A random encounter in the suburbs

Mon Jan 31, 2022 2:33 pm

Katsuragi is seen walking down the lane, near the edge of the residential district. He keeps both his hands inside the outer pockets of his polyester jacket. His deameanor almost carefree, as if he had no responsibilities. It wasnt normal for a guy like Katsuragi, a man usually on the prowl searching for the next score; the big job to pay the big bills. Perhaps he stayed the in the suburbs a bit too long, the lack of resources was something he settled to the follow phrase..., it is what it is.

Tired of his ideal mind, he stops infront of a bakery. The open seating vendor was your everyday standard setup. The kitchen was exposed to the public, with a single bar table infront of it accompanied with bar stools. The scent of the freshly baked treats hooked Katsuragi by the nose, pulling him helplessly ever so closely.

“Yo! What you got here. Shit smells good as fuck!”, he interests gathers the attention of one of the cooks behind the counter from which Katsuragi leaned against. However, they each eye the foreigner as they took in his strange yet fashionable articles of clothing.

Katsuragi's attire consisted of a thin black polyester jacket, which underneath he wore a solid sleeveless navy blue shirt. His belt, designer's choice, had a MK emblem as a buckle. The pants he wore were a fresh pair of black stretch jeans. His boots on his feet also being solid black of a leather material with an emblem labeled "EU", it's made of metal stitched to the tongue of the boots. His hair, still vivid, was a solid dark purple. His hair would have went in contrast with his pale skin, however, his arms torso and hands bore a mural of mostly assorted prison tattoos; all black ink in color. He himself stood at a height of 6'2 feet with a thin frame. His tools and such were all assorted evenly along his attire, given no hint to their whereabouts yet allowed him easy access with a little bit of technique.

“Of course of course, would you like to try are famous rice cakes?”, katsuragi pauses. He wasnt well versed in the world of cooking. But he knew what rice cakes were, aka mochi...

“Nah... you kidding”, Katsuragi said as he simply stared at the pink mochi sample being raises to him over the counter.

Mon Jan 31, 2022 10:37 pm

There was something about the smell of freshly baked bread that seemed to hang in the air, it was a heady mouth watering scent and Airi wasn't too proud to say that it drew her like a moth to a flame. She could close her eyes and follow the scent, It wasn't like she'd trodden this path enough since she arrived in the village, after what had proven to be an exhaustive search of all the available bakeries to find the best one in the city. A long exhaustive crawl around the city with her mother, it had become a tradition for the two of them when arriving in a new city, a chance to explore and get to know it while doing something fun.

Her mother wasn't with her today, the lure of the freshly baked treats too much for her to resist the pull. She was almost skipping as she rounded the corner to the shop, the sash tied around her waist fluttering out behind her like a short cloak catching the wind as she peered into the shop, footsteps silent as she let her eyes catch sight of the small mochi that was being presented eyes sparkling with excitement as she grinned at the baker.

“It’s soo cute though, you know, if you’re just giving them out right now.”

Large eyes turned onto the shopkeeper as the girl gave him her best puppy dog eyes, eyes seemingly large enough to fill her face, lip quivering as she glanced hopefully at the man. Airi knew she was laying it on a little thick, but it must have worked as he gave a long sigh, reaching into the display to pull out another pink Mochi for the girl to nibble on. A grin instantly brightened her face as she accepted her prize, the baker giving a fond sigh as he swiped a hand in her direction which she span away from before turning her attention to the other ninja.

“They’re actually a lot better than you think they’re going to be, a little sweeter but it is a desert bun after all. And you get to taste the strawberries!”

The last was said with a final nod, as if the taste of strawberries was all that was required to end the discussion about the mochi, which really as far as Airi was concerned it was.

“You really have to try one! They’re amazing and if you don’t like it then…”

She paused for a minute, white teeth chewing the soft flesh of her lip thoughtfully.

“If you don’t like it then I’ll buy you something else myself! But if you do like it then you buy me a desert of my choice. Seem fair?”

Tue Feb 01, 2022 3:41 pm

“...”, mochi he thought. He should have known it wouldnt happen to be just mere coincidence that Katsuragi would just happen to stumble upon an offering of mochi just days after learning and creating techniques of mochi. He was in Rice country after all, go figure. Who knows, maybe he might pick up some ideas from all this. However, just as ge was about to reach out for the offering, his fix just his for he taking, a new comer would arrive.

