did what he had to do to make that money.

There was this old man that always come visit for a light night meal. He was a traveler of sorts. Told Ichiro all about the outside world and all his adventures he had until he took an arrow to the knee and had to retire. Ichiro served him up today’s special free of charge as usual and took a seat down. He just relaxed, like always. There was no bandits in the village or murderous scumbags. No random crazy guy or drunkard making public threats. It's been chill like this for a while now and he was just used to it. “Old man you had a good life huh?” It was just a simple thought as he waved to the leaving old guy who was now done eating.

Hopping up from his seat Ichiro went back to work. Tied the apron around his waist and tried to get the passing villagers attention. “Oi you! You know you want some fresh food! Hot fresh Ramen tasty ramen like nowhere else!” Being in the main shopping district with all the other restaurants and food stands, someone had to show up right?

Ichiro started cleaning the few dishes that was dirty. He was kinda glad he didn't have a lot of people tonight as he usually would. He then just began to multi task as he checked the remaining ingredients he had in stock. He counted and checked things off his list frowning at the low stock of rice. “Going have to buy more rice soon…..and more peppers, onions and broth. Don't forget the payment to keep this spot too…” he sighed once he saw the total cost. “Geez at this rate I wouldn't be able to go international...much less get a full sized restaurant.” Most of the ryo he received from missions went into this, his career as a chef. He spent most if not all of it buying the food cart and since then he haven't been able to save up.

“I think I got enough to cover everything for now.” He mumbled to himself as he looked up to see a familiar face and a bird. “Yo Icarus and Rio.” He greeted them both and nodded when he got the order. Icarus and Ichiro went waaaay back. Like if he had another brother Icarus could be that guy. Ichi quickly whipped up the meal Icarus seemed to favor so much and placed it in front of him. “Business is slow. Which I'm surprisingly actually grateful for. “ The teen then pulled out a small bag of bird treats and took some out for Rio. He placed the treats on a plate and set it down so the bird was able to get it.

“So Icarus what crazy idea you got in your head tonight? Flamethrower flying puppet or a giant puppet that can stomp on people? Oooo how about one that split off into multiple parts?” Just to get the crazy ideas flowing. “But really what's the talk for tonight eh?”

His hand would wave in the air at the words from the chef. "Child's play...". Icarus would say lazily at the proclamation of death dealing machines. "Those are a dime a dozen, nah my next one will be something worth writing about. As soon as I figure out what that is I suppose." He would say with a laugh. Taking the bowel he would have a couple of bites. The sounds from outside meant that Rio was pleased with his own meal.

"Just thinking......". He would say a little cryptically. "You know me Ichi. It's just getting a little confining in this place." He would say setting down his food. His eyes gaining a far off look. It was true, much like his partner he didn't like being caged. That's what a village was in some ways. A cage to keep out others and to maintain safety for those within. Still, a cage was a cage. He had been thinking of ways to leave, to spread his wings a little yet it was impossible. He got to see the outside of the village on occasion, but it wasn't enough.

His latest thoughts and readings had been of a recent quality. The destruction of nearly every minor village of mention. They had no were near the power of the major shinobi villages sure, but still they were shinobi villages. Yet was anything being done with the wreckage. All those materials, secrets, resources lay for the taking. Who was there to exploit the situation? The MN was the most likely candidate. Their powers no doubt growing if left unchecked. Yet that was a mission for a higher rank than he.

"You order from outside the village Ichi. Why are the tradesman saying about the minors that got hit?"

Ichiro gave a quick snort before letting out a laugh. “Something worth writing about? Yes I can see it now!” He took a seat and crossed his legs and pretended to push up the non existent glasses and read a non existent newspaper. “Oh yes…” in some old man sounding voice. “Front page, says here a youngin’ named Icarus managed to create the world’s most magnificent puppet!” Clearing his throat he continued his little act. “Back in my day, I used to watch puppet shows when puppets were a little less deadly. Mhmm.”

