Things To Do: What is there to do?!

Heibon'na had been growing and developing her skillset and was becoming more comfortable around the village of Kirigakure no Sato. She was an inquisitive teenager as she wandered the streets, her headband proudly displayed as her thoughts wandered from her home to the recent missions she undertook. There was always a catch somewhere, somehow, that she had to adjust herself with but that did not stop her from continuing forward. A quaint smile rested on her lips as she walked with no purpose along the streets. To her, today was about exploration and meeting people! Being from a small fishing hamlet, she was not a proper native to the village itself but to the Land of Water. Her father had been a shinobi long ago and now it was her turn.

For the day she had scheduled, there was a coffee shop that she planned to go to and check out. A hobby store that had some threads to work on her cross-stitching, crocheting, weaving, and other tapestry-style works. Being a fisher's daughter, her handiwork could be seen in helping her mother restore their clothes, help form nets, and secure more fishing wire for them to continue their livelihood. After that, there was a park within the village that took her interest as a place to hang out and do her yoga stretches and maintain her physical capacities. She had some reading skills as that was part of the curriculum but she was not fond of reading as a hobby. Thus she avoided the administrative building and library of Kirigakure no Sato. Being the middle child she had a few stockpiled reserves of allowances she stored for such a day. Thus the beginning of her day started with heading to the coffee shop first and foremost while the sun crested.

In a similar boat to Heibon'na, Nemui was taking a relaxing jaunt throughout Kirigakure in his time off. Recent months had been filled with vigorous training, long consecutive days of missions and generally, a lot more pressure than he was used to. This experience of simply taking in the village sights as any civilian might felt rewarding in itself. His and others efforts to protect the peace on a daily basis allowed this experience to occur. It was somewhere along his path that he would spot the girl he'd met just recently during a string of missions. Nemui had never caught her name but she seemed like a diligent and friendly person to be around, so without a second thought he'd approach her while she would arrive at the coffee shop's front door. Calling out from behind in a soft-spoken voice he would say "Hey, you're a coffee drinker too huh?" A toothy grin on his face, the boy would continue. "Would you like some company?"

It was unusual for Nemui to initiate conversation but due to their shared experiences during the missions, he felt entirely comfortable. The girl's childhood being remarkably similar to his own may also have played a part in how comfortable he felt around her, as she already felt like a familiar presence to him, even though he knew nothing about her past at this point. If given the opportunity, he would lean forward to open the door so she might walk inside first with him following behind.

Leon was just wondering the village, he had finished a few missions and training himself and with others little bit ago. Today was a relaxing day just a day to not have to do anything with missions or fighting at all. The young dark skin Shinobi was walking outside just basking in the light of the village. He was still carrying his blades and his lab coat that was retrofitted with the ronin robes allowing him to switch in between the two of them. Today he wore what he always did and that was his white lab coat maybe one day he'll switch it over. His blades were tucked away on the inside of his coat hidden from everyone. As he walked around he would find himself wandering inside of a cafe where he went ahead and decided to just eat at. The young ninja would order himself a simple cake and tea and began to look for a seat. His eyes would soon fall on a familiar smaller person with a familiar tone in his voice.

The 5'11" tall genin would make his way over to him and the girl he was there with. "Hey Numei it's you I didn't think to see you here," he said happily before turning to the girl that was there and immediately apologized to them both. "Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you two, it might be an important time you both." He said as it seems he is under the impression that they're on a date and he's interrupting them Leon doesn't know everyone's life so he doesn't want to impose on them. "I can talk to you later." He said as he began to move away from them.

WC 289
TWC 289

Shiro did not wish to be recognized, or rather he wished to simply not stick out like a sore thumb for the day. He disliked the thought of him constantly being on the village's time, that he couldn’t even have a day off really to simply relax. He had grown slightly bored of it, enough to where he’d take a day off, the village could at least survive for a day without him. Just like the three before him, he would begin to walk around the ever-expanding city square of Kirigakure. Only wearing a small, skintight T-shirt and black pants. He would not cover his scar, but he would not be wearing his headband, at least not on his head or neck, instead it was partially stashed within his back pocket pouch. Shiro did not even care if people did or did not recognize him. He simply wanted to start the day fresh, and what better would be than to go to a coffee shop? One that just so happened to be hosting a few ninjas as well. Some who seemed to be either incredibly awkward or did not know simple social cues. What Shiro did know, was that he wanted something to drink.