To his right, a short girl would appear. He was caught off guard by her light steps. His eyes looming over her from his own height, with pursed lips. His expression due to how she was basically running game on the shop owner. But, it worked. Things were sure different here than in Tanzaku Town, a place of business. If you didnt have money, keep it moving. They didnt believe in the concept of samples and charity. Perhaps it was one of the main differences between living in a lesser populated village, as opposed to a major one.

“Yeah, I bet they are!”, he said joyfully. His eyes widen with its sights locked on to it’s target, the Mochi cale held by the cook. He swings his face back towards the cook, and takes the sample offered to him with his left hand. “Mmmm, this shit is gooood...”, he said after he sunk his teeth into the cake, taking care as to not get any on his clothes. It was as if the food changed his whole demeanor. He forgot about almost everything else in that very momrnt. His past, present, and for damn sure did care about his future. He was in limbo, standing on the balls of his feet.

“God Damn! I wonder what other bakeries they got around here if this shack got shit like this?!”, he turns to the raven haired child. “Yo you from around here? This can’t be the only place....”, he waits to hear from her, hoping to be proven wrong.

Wed Feb 02, 2022 2:24 am

Airi grinned, letting a pleased expression blossom over her face as she took another bite of the mochi, a visible shiver of pleasure travelling down her spine as she closed her eyes. For a moment all that mattered was the taste of the treat, the cooked rice and strawberry flavour that exploded on her tongue. There really was little better in life than a treat like this, if you’d had a hard day, or were just starting out on your day. No matter what you were doing something sweet would always make things better, and it seemed in this stranger she’d found a kindred spirit.

The girl shifted forward, sliding off the table she’d been perched on as she ate, almost bouncing on the tips of her toes as she caught herself. A quick bite consumed the rest of her mochi leaving the girl coughing as she freed up her hands to strike a dramatic pose. Inhaling your food was always bad, but some things were just more important, especially when it came to topics this serious.

“If you’re looking for desserts and confectionaries then you’ve come to the right place! Welcome to Airi’s tour of the town, we’ve got your bread, we’ve got your baked goods, you want something chocolatey and sweet? We’ve got that too! But, since you’re in rice country we have a million different flavours of mochi and rice buns.”

The girl paused for a moment to catch her breath after the excited spiel before grinning at the taller man. This was territory she was very comfortable handling, the territory she knew like the back of her hand. A quick blink as she constructed a route in her head before she turned back to the ninja, coking her head to the side in thought as dark eyes perused his frame.

“Well, I know you like mochi, but what else do you want to try? Tanbogakure might not be quite a match for the major villages yet in terms of its capability but there’s one place we don’t lose even a step and that’s our food. Do you have any idea of what you want to try first?”

She might only have been here for a little while but the girl had found a home in the Rice Country and didn’t mind showing it off for visitors.

Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:31 pm

“Im not really feeling bready stuff right now, but I could fuck up some chocolate”, he said after being inducted in Airi’s grand tour of the village. The taste of the mochi was still vibrant as ever in his mouth. Was it laced with something? Drugs? What was with his craving for sweets he wondered?

It was his sweet tooth that really drove him wild. Every now and then Katsuragi developed an unsatiable urge to consume something sweet. Ever since the day ate the mochi fruit he bought from the traveling salesman, his urges were rampant.

“Airi huh? Name’s Katsuragi. Im from Quarter town, and you kno...”

He watches as the bakers go back to working, now minding their own business. Katsuragi sure wasnt going to pay for anything else, now goos ole Airi was here to provide. If she could swindle this baker into getting free food, Katsuragi believed that the two of them could work this whole village into getting free stuff.

He himself gets off the counter, leaning into Airi with a slight crouch. He didnt want the bakers to hear them, “You know, that was a neat trick you did with the baker. You knocked him down like fuckin pins yo. I think you got potential, check it..., he pauses for a bit to let her take in the compliment. “I say we should try and work as many people as we can. We go vendor to vendor, pull in as much free food as possible and keep all the money in are pockets. Come on, it will be fun”, he waits for a reply.

