A Tale of Two Villages

This small town in the tea country wasn’t that far from where Jinn stayed. He told Mr. Lance he was going to be gone for about a day or two. He was traveling place to place trying to find work. It was crucial that he made the money back before those thugs came back to their place. As he made his way through this town, it looked like a place that would cost a bit to stay at for a while. But as broke as he was, everything looked expensive to him. He would walk store by store to see if any of them were hiring. And with the small amount of hope he had lingering in him was gone.
 
There must be some place here that is hiring. He thought to himself. If there wasn’t any hope here, he would just have to move on to the next town. Which was probably a few miles away. But anything was worth the walk for what he was trying to accomplish. He would then come across a small Inn close to the end of the town. It was a long building that was about two stories. It was a nice a refurbished place that was clearly taken care of. And the best part about it, it had a sign on the window that said, “Help Wanted.” This was perfect, the first store to actually signal they are in need of employees.
 
As began to make his way to the door casually. As he opened it, the first thing he saw was a front desk with a young lady behind the counter. The place looked as nice inside as it did outside. Smooth wooden floors, a few couches, white clean walls and a ceiling fan that gave off a slight breeze. It was a peaceful place vibe inside of the place. He approached the front desk as he continued to look around with his head. “How may I help you?” The young red-haired lady said so politely. His eyes would make its way back to the front desk.
 
“I see you guys are hiring, may I work here?” He said to the lady behind the desk. She had a confused look on her face as if she had no idea what he was talking about. “Uhh, I don’t think we’re hiring at the moment. Sorry.” She said with a slight frown on her face. Jinn gave off a confused look on his face as he scratched his head.  Looking back towards the window and then looking back towards the lady. “But you clearly have a sign there that says, ‘Help Wanted.’ It’s literally right there.” He said as he turned around and pointed at it. “Oh… I’m sorry, that’s been there for so long we actually forgot to take it down.” She said it a slight awkward laugh.
 
“How could you forget to take it down!” He said as he raised his voice a bit. He was getting a bit upset because he was really interested in looking for a job. And the one place he thought he found turned out to be a huge mistake. At this this point he was getting very annoyed. “Hey! I wasn’t the one who put it up, so don’t be mad at me!” She said as she raised her voice back at Jinn. They both gave each other an evil glare. It was light lightning shot from both their eyes as they stared. Then out of nowhere, a 6’3 muscle head came from out from the back behind the front desk. He rushed to Jinn as grabbed him from the back and picked him up. “G-get off me, it’s your fault why I’m angry. Who keeps a ‘Help Wanted’ sign on the front when they aren’t looking to hire people.!” He yelled as he was being carried to the entrance of the Inn.
 
“We told you already why. Now get out!” He said as he tossed him out the store. Making Jinn fly about 5 meters out of the store. Bracing himself with his arms as he hit the ground front first. He would get on one knee as he brushed the dirt off his clothes. “This really blows.” He said as he was still angry about what they did. It was probably time to move on to the next town.

The mantle of night still rested softly over the mountainous land of tea. Stars still twinkled in the sky, lanterns still invited patrons to bars, and said patrons still milled about the streets of the country’s largest port. And yet, Asami still could not find a place to stay the night. The first two inns were full, the third turned her away at the mention of Kirigakure, and the fourth smelled of human excrement.

So much for the hospitality industry.

Discouraged but far from defeated, the wanderer continued to walk the streets with an eye to each establishment she passed by. Initially, she had high hopes for a hot shower or maybe even a bath, but after passing by a few more no vacancy signs she would just about settle for anything. Though she was no longer soaked, she still smelled of seawater and was beginning to feel the dehydrating effects of being covered in salt for much of the day. So, yes, any amount of fresh water would do—it didn’t even have to be hot.

Rounding a corner and dodging past a pair of drunkards, Asami noticed an inn with a help wanted sign and a distinct lack of a no vacancy sign. The building itself looked to be on the older side, but well maintained nonetheless. The windows were cleanly framed by well-worn wooden slats, the roof appeared to be freshly shingled, and the light streaming out into the street from within looked too inviting for Asami to pass up.

Or, well, it had looked inviting at least until a person flew out the front door and onto the street in a heap.

Slinging her canvas bag over her shoulder, the young girl hurried over to the individual who had just become intimately acquainted with the cobbled streets of the town. Perhaps the man—for she realized it was a man as she drew nearer—deserved it or perhaps the inn lacked patrons for a reason. Either way, Asami’s long-suppressed curiosity would not allow her to carry on without knowing.

“Hey,” she squatted down about a meter away from the now kneeling man. “Are you alright?”

