But What About the Wolves? [Hato Sano]

[Sorry for the late&short post, will do better next time I promise.]

"I married his mom." Ryūka said with a serious face, that he couldn't keep up for more than a few seconds, as he started chuckling. "No, I... Just did my job, really. Protected the restaurant from some thugs... The owner was the exceptional one here, with his gratitude, not me.". He then answered the man, who he had kept waiting until after he had told his 'joke' (well, to be fair it was probably the funniest joke a two-year-old has ever told. Two-year-olds usually tell the worst jokes.). "I... I'll have whatever she's having, I guess. And also... Yeah, no that's it.".

"What about you, Hato?" then the Genin said, after waiting for the waiter to leave. "I know I have an exceptionally short story, but I love hearing longer ones. What's your story?".

Ryuka's response was nothing short but immature, another character attribute to add to the list. It wasn't her favorite personality trait but she wanted him to like her so she giggled as soon as he started chuckling. She had years of experience of faking a laugh so this was pretty good one. He explained afterwards that he saved teh owner from some thugs and he was very thankful. Hato had a hunch that that's what it was. 

Suddenly the tables had turned, Ryuka asked what her life was like. Her backstory was nothing short of awful. "Oh where do I started," She said in a sigh, but still smiling. "My father was a terrible one and would be a general awful person around his family, my mother wasn't much help either," she started. "My brother seemed to be the only one to keep me safe." She started getting a bit choked up but just coughed it away. Although she was mostly faking it, she knew how the story ended and she was happy with it. "One day my brother was murdered, by bandits. I couldn't take much more of it, I left home to become a medical ninja so no one would have to go through what I did. I also found out a week later after I left, my mother and father were killed in a fire. I thought I would be fine with their deaths but I relized that they could've changed, but now it's too late." She pretended to hold back tears. Their were a lot of fabrications in the story that she couldn't just tell someone. "Sorry, too dark." She smiled nervously at Ryuka after telling her fable.  

WC: 282
TWC: 2080

Ryūka suddenly slowed down, physically. His childish expression faded. "I..." he tried to put a sentence together, but seemingly couldn't find the strength. "Don't have much experience with family. What about your parents? Why do you say your father was... Awful? I hope it's not too personal a question to ask; it's something I have trouble telling sometimes.". Ryūka stood silent and watched Hato's expression carefully. 

"And it shouldn't be a surprise I don't have much experience with loss either..." he thought, "I don't know what to say... I don't know if I should even say anything to begin with.". "It's not too dark." Ryūka said, trying to reassure Hato, "It's... I'd love to hear it all, if you feel like sharing. If you don't want to, we can talk about something else. Whatever you're comfortable with.". The waitress came back with the orders. "2 CURR-ies...". She started her words energetically and cheerfully, but slowed down as she realized the tone in the table had shifted. She silently put the food down, and left as Ryūka silently said "Thanks." after she had already started leaving.

"The missing-ninja... Sorry, the bandits? Were they ever found? Do you know much about them?". Ryūka had once again fallen into his comfort zone, even if it was unintentional. He didn't know how to console people, how to deal with loss, how to help people with their emotional problems. He had read a lot about that, sure. But this wasn't a book, or a different medium through where stories were shared. No, this was real life, as far as he knew. And he was sure that his knowledge that came from books wasn't always useful in practice. But now he had one more thing. A second one, after books. He was a ninja. If there were bandits involved, maybe Ryūka could have been a part of this, somehow. Maybe he somehow could have helped; maybe not with her grief but perhaps the need for revenge Ryūka thought she could be feeling, as he had read a lot of characters feel after similar things happening to them. Either way, it was yet still time to listen, not offer anything.

The multi colored haired shinobi looked upset by her story. A simple reaction to the story she told. It was the prettiest either even though some important part were fabrications. Ryu asked what kind of stuff he did to the family. Hato replied simply, "He would phycially and emotionally hurt my mother and I." At least that part was true. 

Ryuka's requested more of the story afterwards, stating that it wasn't too dark for him. Hato laughed nervously, "No, It's ok. Nothing much happened afterwards, it was mostly me finishing the academy." Shortly after, the curries arrived with the cheery waitress. Hato grabbed her plate and thanked the waitress. Ryu kept the conversation though. He asked if the bandits she fibbed about were ever found and how much she knew about them. Hato shrugged, "I never bothered to look into it much, they seemed like petty bandits and murders. I hope they don't comeback to hurt any others but I won't hunt them down simply for my parents murders." She replied simply. 

WC; 172
TWC: 2252

Nero listened to what Hato had to say. He then looked down to his curry, and looked back again at Hato. "What are you doing after this? I realise that cold cases are harder to solve, but you know... If you're down, we can try and find them... The 'bandits'.". The words fell out of Ryūka's mouth without much thinking about it on his part. It might have been him overstepping the line, but he hadn't allowed himself to sit and consider it. The words were already out. And Ryūka didn't regret it, at least not for now; he really did mean everything he said, but just wasn't sure if it was proper to say. 

It was slowly becoming too much for Ryūka. Not Hato's story, at least not by itself, but all of his recent encounters combined. First the man named Damon, who dropped a history of betrayal, blood and escape on him. Then there was Zyxis, whom Ryūka still didn't know what to make of. If the boy was just simple, or maybe sinister. It was unlikely, but not impossible. As he had been taught, it was much better for a ninja to act paranoid than careless. It was a given, with his line of work. A line of work, that he was just getting into, and lacked experience in. Out of all the people he had met, Hato seemed to be the surest of herself. Ryūka respected that, and even maybe looked up to Hato in that regard. If the rest of their conversations would support that idea, the case would be even more so. She just oozed confidence in Ryūka's eyes, even more than Damon; even though Ryūka wasn't in a place to judge which one of two would have been considered stronger by regular norms. Either way, it was a question for another day. For now, Ryūka was seeing this conversation through.