As he waited, he couldnt help but remember the time he used to swindle people into getting free stuff. Growing up in Tanzaku Town, a village of great commerce, the place was always ripe with tourist. One by one, him and the gang with swindle couples and tour groups out of money and food. It was all a poor orphaned boy could do at his age to make a mint, to put food on the table. Here, the stakes were different, harmless fun. Who knows, Katsuragi could use the practice witg his acting skills.

Sat Feb 05, 2022 12:08 am

“Hi there Katsuragi! Nice to meet you…where’s Quarter Town?”

The girl had travelled all over the land in her young life, but surprising or perhaps despite that geography had never been her strong suit and map reading…well if you trusted her with a map then you were asking to get lost. Not saying she hand[‘t managed to repeatedly turn her family in the direction of Konohagakure. It wasn’t her fault though! She’d heard there was this amazing ramen shop and it had sounded so good, who wouldn’t head in that direction if that was on their mind. It was unfair to expect anything else from her. She had no idea what her father had been thinking trusting her with that map not once, but twice.

A slim finger reached up to tap against her lips as the girl considered the older ninja’s plan for a moment.

“You know, I totally bet we could get them to give us a bunch of free samples. Shops around here are always looking for ways to get more customers, it shouldn’t be too hard for us to convince them to let us try something for free…you know I bet we could get a full meal out of this!”

A grin and wave at the baker was all that was left as Airi pushed herself away from her perch, as she tilted her head to the side. Something that wasn’t bread but still tasty, well that wasn’t too hard a request to manage, this was the land of rice after all. Bread was great but rice was always better.

“There are a bunch of shops and stalls in the residential district that do little food things for people on the go. They’re great for lunchtime but, I bet you could convince them to give you some samples so you could decide which stall you’re going to buy from. After all, they are all in competition with one another.”

This wasn’t exactly how she’d planned to spend her afternoon but…the girl had to admit that it could be a lot of fun. Plus…it would be interesting to see just how far she could get, in case she needed to wheedle something out of the shopkeepers in the future.

Tue Feb 08, 2022 12:24 am

“Tanzaku Town, its in the fire country but enough about that...”, the hustler said. He was so used to calling the town by which he and the locals call it, Quarter Town.

Moving on, the two came to an agreement. Katsuragi would establish the marks, while Airi would display her kiddish innocents to the market vendors to get the goods. Seemed like a good set up for a minor village such as this. With that, Katsuragi would step away from the vendor, scanning the area for the next objective. Lucky, without delay, his nose picks uo another scent. It smelled like someone dumped a heap of vanilla in his mouth due tonhow strong the scent was, he couldnt resist.

“Come on, Airi. I got the next location”, he said, slinking to the next vendor. He walks up to the vendor, but before he would get the attention of the lone busy cook, he would look over to Airi if she chose to follow. “Follow my lead...”, he walks up to the cook, interrupting the cook’s process.

“Excuse me buddy, Food inspection”, he says with his chest pushed out. His stands commanding that of complete undivided attention from all who stood beneath him. The confused yet worry cook stops what he is doing, while Katsuragi quickly pulls out his old sunagakure visa card, flashing it in the direction of the cooks just as fast as he retrieved it from his inner coat pocket. The cook’s eye’s narrow as he tried to to read it, but not Katsuragi’s watch. He snaps the id card flat so the cook couldnt read it and places it back in his pocket, away from curious eyes.

Katsuragi is now seen examining the menu board along the counter.

‘Rice pudding? Shiiit, it smells good as fuck’, he thought.

Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:14 am

It was one of the first lessons that a ninja was taught, the basis of countless stealth and scouting missions that had taken place throughout history.

Misdirection.

The shopkeeper was so focused on the ninja masquerading as an “inspector” in front of him that the petite girl approaching him barely registered on his mind. She wasn’t as much a threat to him or his business as the suspicious man standing in front of him, after all, no businessman relished dealing with an inspector of any sort, the best-case scenario was that he’d pass on with only a modicum of tension and stress, the worst case was that the stall would be shut down.; Reality often found a way to settle between these two poles, but naturally, any shopkeeper would find himself considering the worst.

It was into this spiral that a soft voice inserted itself, a delicate hand tugging on the man’s sleeve as Airi turned her head up to face him, dark eyes large in her face. She poured every ounce of cute, every unsufferable compliment she’d got for being adorable into the expression she painted on her face, eyes fluttering and voice pitched just soft enough that she was hard to hear, a mannerism that could be mistaken for nervousness.