Naturally, she kept a careful eye for any sudden movements, after all, he could be dangerous.

[TWC: 373]

Sitting there on one knee after getting tossed out the Inn. It was still late at night as he looked at all the glimmering lights around the town. One thing was for sure though, it did bring him peace whenever he looked at them. There was nothing like this back where he was staying at. Everything was dull and broken down as every person there was hungry for power. 

He didn’t have any serious bruises or anything that needed to be treated. Just some very minor scrapes that were barely visible on his arms. But after working about 4 years in Mr. Lance’s carpenter business, these cuts and bruises were merely child’s play to him. “Can’t believe they have a help wanted sign but aren’t looking to hire people.” He would quietly mutter to himself as he had an annoyed expression on his face. He heard footsteps approaching from the right of him. At least some people were nice enough to give a helping hand.
 
His eyes would make their way to the lady concerned about him. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for asking by the way.” He said, slowly rising from his kneel as he stood on his two feet. His black sweatpants looked fine since the dark color didn’t show mush stains. Luckily his white shirt didn’t look too bad after brushing it down a few times with his hands.
 
Spreading his arms as he gave off a good stretch after being thrown out the Inn. Softly brushing off any dirt from his clothes, he would politely introduce himself. “The name’s Jinn, are you from around here? I’m actually only here looking for work, so I can help a good friend of mine.” He doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get the money, so he might end up checking out a few other stores and then on to the next town. It probably wasn’t safe to travel at this time since he heard rumors of robbers and other bandits lurking in the shadows at night. So he would probably find somewhere to stay for the night. The money Mr. Lance let him have was just enough for him to stay a day or two at a simple Inn.
 
“I don’t suppose you know anyone who his hiring here or anything?” He would ask the girl. Times were desperate for the young boy. But nothing was stopping him from getting what he needed. He would take a look around to see if there were any places he missed, but from the looks of it. He probably did hit every place and didn’t even notice.

Rising with the boy—yes, boy was the right word she now noticed, not man—Asami found herself at a familiar height disadvantage. It was something the diminutive Kunoichi had come to accept and yet she still despised having to look up to everyone around her. What she saw in this boy, in particular, was nothing special. Perhaps in the past, a slight blush would have reddened the seventeen-year-old's pale face when talking with a boy like Jinn as it once had when she first met Hayate, but that ship had sailed long ago, both literally and figuratively. Yes, all the wanderer saw was a boy and nothing more.

"No," she pulled down the collar of her brown slicker ever so slightly to reveal both the gruesome scar that ran across the right side of face and the emblem of Kirigakure around her neck. "I'm not from around here I'm afraid, just passing through."

She did not offer her name.

"Your friend is lucky though," a kind smile slipped across her face as she allowed the collar to jump back into place. "To have someone willing to help them, I mean. Perhaps you could look down by the docks? There's always work at sea."

Her father always used to say that about the sea.

"In fact," Asami's eyes brightened as the spark of an idea entered her head. "Maybe we can help each other out. I'm looking for a place to stay...if you help me find one, I'm sure I could find a ship looking for another crew member."

She wasn't all that certain that she'd be able to find a job for the boy, but it was worth a shot. Technically, she hadn't lied when she mentioned that one could always find work before the mast, but ships were normally looking for men much larger than Jinn, so it would be more than a bit difficult in his case. All that mattered at the moment for the wanderer, however, was finding a place to stay where she could wash off the brine from her person—everything else could be figured out later.

"After all," her words now dripped with sarcasm as she jabbed a thumb back at the inn he'd just been thrown from. "It seems like you have a pretty good handle on the inns around here."

[TWC: 767]

So, she was a stranger to this place as well. It wasn't much of a surprise though; this place wasn't really a neighborhood or anything. It was more of a getaway for a few days and then its back to reality the next day, kind of place. The girl revealed her neck and it left the boy speechless for a split second. He didn't pay it too much mind since he thought that would be rude. But he also saw that she had a headband around her neck as well. He thought she would be the last person to be a shinobi, but you can never tell a person's story just by looking at them. He didn’t know much about the shinobi world, so he was just about clueless towards any of the major villages. So, he would not recognize that she was a Kirigakure shinobi. But just a shinobi and nothing more.
 
Jinn was never interested, he never saw any benefit of him becoming one. People act as if being a shinobi is mandatory but what's wrong with just living a normal life without having to worry about danger all the time. That was just his view on it.
 
