Just Before The Destruction at Darkside

Mission Attempted:

(Continuing from here.)

Hasumi excitedly led one of the newcomers to the village in the direction of Darkside, her favorite restaurant thus far. As she made her way through the street a few passerby's waved to the young girl, thanking her for her assistance in some mission or another. While Hasumi hadn't done much in the way of combat she'd helped out a lot of civilians with small tasks and had started to grow a reputation as sweet and helpful, if perhaps a bit shy. The kunoichi waved back and nervously smiled, but didn't stop and talk with anyone as she led Toshihiro down the streets. She'd occasionally offer quick introductions but quickly explained that she had to go to Darkside and the back to The Kage Tower so she couldn't delay.

Upon arriving at the front of the establishment Hasumi smiled and turned to Toshihiro, looking to see what his expression would be as he laid eyes upon the extravagant goth-themed restaurant.  It stood out amongst the simpler buildings that had been constructed in Tsukigakure so far, easily discernable even from a distance due to its large sign and eye-catching crescent moon prop that sat atop the structure.

"It doesn't look like they're to busy right now, we're in luck! Hopefully we can get some good seats. They have this thing called 'The Pancake Challenge' where you can actually get prize money if you eat a bunch of their pancakes in one sitting. I've only been able to do it once myself but I think it's the best option on the menu if you can stomach 10 pancakes."

She motioned for Toshihiro to continue to follow her a she made her way inside. Hasumi was quickly greeted by some of the waitresses who recognized her, a number of women dressed in a goth aesthetic that matched the rest of the restaurant's theme. The young kunoichi was seated immediately due to the few customers that were present, being guided to her favorite table near one of the windows. As the waitress, who was dressed in a black vampire costume, walked with them to the table the woman addressed Toshihiro who she assumed was new to the area.

"Welcome to Darkside, is this your first time? I'm sure Hasumi has already told you about our Pancake Challenge but we have a pretty big menu if you'd like me to get you one. As for you, Hasu, are you just getting a couple of pancakes today or are you going for the challenge?" The waitress waited briefly for Toshihiro to respond and then either got him a menu or went off to get some pancakes for him and Hasumi. The young kunoichi told the black attired waitress that she was going to do the challenge.

Hasumi scooted into one of the booth seats, stopping in the middle as she looked around to see if she recognized anyone else at the establishment.

Assuming that Toshihiro had followed her and was also getting into a seat, Hasumi looked toward the young man and gave him another nervous smile.  "So are there any other questions you had about the village? I figure I could answer some of your questions here and then, if you'd like, I could try and give you a tour of the village after I finish my meeting with Lady Tsukiko. I'll make sure to mention you to her when I see her. I'm not sure if she'll be able to see you immediately but I could see if you could use some of the time allocated to our meeting to ask her some questions."

WC:600

Toshihiro followed behind the young Genin through the winding streets and alleys as she lead on ahead. Hasumi appeard to be well known and liked by the villagers as many of them exchanged waves with her. Some she would even chat with for a little bit before moving on. Toshihiro gave his name to those he was introduced to and then kept following Hasumi. "Well, it looks like the people of this place like her. But she is kinda quirky and has a positive aura so that makes her likeable. And the way she talked earlier, she is humble too." the young Shinobi internalized the impression Hasumi had made on him so far. Humility was a characteristic he appreciated in others. The strongest people he met always were humble. Perhaps humility is the path towards strength as it means awareness of one's own shortcomings.


His emerald green eyes widened as Toshihiro stood in front of Darkside, looking up towards the crescent moon. The architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen in his years and the place stood out even from among the rest of Tsukigakure, which itself was a novel place to Toshi. He couldn't quite place the style, it must have been from a different part of the world. However it reminded him of the comfort he felt in the depths of a dark forest. "Interesting, the people who built this must be very creative. All these winding forms and shapes really make your eye wander. The style immitates nature in many ways." Toshihiro voiced his opinion, then replying to Hasumi. "Mhh, getting paid for eating pancakes sounds like a dream." the young shinobi laughed while rubbing his belly.

He felt up to the challenge, only having had a light breakfast and a small snack of fried dumplings his stomach was empty enough. Eager to win the challenge he followed Hasumi inside as he took in the ambience. Even the personnel matched the theme. As a waittress dressed like a vampire approached the table Toshihiro realized that the restaurant's design was not just based in nature but also in the spiritualism of the moon country. The very island itself was shaped like a crescent moon. The young shinobi never took much interest in such matters but it was something he had picked up and stored away in deep corner of his mind. He couldn't recall what role vampires had in this mythology but a species of blooddrinking bats, which were native to the jungles of the moon country, appeard in his mind.

"I would like to attempt the challenge. Some green tea with honey for a drink would be nice too, thank you." Toshihiro replied to the waittress in a polite tone, then turning to Hasumi while resting his chin in his hand. "Hmm, I mean you gave me a pretty good rundown already. I have a good impression of the village. You said earlier that you helped people and it seems like many villagers like you. Are you trained in medical ninjutsu?" Toshi tried to ask a less intrusive question before he would go on about mad scientists, apparently blind gate guards and all the other impressions he still had to process. The guess didn't seem far off to him.



WC: 549
TWC: 549

Hasumi was glad that Toshi seemed to find the restaurant interesting. Though Darkside wasn’t one of the building that the Genin had helped build she had come to love the decor and aesthetic of the place and was elated to see that the newcomer enjoyed it as well. As the two entered the building Hasumi laughed along with Toshi at his comment about the pancake challenge sounding like a dream, in all honesty she had no clue how Darkside justified the promotional event.

The kunoichi took note of the drink that Toshi ordered, wondering if it was any good. She had mostly been sticking to water for the most part but wondered if she should branch out and try something new. She ended up deciding against it, not wanting to trouble the waitress with a change to her order when the woman already knew Hasu’s usual choices.

Sitting across from Toshi, Hasu listened as the boy explained that he probably didn’t need any more basic knowledge of the village. Instead he changed subjects, asking the kunoichi a personal question about her abilities. The young girl’s nervous smile faltered a bit as she tried to decide how to best explain her capabilities. Truthfully she hadn’t seen much of the shinobi world and barely had a clue how she rated compared to the average chakra user. