Such an Exquisite Taste

The first upmost thing that the Viperis experienced after awakening from her coma, was an overwhelming hunger.

The hospital staff had done a wonderful job keeping her body stable during her unwaking slumber. Her form was almost the same, if not a tad bit slimmer than usual. But that didn't stop her appetite from skyrocketing. Aroma's stomach felt as if it would devour itself if she didn't find some sort of tasty morsel soon.

So the hospital discharged her. The doctor that ran the place was booked up with a lot of assignments and work, so after a quick examine and a good lecture to come back if anything was to seem off, Aroma was release from their care. There wasn't much else they could really do. Despite just from waking up from a mysterious coma, Aroma shown no sign of illness.

They let her know that she had been admitted due to a serious injury to her knee, but since then they've healed her and there seemed to be no issue with her mobility. So there was no point in keeping her around any longer.

After giving the assistant at the front desk one last thankyou, the kunoichi escorted herself outside. Where the cold air of winter nipped at her nose.

With a simple movement of her hand, the lass would place the binding of cloth she found at her bedside within her pocket. It was a cloth she would often use to conceal the wicked appearance of her eyes. Which were vibrant hues that resembled the shade of amethyst with a dimand pupil, much like the eyes of a venomous snake. Right now Aroma wasn't bothered enough to tie on the cloth binding to hide them. She wanted to see the world clearly.

After a few steps down the path from the hospital, the lass would pause. Could she be imagining it? Was her smell being attracted by some sort of delicious fragrance? Aroma couldn't help but be drawn to the scent. Hopefully this meant there was something good to eat near by.  {WC: 345}

It had been a cold morning in the Cloud Village, winter just starting as the chilly air washed over the streets and it's people, as they were in the throes of shopping due causing the streets to be cluttered with excited villagers. As restaurants along those streets were booming with business, the smells of all types of food mingling in the air and floating all around the village, there was one ninja who was in the process of cooking himself as he was on the back balcony of his apartment complex with a grill and some fish and boar he had managed to acquire. He had spent the entirety of the previous day hunting and fishing as he had managed to catch a sizeable amount of game which he was planning on using the entirety of today to cook for a special purpose later tonight. The smells of fresh mountain trout and woodland boar surrounded his home, sprinkling seasoning on the fish and his own form of BBQ sauce on the meats, as he would pack the lot into sealed plastic containers to keep the freshness from getting away. Thankfully due to the heat that he had been working with the cold air wasn't affecting him much at all though the smoke of everything he was cooking was starting to seep into his clothes as he finished seasoning some vegetables he was also grilling on a pan before stepping away to lean against the opposite railing of his balcony.

He looked around the balcony as it was pretty spacious and relished in the fact that he was a good enough chef to have been able to afford such a nice apartment. It allowed him plenty of freedom to practice what he had a deep passion for and if he managed to make others happy because of that passion it was all the better. As he stepped away from the grill he took out a cigarette and placed it into his mouth, flicking his thumb like that of a lighter causing a tiny flame to flicker from the tip, and he took in the sweet and burnt nectar of the cigarette. He waved his hand free of the flame he had created and blew out smoke from within his lungs as he listened to the sounds of the people scattering below his balcony and couldn't help but chuckle as he watched them shop.

WC 402

It would be undeniable that the woman who once was raised solemnly to be an assassin, has changed much in her attitude. There was no telling if she still possessed the winter cold nature that an assassin must be accustomed to, to execute their missions without envy. That was something that could only be confirmed if given the right circumstance.

But even before her coma, and before the exam in which she failed, the Viperis had managed to get along with a pair of twins. Even now her behavior had softened enough to make conversations possible with another.

The woman who was not easily driven by curiosity, was now exploring the wondrous scent of chef cooked meat that heightened the atmosphere of the cold village.

For a moment, Aroma was able to try and ignore the fragrance. But as she made her way to where her residence was, her path took her through some of the busy marketing and stores, and also closer to the smell of food.

Such a subject wouldn’t have normally distracted her so much. But the fact that the Viperis had not had the luxury of a proper meal, let alone a delicious snack, since the time before she had fallen under her sleep spell, must have been the reason for this behavior. Causing her to have the slim hope of coming across some sort of food stand to satisfy her.

Aroma wondered to herself about her home. No doubt there will need to be a bit of cleaning done when she got there. The amount of dust built up would be insane after the lengthy slumber she had. A mental note would be made that her night would probably be spent getting things in order.

Though for the time being, her attention would wander to the building that was coming along her path. There was no doubt about it, the meat she had been mentally drooling over was coming from that house’s balcony. Her eyes couldn’t help but glance up at the building, wondrous about what type of person was doing such cooking.

Maybe she should pick something up from the market to cook before making it to her residence. The chance of her being to cook a proper meal after so long would probably be a low one. It might not be a good idea giving the chance that she would end up ruining good supply. Her thoughts wandered at what to do, when a figure leaned himself from the balcony’s railing.