She thought Mr. Lance was lucky to have someone like Jinn to help him out. But the boy saw it the other way around. "Actually, I'm the lucky one, I owe everything to him. He took me in when I was found alone lying on a shore 5 years ago. Gave me a place to stay and took care of me. So, this little favor is the least I could do for him." He said showing the utmost gratitude towards Mr. Lance. Things could have been a lot different if he didn't find him that day. Who knows what could have happened to him. She said there might be some work by the docks. It isn't the job he was really expecting to apply for, but at this point he may not have a choice. “At sea, huh? Eh.. guess I could give it a shot.” He said with a shrug.
 
But then she proposed an idea, one that would benefit the two. All he had to do was help her find a place to stay and she would help him find a job at sea. It seemed like a simple and fair trade off. He doesn’t know if he could trust her. Being a shinobi and all, she could probably kill him at any second without trying. I mean, he knows a few things hear and there. But nothing that would benefit him if a fight broke out. “Hmmm, a place to stay huh? I accept your request, it’s a deal then.” He said with a smile.

She brought up the Inn incident as his face started to turn red a bit. “Well uh… never mind about that.” He said as he had a somewhat embarrassed look on his face as his eyes drifted away from her. Trying to change the subject fast. “Sooo… you’re a shinobi right? I’m only assuming because you have a headband. If you don’t mind me asking… What made you want to be one?” He would ask her. 

He was curious to know other’s reason s for becoming a ninja. What makes you want to put your life on the line every day and not live a normal life. He was just a curious ignorant kid looking for answers. He would follow her where ever she went to help her look for a place to stay. If not, he would take the initiative and begin to walk back towards town and assume she'd follow. As the two would begin to look for a place for her to stay.

"Oh," she wrinkled her nose as she spoke, being a shinobi was a sore subject of late for the kunoichi. "That's a good assumption, I am a shinobi; where I'm from everyone seems to be now that I think about it."

Asami fell silent with a shrug as the pair delved deeper into the village. She wasn't in a sharing mood at the moment and luckily the circumstances did not require her to be. Instead of speaking her eyes scanned the many buildings that they passed by. For a while nothing caught her eye; a few places had some shady individuals hanging outside, one seemed to be having a plumbing issue, and the rest had the now painfully familiar 'no vacancy' sign on display. Indeed, the young girl had almost resigned herself to sleeping on The Whisper when a small hole in the wall kind of inn caught her eye.

Sandwiched between two larger buildings, the inn looked more like a repurposed alley than a proper establishment. A single lantern hung outside illuminating an artfully designed sign that read The Hearth. Most importantly, however, the inn was lacking the sign that had stuck down her hopes since her arrival—they had a room available.

"Jinn," she jabbed a finger over at the inn as they approached. "You know anything about that place?"

She brought her advance forward to an abrupt halt in front of the inn and waited as the thinning crowds flowed around them.

[TWC: 1012]

Her reply to his question was nothing too different. According to her, it was must be very common for people to become shinobi in her village. He would shrug his shoulders a bit after hearing her reply, "Fair enough." The young boy said as the two began their walk around the area. As he actually took his time to look at the place instead of pestering every person here for a job, he began to notice the beauty of it. How nice it would be to afford living here is all he thought about as he looked around. But he had to focus since that was not what he was here for. His job now was finding a place for this girl to stay.

As he was focused on looking at various buildings around them. He was then suddenly stopped by her voice as she called out. Looking at her finger to see the direction she was pointing to. As his eyes followed slowly to what she was pointing at. What was before them was a very small Inn between two larger buildings. He didn't even notice this building as he was going place to place to find work.

A slight chill ran through Jinn's body as he surveyed the place. Scratching his head as he stared at it with an uneasy look on his face. "Ummm, are you sure about this? I mean, surely we can find a better place than this right?" He would say with a fake smirk that tried to cover up his uneasiness.

But then again, this girl was a shinobi. So, she should be able to handle herself if anything went wrong for some odd reason. "Well.. I guess we could give it a try and take a look inside." He said as the crowds of people began to lighten up. Giving the two an easy path to reach the Inn. Taking a deep breath as he began to walk closer and closer to the Inn. It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of light in the, looking from the outside. The place looked a bit dim as if it was only lit up by a lot of candles. And as Jinn approached the door, Jinn would reach out his left hand to open the door. But as he stopped just an inch before opening.

"Are you sure about this?" He would ask one more time. If so, he would open the door and take a look inside. And if not, he would bring his hand back and think about what they should do next.

"Don't worry about it," Asami flashed a knowing smile. "We'll be fine."

Slipping in behind Jinn, Asami found herself in a surprisingly homey atmosphere. A small fire burned in the central hearth lending the lobby a smoky smell, long shadows danced on the walls, and a group of three or four individuals huddled in hushed discussion just past what could only be the reception desk. Behind said desk stood a hulk of a woman sporting a shock of red hair and strikingly pale skin. Standing a good couple inches over Jinn's head and more than a couple over Asami's, the woman offered a warm motherly smile as the two approached throwing the constellation of freckles on her face into disarray.