Peering up towards the menu, his blue and green eyes peered up to read the menu, a vast assortment of different forms of coffee, ranging from chocolate to something with spices in it. It was similar to tea in description, yet he saw some other drinks as well, freshly crushed lemonade, orange and apple juice, and also a few options for tea. He’d shuffle along the line, being one of the taller people around, he stood out like a sore thumb. Enough to where some still stared when he walked in, the long scar along his face from his battle against that creature still ever present on his face. His attention kept on shifting to the 3 genin inside of the coffee shop. Those that he had never met before in his life. But he didn’t want to bother them in case he didn’t need to. So he’d ignore them for now, only waiting in line for the cashier to ask him what he’d like to order. He was a rather short man, with a small bit of hair on the stubble of his chin. His face looked surprised at seeing him. To which Shiro would kindly greet the man with a smile.

“Hello, could I get a small strawberry lemonade please?” He asked, the smaller man looked around, only to nod his head at seeing that they had some strawberries for Shiro to get his Lemonade. He had been given it right after he had finished paying, leaving behind a pretty large tip for the workers. His lemonade was cold in his hands, yet when he took a small sip. . . it tasted rather nice. He wanted to find a place to sit down, however, the only place to sit around was next to the 3 genin. Shiro let out a quiet sigh, before striding along the small path it took to sit down next to the three. He did not want to introduce himself as he didn’t want them to focus their attention on himself.

WC:540

As Heibon’na was about to enter coffee shop, a familiar voice rang out. The voice belonged to another genin of the village, though a proper introduction had not made place yet. Hearing the question that he begged her, she politely bowed and nodded. “Sometimes! Although this coffee shop is actually known for their chai tea. I’d love some company cousin!” She claimed as another voice came forth before them. it belong to another beginning that she had not met yet, though she was always happy to make new friends in the village. “Hello there cousin. We have just arrived and have not fully made it in, if you were here to actually join up and have a cup you are more than welcome to come with us.” The girl added in before taking a step forward into the coffee shop.

As much as there is always something to shine, or chat about, whenever one made it to a shop, such as this, there is always a moment of pause and hesitation before making one’s selection. However, Heibon’na knew exactly what she was wanting and what she was going to get. Thus her order took no time at all to place, and she found a seat next to one of the windows I could see out into the fog of the village. Once the others made their orders and joined her if they chose to do so, she would simply smile and wait for her order to be called out to be picked up. The arum of the shop had earthy notes to it that gave almost a different sense of where they were located. Being a part of an island chained, there is always a smell of sea salt in the air and fish on the horizon, but moments like this were always pleasant. Taking a sip of her matcha chai tea, the young Genin noticed another individual sit down at the table beside them. It felt odd to her that he did so as there were plenty of tables available but perhaps it was just a villager who wanted to overhear how the shinobi of the village of Kirigakure no Sato were doing. “We didn’t get any proper chance to introduce ourselves.” She directed to the smaller of the two genin next to her, “And we haven’t met at all! My name is Ogawa, Heibon’na. I’m from a small fishing hamlet off of the main island. It is a pleasure to meet other senior shinobis! I apologize if my habit of calling people cousin is out of the ordinary. I’m from a very small fishing village for everyone’s basically family. We help out during the wet season and we help out when there’s plenty of work to be done. Sometimes, if one of our fall apart, we help each other by getting a place to stay.” She added exposition, giving a bit more depth to her upbringing.

