A Rose meets a Hollyhock

Ayane woke up late that day, she had slept quite late the night before, mostly due to the excitement of being BORN YESTERDAY. Her excitement had not allowed her the opportunity to get into bed at a reasonable hour, something she thought was justified, but her older sister Kaya had chastised her for. Ayane had quite an interesting family dynamic. Her parents were supposedly dead (pretty common amongst Shinobi apparently), her older brother Tenshi was some big shot business dude and super strong Shinobi (she couldn’t wait to try and get out of that shadow), and her eldest sibling Kaya was supposedly a big old nerd (that would get old real quick).

Sluggishly getting out of bed, Ayane would head into her ensuite bathroom and prepare herself for the upcoming day. Tenshi had signed her up for the Konoha Academy, which confused her considering she was eighteen years old, far too late to join up, but had insisted that she do it to “Work on your fundamentals” as he had said. Whatever, she would be out of there in like five seconds flat. She had a shower and began her daily preparations before finally getting dressed. Donning her favourite short black dress, Ayane ensured that her vibrant hair was sorted before finally nodding in cheery approval and leaving her room.

Her home was quite an extravagant one, Tenshi was clearly doing well with his business and ensured that he bought a large home to accomodate his two sisters. He was a big and tough looking guy, but even after one night of being around him, Ayane knew that he had a heart of gold, at least for his family. Nobody else was home today. Kaya had mentioned wanting to hit the town and walk around to familiarise herself with her surroundings. Tenshi said that he had training to do with some guy called… er… Yoki- something? Ayane hadn’t listened, she was too busy almost bouncing off the walls with excitement. She herself had not really planned anything for the day, but remembered that Tenshi suggested she head to the Academy to familiarise herself with the place. Going to school on her day off sounded boring, but Ayane also had nothing else to do, so why not.

Quickly moving to the kitchen, Ayane found a note from her brother with the directions to the Academy. A small, but very thoughtful, gesture that brought a smile to her lips. He really was just a big ol’ teddy bear. Taking the note and a nearby peach, Ayane left the house and began moving through the Uchiha district. The day was a beautiful sunny one, there were a lot of people out and about, performing their daily duties. Ayane was rather surprised to see how few of them were actually Uchiha though, especially considering this was their district. Tenshi seemed rather unwilling to comment on that last night, only stating that he was not a fan of it and it shouldn’t have been that way. The young girl simply shrugged and continued walking, humming to herself as she would occasionally take a bite from her peach.

After a 20 minute walk, Ayane finally reached the front doors of the Konoha Academy. She looked in dismay at the rather ugly structure, there was nothing cool or modern about it, she would simply sigh to herself before walking in. After spending a bit of time going from room to room, Ayane found a neat little park outside the back end. It had a small pond surrounded by benches, one of which she seated herself on and continued to hum. She was already bored of walking around so decided to spend a little time there as time continued to pass.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere from the walls of Konohagakure-no-Sato...




Hisaki is starting to get the hang of how things function in Konohagakure and today would be no less a mini adventure to explore. For today's 'assignment', she's been assigned to visit the village academy to formally begin her training as a right-proper ninja. While she hadn't been scheduled any formal appointments for a tour around the academy itself, it didn't hurt to get to know the exterior of the facility just to get a feel for where she'd be spending a decent portion of her days at. However, she presently finds herself on the outskirts of the village in her house as she lies sprawled on her bed, snoozing.

She awakens after a while, getting up from bed and stretching out before heading over to her closet to change into some fresh clothes. She dons a short-sleeved, high-collared, black qipao-styled blouse overlayed by a long-sleeved, off-white, midriff shirt with maroon edges, maroon fingerless gloves, black spats overlayed by a pair of high-rise shorts, black, mesh, shin-high legwear with maroon trims, black sandals, and gray forearm sleeves.

Ensuring that her hair is done up in a side bun, she leaves her room and heads down the hallway, where she's greeted by the benevolent presence of her mother and younger sister. The once sobering atmosphere in the kitchen and living space becomes lighthearted as Hisaki exchanges pleasantries with her family members. She then heads over to the fridge to grab herself a bottle of water and a handful of snacks before she stores them away on her person for the journey ahead before leaving out the front door of the house and into the village streets.

The day was beautiful, with clear skies and a warm sun shining down on Konoha. Hisaki begins to make her way through the village, heading towards the academy. She takes in the sights and sounds of her surroundings, taking note of all the people going about their day-to-day lives. Along her journey, she passes by various shops and businesses, taking in all that they have to offer. Eventually, she arrives at the academy, standing before its entrance. The building is large and imposing, but it also holds a certain sense of familiarity and comfort to her that she can't quite pinpoint.

Nevertheless, she embarks and takes in the sights to see, walking in an anti-clockwise manner around the building's perimeter. As she walks along the outer walls of the academy, she passes by several windows, catching glimpses of students inside going about their studies. She also passes by a number of trees, which provide a nice bit of shade from the sun overhead. After completing her circuit around the building, she decides to head towards the back of the academy, where she finds a small park area with a pond and some benches. Oddly enough, she spots someone already present on the latter.

"Strange," She thinks aloud to herself. "I thought I'd be alone here today."

She approaches the person sitting on the bench, curious as to who it could be. As she gets closer, she notices that the person appears to be a girl around her age, with green-pink, two-toned, medium-length hair and wearing a short black dress. The girl seems to be lost in thought, humming to herself as she stares off into the distance. Spotting another bench parallel to the girl in front, Hisaki treks toward it and makes herself comfortable on the seat with her legs together and one hand over the other upon her lap. She lets the ambient thrums of life in the village fill the air between them before she decides to break the ice.