"Why, hello, little ones," the woman's voice came out like some sing sony tune. "What can I do for you two?"

"Oh," the wanderer stepped forward taking the lead. "I'm looking to get a room."

"For both of you?" the woman asked with a critical eye passing over the two teenagers.

"Um, no," she glanced over at Jinn with a bit of color in her face resulting from the woman's implication. "Just for myself."

"He's just showing me around," she added quickly.

"Very well, Miss...?"

"Miyamoto."

"Yes, yes, Miss Miyamoto," the woman sorted through a large guestbook as she spoke. "It looks like we will be able to fit you into one of our smaller rooms. It should be available later on this evening; its current occupant is due to check out later this evening. If you leave me with a 200 ryo deposit I can hold the room for you."

"Thank you, I'll definitely be back," Asami placed the requisite fee on the table and turned to her new found companion. "Come on let's go."

"Safe travels, dears."

The words of the innkeeper were swallowed behind the swinging of the door and replaced by the muted din of the village's nightlife. The streets were no longer packed as they once were, but a few brave souls drifted this way and that as they continued on their revel-filled evenings. Winding her way through the streets—hopefully, with Jinn in tow—the former chuunin retraced her steps back to the docks. Naturally, if Jinn had any reason to stop or wanted to talk along the way she would indulge him, but she had no inclination to stop or strike up a conversation on her own.

[TWC: 1415]

As the girl opened the door to the smaller Inn, what was inside caught Jinn by surprise. What looked a bit old and rundown from the outside, turned out to be nicely refurbished in the inside. It was true you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. As he followed her inside, he couldn’t help but just look around at the place. It seemed like a decent place to spend the night at, the people here seemed nice as well. As she was registering for a room, he heard the name “Miyamoto.” Now that they mentioned it, he never asked her what her name was when they first met.
 
After she was done, she turned to Jinn and they were now on their way. Heading towards the exit as he held the door open for her. “Thanks Miss.” He would say to the red head as he exited in the Inn. “Right behind you.” He would say in response to Miss Miyamoto. The streets weren’t as crowded, it was a lot less busy than before. Now that she found a place to stay, it seemed she’s now keeping her end of the deal. Which Jinn respected, he still isn’t too fond of the whole shinobi thing. But its more like he doesn’t understand them.
 
“Gotta’ say though, the place looked pretty decent inside. From the outside it looked like an underground hideout for thugs or something. But that wouldn’t have mattered. Because if there were thugs in there, it would have been their unlucky day. I would have stopped them.” Jinn said as he threw his arms up and tried to perform a crane kick. Standing on just his left leg as he lost balance immediately and almost fell on the floor before catching himself. “Or maybe not…” He said with a chuckle, scratching his head as he was slightly embarrassed.
 
As moments passed and the two were nearing the docks. There was a small dock that went about 20 meters into the water. The moonlight from above reflected off the clear water, lighting up the small area. Two medium sized boats were along the docks as few people were inside the boats getting to set sail soon.
 
 “There it is, the d-“ Jinn said as he fell to one knee, feeling a huge pain in his head. Grabbing his head as the pain continued. “D-damn…” He can’t remember anything that happened before he was found on the shore. The boat accident, how he ended up away from his village, his family, all of it was unknown to him. Seeing the water and the shore were almost like memories trying to force there way back into him. Causing him to have a huge migraine every time those memories try to force their way back in. He saw flashes of a scenes in his head and sounds. Yelling, a ship, rough water. But it all happened so quick, he couldn’t make it out.
 
But it stopped after a few seconds went by, still unaware as to what was going on and what happened. As he was back to his normal self. He got back up as he still had his hand on his head. “Woah, that hurt. I saw weird images.. b-but I couldn’t really make them out.” He said as he continued to the docks. “Well, let’s get going.”
 
As he approached the docks, there was a big sign on a shack by the docks that said, ‘Help Wanted.’ It was exactly what Jinn was looking for. A guy on the boat noticed the two, “May I help you two?” The guy said. “I’m looking for work are you guy’s hiring?” The sailor had a white cap with a white t shirt and blue jeans. Rough hair around his face as he had a tooth pick in his mouth. “Yup, you came to the right place my boy.”
 
Hearing that put a smile on Jinn’s face. He could finally work to pay off Mr. Lance’s debt to those thugs. Turning to his companion, “Thanks a lot Miss Miyamoto. You kept your end of the deal.” He’d say with a cheerful smile on his face.

(TWC: 2913)