Presuming the two stayed, Heibon’na was happy to indulge an answer any questions that they may have alongside learning the two names. She knew that to grow and develop as a Shinobi in the village, knowing people was the first step in getting into the groove of the actual village politics. Though her father only made it to one rank above what she was today, she was more than happy to try to aim for that herself. She did not make it clear that she was doing this for the money, but it truly was for an attempt to make a better life for her family as one income was ripped away for a few years, although still in her old uniform, she looked as if it fit her perfectly personality wise and aesthetically. As she shifted and chatted with the two her banks will cover her eyes from time to time, and it almost felt like she blended into the background of the scene in the coffee shop. If it wasn’t for them talking to her, it could almost be seen that she disappeared into the painting that was the scene. A small quirk of the average Shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato, Heibon’na seemed to just blend in with the civilians.

WC: 700, TWC: 1,000

Nemui's cheerful mood somehow became even more giddy when the girl permitted his company and following this, Leon approached. Surprised to see two familiar faces appearing at once, Nemui looked to the girl and back to Leon, wondering if he'd interrupted their date. Leon then mispronounced Nemui's name, calling him "Numei." Before Nemui could even correct his mistake, Leon suddenly asked if he was interrupting something important between Nemui and the girl. This question at first confused him but the girl's casual invitation for Leon to also join them would put Nemui's concerns at ease. After the girl walked into the coffee shop he would follow behind, closing the door. With the girl's recommendation of chai tea the small Genin's curiosity lead him to order exactly that before making his way to the table she chose and sitting directly across from her, with the same window on his right side.

Sliding his hands across the table's surface, Nemui passed the time waiting for their orders by pretending his hands were Bijuu, fighting each other with the table as their backdrop. After receiving his order the boy would retake his seat across from the girl and soon after an obviously more mature man sat beside him, furthest from the window on his left side and thus, blocking him in. Nemui suddenly felt anxious as though the man could be judging him for any immature behavior so he quietly tasted the tea. Normally he'd prefer coffee however to his surprise the girl was absolutely right, this shop's chai tea was remarkably better than others. Rubbing his fingers around the cup's hot exterior, he'd look up as the girl began speaking. She immediately reminded Nemui that he didn't know her name yet before adding she hadn't met Leon at all. Finally hearing her name, it was then he'd also discover that her origins were quite similar to his own.

Once she finished speaking Nemui immediately responded with excitement in his tone. "I'm from a fishing hamlet too! I grew up in a very secluded one which I honestly can't say much about but it's really surprising, I never would have guessed you had a similar upbringing to me.. Oh and I'll reintroduce myself, I'm Nemui, it's a pleasure to meet you too Ogawa Heibon'na." Evidently happy about this discovery he'd gaze longingly at the girl, looking upon her as one might a beloved family member. "So do you also practice sewing to repair things rather than replace them?" He'd abruptly inquire, wondering if they shared even more things in common. Nemui's focus was entirely centered on Heibon'na at this moment with little regard for anything or anyone else, fully invested in what she might have to say next. While others might have been able to ignore her existence, for him she was now the most important person in the room.

WC: 477 | TWC: 729

Leon realized he messed up, he called Nemui the wrong name but he didn't let that stop him as he quickly moved on as he was asked to join them. He would rub his head before nodding as he already placed his order as he followed the other two to the table. Upon sitting down he would notice the other guy that was at the table next to them, he seemed familiar but Leon wouldn't know who he is exactly as he hasn't spoken to Shiro before. He would turn back to Ogawa as she introduced herself then spoke about how she constantly called people cousin, which when she first said if got a look from him, but he relaxed. "That's good, for a second there I thought I had more family out there and I wasn't ready to cope yet." He laughed softly before he would look at Nemui when he started to speak to her, the excitement that came from him was adorable but it was the look he was giving her that kind of made Leon feel like a third wheel all over again. Leon would start to speak once more occasionally looking over at Nemui to see if he'll snap out of this trance he had on Ogawa.