"The weather's pretty today, isn't it? Complements the scenery of the park and pond quite well, actually. It's nice... Do you come here often?"

---

WC: 638
TWC: 638

Ayane was humming to herself as a nearby voice sounded through the air nearby, with a quick yelp, the young Uchiha jumped in shock. "WOOAAAH!" She would then turn to face the source of the voice, a rather cute girl who appeared to be of the Hyuuga clan. Ayane took a short moment to observe the newcomer and her attire. In comparison to Ayane herself, this girl looked like she was all but ready for some form of combat, donning a funky looking Shinobi uniform of some sort. She did not say anything as the girl walked over and sat on a bench opposite her, simply tilting her head and continuing to observe until the girl broke the silence.

The weather? Scenery? Come here... often? Frozen in silence, Ayane suddenly burst out in uncontrollable laughter, barely managing to get any words out in between breaths. "AHAHAHA! DO I - AHAHA - COME HERE - HAHAHA - OFTEN? Is that some kind of pick up line!?" Ayane could not even hold in the tears now streaming down her eyes. Was this Hyuuga girl trying to flirt with her? Or was she just trying to be polite?

With all of her effort, the Uchiha managed to finally take some deep breaths and calm herself, finally stopping the laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That was just, like totally, hilarious! You're a funny one! What a way to start a convo!" Wiping away the tears on her face, Ayane gave the girl a big grin as she continued to speak. "The weather sure is pretty! I didn't realise this dump could look so good, maybe I should spend some more time here in the future."

After a short pause, Ayane finally decided to respond to the final comment from the girl. "Nope, I don't actually come here often, you big flirt! I doubt I'll even be here much longer considering I'm going to ace the easy Genin exam soon! I'm actually only here because my big dolt of a brother Tenshi is forcing me to be. Something about working on my fundamentals and blah blah blah... or something like that." The Uchiha put on an over the top imitation of Tenshi's deep voice before she let out a loud and dramatic sigh.

"My name is Ayane Uchiha, Konoha Academy student! What about you?" At this point she was swinging her legs back forth while almost bouncing on the bench in excitement, had she made a friend?

---

Hisaki may or may not have jumped from the abrupt yelp the young woman let out. She too turns to look at her, white eyes peering as she returns an equally shock and inquisitive gaze on the young woman. With a partly unobstructed view of her outfit, Hisaki figures the stranger likely comes from a well-off family although whether she belongs to a specific clan or not, she fails to observe any insignia etched onto her outfit. Whatever the case, she looks put together, proper, and polished. Then comes the subsequently perplexing reaction to HIsaki's introduction.

Ayane laughs. Boisterously.

Struggling to weave her sentences together between the laughter and tears that stream down her face. It's... quite a reaction. Hisaki blinks several times, unsure if she should feel embarrassed by this display. Did she say something inappropriate? Had she violated a social etiquette? And... a 'pick-up line'? Hisaki attempts to recall what a 'pick-up line' exactly entails, rummaging through her memory bank from conversations she's had with her mother. The kinds of conversations a mother would have with her daughter when she comes of age.

"A pick-up line... is it?" She ponders aloud to herself, eyes wandering as she tries to recall the definition of the phrase. "I don't think so? I just wanted to start a conversation." She continues to ponder, returning her gaze back to Ayane who's still laughing. "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way, that wasn't my intention at all..." She trails off, unsure how to respond or react further to this situation until Ayane inadvertently connects the dots for her when she mentions the word "flirt" and that's when it clicks with Hisaki that she, indeed, had said something inappropriate. Not an egregious mistake, but enough to propagate the initial embarrassment she felt before.

"Oh...!" She feels the heat in her face rise, and a faint hue of pink paints her cheeks as she attempts to explain herself further as her hands wave about defensively. "I-It's not like that at all, I promise! I was only trying to make small talk! I didn't mean anything by it! I swear! It's just that you looked really pretty sitting there on your own, so I thought maybe you'd like some company!" The words come out of her mouth faster than she can process them and it takes her another moment before she realizes how much more embarrassing what she's just said is compared to what she initially intended. "Oh brother, that sounds even worse doesn't it..." She mutters to herself, the tint slightly darkening. "W-Wait, wait, wait, that isn't what I meant either—you, uh—you seemed lonely sitting here all by yourself, so I thought maybe you could use some company?" She internally screams, wanting to bury herself alive for having made such a fool of herself.

She calms down though when Ayane finally stops laughing and introduces herself. She looks up at the young Uchiha, this time with an apologetic smile. Listening in, Hisaki stifles a chuckle when she impersonates her brother, Tenshi. "Brothers, am I right?" She appends rhetorically, not that she would know first-hand, though. She also vaguely recalls the name from her conversations with Himari a while ago. Someone she's been partnered with through thick and thin, so it'd make sense he'd like to treat Ayane the same way for similar reasons if she's enrolling at the Academy in the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, when Ayane spins the conversation back to Hisaki, she answers, "I'm also an Academy student and I was actually on my way here to the academy to familiarize myself with the place since I'll be starting soon. My little sister, Himari, told me just about what your brother told you. Although my Ma really got on my case about shaping up and getting serious if I want to graduate." She adds as an aside with a light-hearted laugh. "But, that isn't to say I don't want to, I'm appreciative of their support for my growth as an aspiring kunoichi. It's just, more oftentimes than not, I can get bored of something if there isn't any excitement to it, y'know? Training, studying, and all that is great and all, but it's like slave labor when you have to repeat the motion for hours." Hisaki melodramatically slumps against the bench, feigning exasperation. "A bit of entertainment goes a long way to motivate yourself, y'know what I mean?"

---

WC: 738
TWC: 1,376