That must be the mysterious chef.

Being an outspoken person was much opposing to the lass. Her voice never seemed to carry far from being soft spoken and quiet. But this time she gave it a chance, after finally making up her mind. She could at least ask the meat he was cooking that had been driving her insane.

With the bite of her lip, Aroma raised her hand as a welcoming wave. If she managed to capture the man’s attention, she would ask her question to try and easy her curiosity. Hoping that he would be able to hear her. “Sorry to be a stranger, but I must ask what it is that caught my attention. If it isn’t a bother, may I ask what that delicious smell is?” {WC: 548 | TWC: 893}

It was quite nice watching the soft clouds that hovered over the village, softly floating down the way of the breeze, as Moyasu took soft puffs from his cigarette while watching the patterns and listening to the sounds of his food being cooked. As he took for himself a swig of hot tea he had prepared earlier, feeling the warmth trickle through his body in order to help combat the cold, he noticed on the ground below him someone calling up to him. She didn't seem to have all that strong of a voice but he could make out that she was mainly displaying interest in his food which was nice for him to hear as he observed her for a little bit and saw that her eyes was a bit... odd. Not like his but rather they seemed very crackly in certain places as he could only surmise either something was wrong with her or maybe it was a bloodline from a clan he'd never heard of. Either way she was showing that she was hungry and, since he had more than enough made, he reached over to one of the plastic containers that still had hot food inside and he dropped it down to her.

If she caught it and opened it she would see that there was freshly caught and seasoned mountain stream trout, barbecued boar with drizzly homemade BBQ sauce, and grilled veggies that were lightly salted and buttered. "Have at it if you're hungry. I made more than enough for what I'm going to do with it all. Hope you enjoy it!" he said with a soft smile before continuing to smoke before going to check on the food that was still cooking in the grill.

WC 292; TWC 694

The Viperis in the past probably wouldn’t have been concerned whether or not her outburst would be considered rude, but people can change over time. At least a little.

Aroma wouldn’t have expected her request to be responded with the luxury of having some of the cook’s food tossed down to her. With ease the woman caught the warm container of food. The visibility of expression on her face was rare, but it could easily be seen in this moment the awe and delight that the woman was experiencing. She also couldn’t help but appreciate the warmth of the container as it warmed her hands from the cold air.

Before the kunoichi could thank the man, he moved away to give the food the attention it needed. A small, simple smile opened upon her face. His white hair almost reminded her of snow at that moment. It must have been also due to the fact that winter was in the air, that the thought crossed her mind.

With him being busy with the food, Aroma allowed herself to open the container. The spiced meat, homemade sauce, and the aroma of the melted butter was enough to make anyone salivate. She continued by taking a bite of some of the seasoned trout. It’s tender taste let her know how fresh it was, and the seasoning enchanted her taste buds.

The food was marvelous. “What’s your name?” Aroma called out once again. “I’m Aroma, if you tell me yours I’ll be sure to remember it.”

It was unexpected that shortly after her coma, that the Viperis would be introducing her name to a stranger already. But not everything that is unexpected is meant to be a bad thing. Being able to get to know another name would be a good thing for her. Since awakening, the only name she knew was her own and no other. {WC: 314 | TWC: 1,207}

The sounds of food sizzling was music to Moyasu’s ears, the steam of the food combing with the smoke of his grill as the two quickly flew into the air, as the heat of the grill was comforting especially on such a cold day. He gave his trout a taste, removing a small flake of the crispy skin, as he popped the hot meat onto his tongue. He let the taste melt into his senses before chewing, the lemon and salt combo creating a small symphony of delicious flavors, as he nodded a bit and added some pepper before closing the grill and allowing the fish to continue cooking. He picked up a wooden thermos of hot and herbal tea he had made yesterday and poured himself a cup before taking a sip which helped clear his throat. He then capped the thermos and brought it over to the railing of his balcony in order to speak to the woman. ”Is it good? I have some tea up here if you want some. Help yourself.” He would put the thermos atop the railing in case she wanted it as this would prove to be a test to see if she was a kunoichi as she could simply hop up into the balcony. It wasn’t a high balcony at no more than ten meters high but it did require someone with strong legs trained in the ways of Shinobi movement to clear. On the off chance she wasn’t a kunoichi he would just let her into the apartment.

Whether she accepted his offer or not he would answer her question from whatever point of view he had as he took another puff from his cigarette. ”My name’s Moyasu. Moyasu Nokoribi at your service.” he said with a smile and a slight flourish of his hands as he gave a bow with a bit of humor. He had wanted to ask her what was going on with her eyes but he didn’t want to possibly offend her or upset her by what could potentially be a medical condition. He knew what it was like to be afflicted by the unfairness of disease and sometimes things like that didn’t need to be pointed out. The woman’s name was also quite ironic given their current situation: Aroma. Given that she was eating food that had a pretty powerful aroma coming from them, one which was attracting the glances of a few passerby citizens, it was certainly going to be an easy to remember name.