"Oh well, I'm Leon Rentai. I'm not from a fishing village I'm from here Kirigakure." He jokingly teased as they both said they were from a fishing village. He would look up just as his cake and tea was making its way over to him. Of course he was happy that he was getting his cake and eating it too. He was taking his sweet time with it enjoying every bite he got as he sipped his tea. He's not gonna lie he was starting to feel kinda like a third wheel at this point as they had more on common with each other than he did already. He would start to look around as his eyes lands on Shiro. The ocean blue eyed genin kind of tilted his head again as he still seemed familiar but he can't place it right now.

WC 355
TWC 875

Shiro’s lips touched the sweet and sour mixture with earnest while he sat down. The three before him seemed rather. . . unimpressive all things considered. Much like his own genin who he had initially trained. Shiro knew that almost everyone around him had some form of latent potential. There just needed to be a draw for that potential to be acted upon. His eyes landed on Nemui for a moment, then shifted to the one that seemed to blend in with almost everyone else. Heibon’na Ogawa, a name that was shrouded in mystery, someone who he didn’t even recognize the name of. She was from a small fishing hamlet in one of the smaller islands inside of the land of water. The earthly scent of the village from the grounded coffee and mix of fruits and teas made the coffee shop seem almost out of place. This was not a place that would have originally been a part of the famous Kirigakure No Sato when it was first founded.

Yet he couldn’t help but smile at the new innovations and technology that was being introduced. If there was one thing that he could appreciate Akabayashi for was him introducing new concepts to Kirigakure. Enough to where some people began to change, this coffee shop, for one, was right near where the gates were, allowing both citizen and foreigner to meet and trade different knowledge and cultures with one another. All with the pleasant taste of coffee or tea on their wet lips. Shiro took another sip of his cup, just as Nemui and Leon would also begin to introduce themselves. His eyes, a mix of green a blue, could tell even without the byakugan that Nemui was interested in the supposed unknown and mystery of Ogawa. His gaze held on her for but a second longer then Shiro would think normal. There was a sense of longing in the young boys eyes. Yet he would not comment on it, at least, not with how he was trying to keep a low profile. The most interesting part about this was that Nemui himself was also from a small fishing hamlet. The smell of seasalt and fish guts suddenly went to the forefront of Shiro’s memory. Working inside of one of the many shops inside of those hamlets made him detest the taste of fish, along with anything surrounding it. It almost came to a point where he stopped eating food with any salt on it.

Shiro continued to analyze the others, Leon definitely seemed like an interesting individual. One that he remembered reading the small file on him before he was beaten by Akabayashi. His gaze shifted to try and address all three of them, as it was technically his turn to introduce himself.

“It’s a pleasure to see three shinobi introducing and getting to know each other. I’m also from Kirigakure, I grew up near the coast line actually. Although I did live inside of one of the smaller islands for a number of years before becoming a shinobi. The names Shiro, Shiro Hyuga. I’m interesting though, what made you three want to be Shinobi?”

His words would hang inbetween the conversations that were happening all around them. As Shiro’s blue and green eyes switched between all three genin for a moment. Almost scanning them to see their reaction.

WC:558
TWC:1098

Nemui's attention suddenly shifted as he realized what the time was. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late for my next mission!" Quickly hopping backwards over the seat so he wouldn't have to excuse himself past the man that newly introduced himself as Shiro, the boy ran around to the side of the table they shared before bowing briefly. "Please excuse me." Shuffling sideways as he spoke, the boy immediately ran out of the diner and towards his destination.

[Exit]

WC: 78 | TWC: 807

Claims:
Cosmos Stride 675/1875 > 1482/1875

Nemui wrote:Nemui's attention suddenly shifted as he realized what the time was. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late for my next mission!" Quickly hopping backwards over the seat so he wouldn't have to excuse himself past the man that newly introduced himself as Shiro, the boy ran around to the side of the table they shared before bowing briefly. "Please excuse me." Shuffling sideways as he spoke, the boy immediately ran out of the diner and towards his destination.

[Exit]

WC: 78 | TWC: 807

Claims:
Cosmos Stride 675/1875 > 1482/1875

Approved