Being Social for Once...if I Survive It

Mara Asano made her way into the center of town, trying her best not to look as awkward standing around as she felt. She wasn't used to socializing, especially in a public place. Idrina had been there, but she was more of a sister or roommate at this point.

Leaning against a wall, she found herself looking around at the crowd nervously. Her outfit was on the fancier side for Mara. A slim black shirt, with a white hooded jacket and red skirt. She couldn't decide if it was silly or not to have dressed up a bit. She was also sure she was confusing the hell out of Zyxis. She wasn't good at....well, any of this social stuff. She had actually surprised herself by suggesting it.

After a few minutes of standing, she began twirling her hair to distract herself. She knew she shouldn’t have come early. She was psyching herself out just standing there. Finally spotting him in the crowd, she smiled and waved. "Hey! Glad you showed up. I don't think I could have handled just standing around much longer."


[WC: 183]

Zyxis tied his bow tie for the second time. He wore the same white dress shirt with black dress pants and a black vest. He stared at himself in the mirror for a bit. Was it weird that he considered himself handsome? The Uchiha had never gone through a self-depreciation phase, the only thing you similar to that was when he unlocked his Sharingan. He lightly brushed his hair and cut it a little bit so it could stay the same as it always was.

"I'm so proud of you son. Not one, but two girls you're going on a date within two weeks? Even you're super cool dad wasn't that awesome with the ladies when I was your age. You make our whole family proud, son," He said patting his head. His mother burst into his room, "I'm gonna have grandchildren soon! That's a thing with you shinobi. You're able to drink and kill, so the age of consent is lower too, correct?"

His eyes widened, "Are you two mental? I'm gonna go have fun and try all night to forget what you guys just said." The white-haired boy opened the window and jumped out, disappearing in a flash of black and white. He let out a sigh of relief when he made it into town. He walked towards Mara, who he had spotted almost instantly.

"Hey there," Zyxis greeted her with a smile, "You look comfortable, but at the same time stunning. I'm glad I made it. Now, since you're the one that wanted me to take you out, where should we go? I don't mind paying for anything."

He would wait for her response.

Mara mock curtsied. "Why thank you, sir. I aim for comfortable, but stunning." She gestured to his outfit, noting the dress shirt and bowtie. Bow tie. That in particular felt like it was out of place. She wondered if it was a personal preference or if she was just very out of touch with the style of those with a bit more coin. "You're quite fancied up yourself. I had worried I might have over dressed. Didn't realize people got so dressed up all the time."

Zyxis certainly liked to flirt. She was fairly guilty of that herself when she let her guard down. "I honestly don't have a particular place in mind. I don't really come this far into town for food. My wallet wouldn't support such a lifestyle." She looked around at the various fancy locations nearby, all usually well outside her consideration. With an inward guilty flinch, she gestured down the street. "There is that new place with the fancy brick oven. I've never eaten that kind of food, so it could be fun...if it would't bankrupt you."

She looked over his face getting the impression he was a little frazzled. "Everything alright with you? You seem a bit strung out. Usually, I'm the one who's freaking out."

[WC: 211 | TWC: 394]

Zyxis shook his head, "This is only like the second time I've worn this. Although I have to admit, I do look lovely in it." He gave her a sly grin, faux tightening his bow tie. The two would begin to look, their eyes all over the town. It wasn't too late, nor was it too early. The sun hadn't started to go down, so the two had the whole evening to themselves. As they walked, the boy frowned as she explained she couldn't pay for much.

"I'll handle everything; you have fun. It's good to get some relaxation in with our hectic schedules, not to mention the upcoming Chuunin Exams. A brick oven pizza sounds great, to be honest. Here, let's go," He said, turning his frown upside down. Mara seemed to catch the little mood that he had got from his parents.

"Well," He said, looking to the side with a blush appearing on his face, "My parents are always trying to get in my life. It's not that I dislike them or anything like that, they can say some embarrassing stuff and imply other things that are even more mortifying. Nothing to worry about, I'm already feeling better now that we've got some fresh air."