As he took another sip of tea, emptying the cup and placing It on a nearby table, he took a moment to watch Aroma eat. If she had eaten everything he would offer to take her plate so that he could wash it for later use. ”Please help yourself to as much as you’d like. Nothing makes me happier than knowing I brightened someone’s day through food even if just a little bit.” He spoke in his usual friendly tone before taking another puff and looking over at his grill to see the levels of smoke puffing out from it.

WC 520; TWC 1,214

As the man placed the thermos upon his railing, he continued by inviting her to drink some of the tea within it. Despite his kindness, Aroma couldn’t help but feel a little hesitant with the offer. She still felt like she was intruding on the man’s personal time and space and had a faint fear of continuing to be rude with it.

Although, he really did not seem to mind it.

Aroma finally made up her mind to accept his offer. Her eyes glanced up at the balcony with intent to hoist herself up onto it, but not being completely sure if she could. With the lack of conditioning her body experienced from the coma, Aroma felt her confidence as to whether she could still jump as far as she used to falter.

It would be a good way to see if she still had it in her.

Being indifferent to the fact that she unknowingly had an audience that was determined to test her capabilities, Aroma kicked off from the ground and caught herself at the edge of the balcony. Her hand gripped the edge, the other secured the container, while the woman swung her body over the railing. Landing herself onto her feet close by the young man.

Aroma didn’t deem her action to be anything impressive, since she had to rely on some maneuver and had not completely hopped onto the balcony with a simple jump from the ground. Surely he wouldn't think much of it.

The man responded to her request to know his name. Moyasu. . The name sounded within her thoughts. It was an interesting name. She understood the meaning it could hold and wondered if the meaning held any importance to him. Some names are thoughtlessly given just because it sounds right. Some are given for their meaning.


“It’s a pleasure to learn a new name~ Moyasu” She would entertain him by returning the bow before leaning herself back against the railing. From up here the aroma of his cooking food was even stronger than before. Laying the container of food on the railing as she again opened its lid. The smell of the cooking food made her eager to try more of its contents.

“Not everyone is as generous as you, Moyasu. I truly appreciate that of you.” Aroma spoke honestly as she indulged herself in the food within the container he had given her. The cooking really was out of the world, and taking a drink from the thermos chased away the cold. It was a pity that she had no way of returning his kind gesture. Saying how splendid his food tasted didn’t seem enough to her as a way to thank him.

She took one more drink from the thermos after finishing the food that rested within the container. Letting him take it back. “I must ask if this is what you do for a living. You cook as if you’ve been doing so for so long. You really do have a talent for it.”

The tea that Moyasu had made was really doing the trick for his body as he could feel it warming him up from within, combatting the cold and mingling with his own white hot chakra, as he watched Aroma hop up onto his balcony from below. She was just the slightest bit clumsy in her execution of the hop, having to hoist herself over the railing in order to get her feet on the stable ground, as he could tell that it was a rather weak attempt. This only strengthened his assumption that she was going through some medical difficulties but it also proved she was a kunoichi as he followed through with his introductions and was happy to see her return the greeting with her own. She even complimented his generosity as he took a few puffs from his cigarette making certain that any smoke that he blew out of his mouth couldn't float over into her food or tea. Would spoil the taste he had worked so hard to get down to perfection. "I guess I can thank my parents for raising me to be the way I am. I've always been told you want to treat unto those as you would want to be treated." He would take her container and placed it on a table near the grill as she asked him her question about his talent.

"Well I suppose you could say that. I was a chef some time back in the day before I decided to pursue a career as a ninja." He opened the grill to reveal the boar meat and trout as he glazed a cooking brush with some of his BBQ sauce and spread it along the food before sprinkling some salt and seasoning over the rich smelling food. "I sometimes miss being a chef, though, so I make sure to polish my skills wherever I can." He closed the lid back down on the grill as he walked back over to the railing of the balcony and shook the ashes off the end of his cigarette before continuing to smoke. "For instance I intend to donate this food I'm cooking to the hospital. I'm happy to hear that you like my cooking as it feels me with the confidence that the patients will like it as well." He gave a soft smile as he pointed to a wooden container that was sitting on a table by the grill. With a snap of his finger and a flex of his chakra a fireball, small in size yet hot enough to boil water, moved across the balcony from his window and touched the wooden container. It would surround the container before being absorbed through the circular crack over the top of the container in order to cook whatever was inside. "I have some steamed rice and veggies in there if you would like to try some of that next? It had been sitting out from heat for a little while so I just gave it a little bit of warmth to get it to a good temperature for eating. Please let me know what you think?"

WC 529; TWC 1,743