Ryu looked like he was actually deeply wounded by her story. It was odd. This a reaction she never expected. Was it empathy? Hato had only known sympathy, fake emotions so that people would fall into her hands. Something she had much practice in. The next adding to the conversation was even more bizarre to the stone cold Hato. Ryuka asked if she wanted help finding these bandits. Hato obviously couldn't let him go looking deeper into this but there was another thing. He cared...Something new entered her heart, and it almost hurt. She didn't know what it was. She didn't like it at all, mostly because she had felt it before. It was the feeling she felt with her brother a long time ago but it was a bit different. 

The shock almost caught her off her guard emotionally, so Hato quickly snapped back to reality. "You are very kind," She placed her hand gently in front of Ryuka, around his plate and hers so he could place his hand on hers for comfort. "I'll be okay, my life is great and vengeance will only cause more pain." This didn't feel like a lie anymore. She felt...happy, which made her unconformable internally. She was good at hiding it externally. Externally, she was giving a comforting smile. 

WC: 217
TWC: 2469

Hato putting her hand forward was a puzzling gesture to the Genin. For a second he looked at the table, trying to see what she might have been trying to reach for, but then pulled his focus back into the conversation they were having. "That's... A really mature way to think..." Ryūka answered to Hato saying she wanted the let go of the past. It made Ryūka think of what he wanted to with his past, for a short while before once again he pulled himself back into the conversation. "I respect that.". And he really did. He didn't know whether it was his 'age', his personality, or the fact that he was using either as an excuse; but Ryūka could never make decisions like that. He was much more hesitant usually, but at the same time, much more intuitive than strategic or decisive.

"So," Ryūka said after swallowing another bite of his curry. "What are you doing after this?".

The signs were everywhere. Ryuka wasn't a very socially adapt person. Perfect. Hato couldn't ask for a more cuter victim. She had his respect, trust and possibly his interest. The black window had thread her web of lies and possibly gotten a small fly caught. But Hato still was feeling different about this man and it was strong feeling too. She could let herself be overcome by these emotions, there is still history to this man and she wanted to see if it was anything worth digging into. 

Trying to continue to the topic going so neither of them would be bored of the conversations, Ryu brought if she was doing anything after this. "Well, I'm not sure." Hato said taking another bit of her curry. "I normally just go with the crowd on free days." She then reversed the question, "What about you? Are you doing anything?" She figured the answer was nothing, but she couldn't know for sure. Maybe shed follow him around more. Who knows, maybe a trip to the bed wouldn't be a bad idea either. She wouldn't rush anything, she needed to take things slow.  

WC: 190
TWC: 2659

"Are you doing anything?"

As Hato spoke those words, time stopped for Ryūka. It was a perfect set-up for a variety of punchlines he could think. In fact, a 'variety' didn't even cut it. At that instant, Ryūka fell into a world of dreams, his body stuck in that point in time, his mind carrying itself into an ocean of one-liners, shenanigans, witty comments, edgy or inappropriate answers, and so much more. There were too many... Definitely too many for Ryūka. In an instant, he was feeling more overwhelmed than he ever had in his entire (2 years of) life. Before his mind could travel back from this ocean of immaturity, his body had already reacted. His lips were moving. His mind tried to race back, swimming as fast as it could in this ocean, but was nowhere fast enough to stop the words from coming out of his mouth. "Nothing, really.". 

The answer was too quick, if anything. Maybe it was that Ryūka was too overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities, or maybe it was that the Genin had become used to dishing out these generic answers to people that he didn't want to talk to. So much so, apparently, that it became a reflex that kicked in even when he was interested in the conversation he was having. 

He was already done with his curry at that point. He didn't pay any attention to Hato's food, mildly scared of it possibly coming off rude, as he instinctively asked to Hato, "Drinks, dessert? Or do you want to get out?". He would listen to an answer if there was one, and call the closest waiter or waitress, if she chose to stay instead of leaving. "So... What would you like to do after this? Go with the crowd? Do whatever you were doing before this?".

"Nothing really," was a generic phrase, might as well of came from a brick wall. However, Ryuka didn't seem bored like most people when saying the line. Rather he seemed nervous. Was it the butterflies some people got from just socializing? Or were the butterflies after Hato? It's a question she had to deal with delicately, she couldn't let this one get away. 

Ryuka asked if Hato wanted drinks, dessert or even getting out of here. Hato had finished her food as well, around the same time as Ryuka finished his. She wasn't really hungry anymore, the meal was quite filling itself so dessert was off the table. She could go for a round of sake if the restaurant had some, but she didn't want to get drunk or get Ryuka drunk at the moment, maybe on another date. So there was only one option left. "I think we should get out of here," she exclaimed.  

Ryuka got the waiter and he took the check. Ryu continued to ask what they should do, down to more detail. "Why don't I take you to my place? I got some wine and a nice couch I just bought." She offered seductively, but not like a cruel seductive, rather more innocent. "Or just to drop me off." She offered as a second option. She wasn't sure what to with him. Invite him in for some "fun"?Or keep it slow? Who is this man?

WC: 240 
TWC: 2899