Anyway after his little act for laughs or whatever, Ichiro released a sigh as he listened to Icarus. “Confining? Huh that's understandable.” Yep Ichiro sorta had the same feeling too. It was more of him just wanting to see the world rather than hearing about things from others or even reading about places in scrolls and books. Like what is snow? Seriously what is a snowflake?? “There's a big big wonderful world out there….this girl once told me what it was like to her. It was pretty dark and unforgiving from her perspective….” he thought back to that time he met that girl in the desert.

He frowned trying to think of what other people had to say. “It alternates. Everyone has a different view of things which I noticed. It can be rainbows and sunshine or rain and darkness. Sometimes a bit of both hm.” taking a moment he looked at the sky in a daze. “Either way the world outside of the village…..it's different. A mystery for us at the moment. “ Yep he was going to stop there before he went on and on about what he thinks it's like outside the village.

Ichiro had a bored expression on his face as he looked at Icarus of course it quickly changed to excitement when his pal asked about things the traders talk about. “Well. Disaster. They say it's a real shame. All those people who lost their home and those that died in the process. It also damaged the trading business since those minors had things that not many if not no other villages had.” Ichiro shook his head sadly and paused to think more on the subject. “Not really sure about the survivors but...some trader said he was on his way to a village when it happened. Some shady looking guys probably wearing shady looking clothes came in and started wrecking the place.”

“Of course he could be lying. Anyway I assume they attacked the weaker villages. No idea why, what, or who? Whoever they are...they are pretty dangerous huh maybe worth a lot too.” Ha no. He had no intention whatsoever to go MN hunting. Literally a waste of time. His plate was full and he just liked doing simple things anyway. Hunting dangerous people was not simple.

“So what? Why the sudden interest in those ruins of villages?”

Icaraus laughed a bit at Ichiro’s little show. If Icarus ever became too serious he could count on the chef to serve him up some humor to keep things grounded. It was true that when it came to certain trains of thought he could get lost so down the tracks that he became more the machines he worked on than a person. “Well you know, maybe some day…” He would say with a smile letting him know he appreciated the humor to bring him back to earth.

“I guess that’s everywhere though isn’t it?” he would say looking behind him. He would turn his chair slightly, so that both he and Ichiro could see the street outside. Watching as different villagers moved from place to place going about their lives. “Perspective changes everything. Perception is reality is the phrase I think.” He would reach back and take a drink of water. “Some say this is the strongest village, some say it isn’t. Some say our leader is powerful, surely somewhere else someone believes this to be a fallacy. Who is right and who is wrong? Who can say until it is all put to the test? Even then, if someone still believes different not much changes. To some the world will always be a place of pain, and to some they will find joy in the smallest blades of grass, or a hammock in the sand.” He would say a real smile on his lips now. “I guess we won’t know until one day we see it for ourselves.”

He would listen closely to what Ichiro had to say. Not much was known, or at least told to the genin about the destruction of the villages. Who was behind it was a mystery, or maybe it wasn’t to some. Either way there were few eye witnesses, and even fewer solid facts. Each village had been hit in fairly quick succession, completely tore away from whatever glory they had tried to make. Was it a statement, or an act of war? If it had been though, why the radio silence. No it didn’t make sense. Surely no individual would raze villages, killing thousands of innocents for nothing but the joy of it. The only logical answer he could come up with it was a test, and from what Icarus knew, he thought the major villages had failed.

“Think about it Ichiro, what is happening to those palces. Millions of ryo just going to waste. Supplies, building materials, weapons, scrolls, hell even just land. If no one is taking it they just sit there wasted. Why isn’t anyone doing anything about it? Or are they are we are late? I don’t know, maybe the kage has people working on it, maybe we just don’t know. All I know is, if I had a say we would go to them. Not only to see the world, but to bring the world to us. Open up supply lines, take that wasted material. Get in on the ground work of rebuilding and form alliances that couldn’t be broken……Not sitting here watching the fucking sand blow by….” He reached and took another big drink after his outburst. They were rare, but these thoughts had increasingly plagued his mind. After all these years staying a genin, he finally had found some form of ambition. The confinements of his rank, of his strength wore heavily on his neck these days.