“I’m sorry to bother you sir, it’s just that well…your food smells so good and well my dad’s always working abnd my brother and I were thinking about making him a little packed lunch, well more of a picnic so that he could eat it at work with us. And your deserts smelled so good, I mean that rice pudding is amazing but it needs to be perfect and my brother wasn’t sure so I was wondering…do you think you could give me a couple of samples so that I could taste it with him to convince him?> Please?”

The stall owner waved a hand dismissively at the young ninja, handing over two packets as he kept his eyes trained on the inspector examining the stall.

“Oh aye I guess…just away with you girl, can’t you see I’m busy?”

The man swiped at her head weakly as Airi clutched the packets to her chest and scampered off, every bit the worried sister, till she could turn a corner and relax, pretence falling away from her as she leaned back against the wall, waiting for her partner in crime to arrive.

WC: 402
TWC: 1164

Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:33 pm

‘Not too bad’, Katsuragi thought, while scanning the area. She got in and got out, at the right moment. All the cook’s attention was focused on Katsuragi, and with his overbearing presence he imposed upon the cook; a few lost coins worth of food was the last thing on the cook’s mind. Perhaps maybe the girl was a natural? Coming up with a good story like that on the fly required finesse. Was she from humble beginning like Katsuragi himself? The more he thought about it the more he realized that this maybe all child’s play. Was it time to up the ante, and have some real fun? The mochi really did crank up Katsuragi’s hunger. What he needed, was some real food...

With Airi walking out with the goods, it was time for Katsuragi himself to bounce. He really wanted to try some of that rice pudding. His stomach nearly collapsed when Airi walked by him.

After a few moments, Katsuragi is seen chatting it up with, Airi. The owner of the preivous shop was left to his own, counting his blessings that he received a passing score. Katsuragi demolished the rice pudding, provided that Airi gave him his cut. And if she didnt, Katsuragi would demand his cut out of mere principle... and the fact that he was starving.

“Yo, good shit back there. That story you came up with on the fly, yo you finesse the hell out of him. You didnt miss a beat at all; your timing was perfect! Hey say where you from... Airi? You seem a little too slick to be from around here...”, he leans against the same wall as her, looking down to as he waited for a response. No way was she from around this backwater village, atleast that was what he thought.

“Damn, that shit was gud. But after this, we need some real food. Yo take us to the next lick so we can eat”, he sucks his teeth in anticipation.

Fri Feb 25, 2022 2:28 am

The petite girl shrugged, carefully handing over the rice pudding to her accomplice before she wiggled a hand back and forth in the air in the space between them.

"You know how it is, we moved about a lot when I was younger so I never really got a chance to attend a lot of ninja classes, my studies were more along the lines of what my dad could teach me as we moved. So less books and more thinking on your feet. Besides, show me a kid, any kid who hasn't had to learn how to spin a believable story out of nothing to confuse their parents. Gotta get out of trouble somehow right?"

As she spoke the girl peeled back the lid from her own case of pudding, enjoying the smell of the hot desert as it wafted up towards her nose. She knew that you weren't supposed to have dessert before your main meal, that it could ruin your appetite but sometimes you just had to break the rules and turn over the system! She was such a rebel!

A single hand rose, fingers stroking her chin as Airi gazed off into the distance, deep in thought as she considered the possible stalls that would provide what she was looking forward to. A single digit came up to tap her lips once, twice before she nodded slowly, lifting her head to face Katsuragi.

“There is this one little shop that sells rice with grilled meat, they normally have the basics but sometimes the owner will have a special if he finds something special. That might be exactly what we’re after, though I don’t think they’d buy the picnic story. We’re gonna have to come up with something a little different for this one.”

She wasn’t sure that she’d be fast enough to sneak the food out from under someone’s eyes without getting caught, and that would just cause them all sorts of problems. Besides, she didn’t really want to steal it, it would be so much nicer if she could convince them to give them the food of their own accord. The girl pushed off the wall, flicking her eyes at the man as a wry grin lit up her features.”

“I’m sure I’ll think up something, this way.”

WC: 382
TWC: 1546

A random encounter in the suburbs

A random encounter in the suburbs

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