[Training] Simple Gifts

Elspeth was absolutely, positively not lost. She had wandered out of the small dark room in which she was supposed to recover from the sparring accident and now had no idea where she was. The sun was beating down ferociously on her bare neck, the wind was howling in her ears, befitting of Tornado country, and above all the day was just confusing. Her footsteps made irregular taps on the ground in rhythm with her limp. She could see some possible thieves eying her, but all she had to do was flash some chakra threads their way and they'd leave her alone. No one wanted to screw with a missingnin, not even hardened criminals. And the category wasn't entirely mutually exclusive, either.

As she limped around the town founded upon the ruins of a once great city, she crashed into someone. She hissed and fell to her knees, which throbbed with the pump of her heart.

"Omigosh I am so sorry!" a male sounding voice rang out. It was a young man around her age with longish hair and a childlike facial structure. He reached a calloused hand down to help her up. She tilted her head. He seemed trustworthy enough... Elspeth accepted his hand and slowly pulled herself up. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yes..." she replied, coughing into her sleeve. The coughing burned her lungs and throat. "I'm fine."

"Well, whatever you say. I'm Anton," he introduced, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. A moment passed before Anton continued speaking. "Actually, I was heading over to get lunch. Wanna come with?" he offered. One more pause. "I was thinking of waffles." That settled the deal. She nodded and gave a weird-looking smile, with a thumbs up to go with it. He started walking down a semi crowded street and waved for her to follow. With nothing else to do, Elspeth limped along afterwards.

After walking for a minute, Anton stopped suddenly. A tall looking person stood in front of them with a knife. He swaggered forwards, hands grasped around the hilt tight enough to turn his knuckles white. Had he heard of her? Or was this just his first robbery? Either way, as he approached and spoke, Elspeth twister her hands into the tiger seal.

"G-give me your money!" he called out, clearly terrified. Well then. Maybe he could be reasoned with. She summoned her chakra and focused on placing it down in thick layers around his body.

"Temporary paralysis technique." She said, sounding bored. She limped a step forward and looked him in the eyes. "...you know, I don't think you're cut out for robbery." She tilted her head. "...you look like you'd be more interested in fine arts. You should consider baking." Sliding the knife out of his hand and placing it in her belt, she motioned for Anton to follow her. He complied, and scratched the back of his neck. After around a minute, he turned to her.

"So... You're a ninja?" he asked.

"Yeah." she replied. "I'm... Self taught."

"Oh. Well, that explains why you don't have a headband." he added cheekily. "I think the place is around here somewhere... Ah! There it is!" He placed his hand on a brass knob and turned it, holding the door open for her. She nodded and smiled in thanks. "What technique was that?" he asked as they walked up to the counter. It was made of solid wood, with an older woman standing behind it.

"Temporary paralysis," she replied, eyeing the menu. "It uses your chakra to restrict another person's movement. It doesn't harm the affected, though." She ordered a simple tomato sandwich while Anton ordered the biggest waffle plate she had ever seen in her life. The two sat down at a small booth and continued their conversation. "It's good for peacefully resolving conflicts... Like what you saw earlier," she spoke, stroking her chin as she did so. "If the person is too string, though, then it won't work. I've heard that some people can get so good at it that they can cast it with their eyes alone."

"That sounds... A little scary." Anton admitted. He turned his head down to stare directly at the plastic table. It had a weird texture... His hair fell and covered his eyes.

"I think that it could be worse." Elspeth responded, shrugging. Anton looked tense, his hands clenching and unclenching and his eyes steeled.

"Do... Do you think you could try it on me? I want to see what it's like." he said slowly. She raised an eyebrow. Did he want to get over his fear or something? That would be the only explanation that would make sense.

"Are you sure?" She asked. He nodded once. Well then. Forming the tiger seal, she performed the Temporary Paralysis technique on her new friend. He froze where he was, not moving, not blinking. After one minute had passed she released it. He shuddered. Tapping footsteps approached as the old woman from before brought the two water.

"Thank you," he said, but it wasn't clear who he was addressing. The woman nodded and walked away. They sat in silence. She looked around the restaurant, waiting for him to continue. After one more moment, he did. "It was... Really scary. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move. I think this is why I never really wanted to be a ninja... I wouldn't be able to constantly endure this stuff on a daily basis. And your injury-"

"Was an accident," she interjected. "I mean, yeah, it's a little scary, but that's normal. It's about being able to operate under pressure." Two plates of food were placed in front of them. They thanked the lady, but Anton insisted on footing the bill himself. She took a huge bite out of a tomato shamelessly, effectively cutting off the conversation. Her new friend sighed and started poking at his waffles.

"So... Wanna head to the library later?" she offered. He looked up and sighed.

"Yeah... Sure."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learning: Temporary Paralysis technique.
WC: 1007

(Exit)

Approved.