It didn't take them long to make it to the place. The boy's blush would've vanished by then. There was a man out there serving food, with picnic tables set up all around the lot. The man had a red hat, a neat mustache, and a white apron over a red t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He seemed to notice them almost immediately, "Hello! Welcome to a my-a restaurant! Mario's Italian-a Flavors! Here, take a seat, and we'll be right with you!"

The white-haired boy nodded towards the man and went to sit down with Mara. They sat at opposite sides of the table. A man slightly taller than Mario, with a different sort of mustache, and decked out in green appeared. "It's-a Luigi, at your service! What will you have today, good sir?"

"I think I'll have a pizza with pepperoni, sausage, and bacon on it. Could you throw in a few green peppers and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese, please? Thank you." He and Luigi turned to Mara, "And what would you-a like to have miss beautiful?"

Zyx would slightly smile at her as Luigi pointed out the obvious.

[Mario and Luigi are now canon occupants of Kumo. Very clever... :p]

Mara nodded. “Jeez, the Chuunin Exams. I’d almost forgotten about those. At this rate, I doubt I’ll even be ready. Yeah, a little decompression would be nice.” The understatement of the century.

She chuckled, but didn’t immediately respond regarding his parents. They made their way over to the restaurant, and Mara’s eyes remained wide. The dining was all so formal! At least, it was formal compared to what she was used to. They finally arrived at their destination. It was thankfully less intimidating, with its outdoor seating and somewhat garishly dressed chefs. 

She settled into the seat across from Zyxis and waited for him to order, before the green clad chef turned his attention in her direction. “I’d like basically the same, I guess. But hold the bacon and peppers.” Ok, maybe fancy food was less about what you ate and more where you ate it. 

Once their orders had been taken, she spoke up. “Obviously every situation is different, but I’d be glad you got the set of parents that you did. Embarrassing isn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things. It can be a lot worse,” she started to trail off a bit at the end, distracted by a particularly overdressed woman passing, before she focused. “Personally, I’ve found they cone in a wide range of qualities. Some take others in like their own children. Others, it’s best to avoid altogether. Embarrassing is pretty good honestly.” Her voice betrayed no emotion, but her eyes had the vaguest hint of additional moisture. 

[WC: 254 | TWC: 648]

"I'm gonna participate and beat everyone," Zyxis said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world, "Hopefully we go against each other so we know there's no chance for fatalities." The white-haired boy waved off Mara's anxiety, "You'll do great." Their conversation continued, and he seemed to hit a rough spot when he mentioned his mother and father. He inwardly sighed, he knew that a shinobi's lifestyle wasn't hard, he should've been more sensitive and sincere.

"Hey," He reached over the table and gently grasped her palm with his. The boy's hands were soft but rough at the same time. He would glide a thumb against the back of her hand, caressing it comfortingly, "I didn't mean to make you upset. We don't have to talk about it, but if you want to, I'm here." He gave her a gentle squeeze of the hand, and let it go. He tried not to make it awkward, but more comforting.

The boy grabbed a slice of pizza, already use to heats way hotter than something coming straight out of the oven, and put it on her plate, "Don't worry, my hands are sanitary," He joked, with a wink. He grabbed a slice of his own and began to eat it, waiting to see if she was okay.

Mara appreciated the gesture. "No it's alright. It's just...sometimes the family you are related to by blood isn't what you really want it to be. It's a settled issue at this point. My family and I just...we're not a good fit. So it's probably best for both sides that we stay away from each other. I might go into it another time. For now, let's just have some fun."

She watched as he scooped up a still steaming piece of pizza, and placing it on her plate. "Whoa! Isn't that thing basically boiling?!" She scoffed at his comment about his cleanliness. "Good! I can'y have you infecting my pizza with any weird stuff."

She opted to cut off the end and blow it cool before eating any. It was quite good. Pizza might be universally available. But good pizza was good pizza. She was a bit disappointed "Back to the Chuunin Exams though. Do people tend to die in these things? I signed up because I didn't want to miss the opportunity. But I also rather enjoy being alive."

She tested lifting the piece with her hands, but found it scalding. How had he managed to lift it before? "Are you worried about...you know...dying?"

[WC: 204 | TWC: 852]

"It's not that hot," Yes it was, "Don't burn yourself." He continued to eat his slice until he finished, starting on the next one. "What weird stuff would I fill your pizza with,  I'm offended you would even think of such a thing. I'm a pretty clean person." He fake scoffed, shaking his head at the blatant disrespect. Their conversation continued. He would see Mario and Luigi walk around, always happy and jumping around, eating mushrooms. They seemed like pretty cool guys. Definitely would've made his childhood if they were babysitters or plumbers or something like that.

"No need to worry, there's probably like less than a 1% chance that you can die, don't fret," He waved his hand at her, "I'd enjoy it if you were alive as well. If there were any signs of actual danger, I think I'd want you to go because everyone has a right to challenge themselves, but I'd be hesitant about giving you the okay."

The white-haired boy finished his slice, and after he finished chewing, he continued, "No, I'm not worried about dying at all. Maybe I'm a bit cocky, but I don't think there will be much to worry about during the exams. Even if I do die then that signifies me as a failure of a shinobi, I'd deserve to die."

He would continue to eat and answer any other questions that she had; he wasn't sure of a topic starter at the moment. Once they finished with their meal, he would smile at her, "You wanna go out for some ice cream? I can always go for sweets."

Zyx would be lying if he said he didn't want to hang out with her more.

Mara gritted her teeth a little at Zyxis's comment. Even if I do die then that signifies me as a failure of a shinobi, I'd deserve to die. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that sentiment and it certainly wouldn't be the last. But it always hit her the wrong way. It wasn't Zyxis's fault. It was a mantra she'd heard repeated in their village on a few occasions. She just didn't like what it meant.

Her friend, Idrina, was not a particularly skilled shinobi so far. She had some strengths certainly, but she was no match for even Mara in a fight. But did that mark her as a failure of a shinobi? Did she deserve to die? Mara certainly hoped not. The girl was basically a sister to her.

And what if she herself died? Or Zyxis? She knew her stance was somewhat ridiculous. She was worrying about the survival of her fellow ninja while also doing her best to learn techniques to kill people with lightning. So...perspective maybe? But still, she felt that there was room for improvement in their philosophy.

She decided to change the focus of the conversation to her curiosity regarding the venue for the exams. "So the exams are being held in Konohagakure, right? Have you ever been near there? Personally, I've barely left the village."

After a few minutes, Zyxis brought up the topic of a particular frozen dessert. She nearly leapt forward. "Oh my god, can we? I love ice cream and I haven't had it in a while." She loved ice cream with a passion.

[WC: 266 | TWC: 1118]

"I haven't been near Konoha. Maybe it's better than Kumo, but I doubt it. Probably has more shinobi, but there's no way to know for sure," He got up and dusted himself off, "I'm glad you love ice cream. It's one of my favorite treats. Well, I can't say that confidently since I love all things sweet. Let's go; I know a good place."

The white-haired boy cleaned up the mess and headed out with Mara. The two would make it to the ice cream place. He would look up, the sun seemed to be setting, "Hey after we eat our ice cream I think we should head home. It's getting quite late." Zyxis ordered a vanilla ice cream and finished it quickly. Sadly, he wasn't accustomed to cold like he was to warmth, so he took his time. "Mara, thanks for hanging out with me. I'm glad that we got to hang out today. I'll see you later."



- 1,021 + 479 = Wind Release: Wind Strike (1,500/1,500)
- Get rid of the rest of the WC please IDK WHAT TO DO WITH IT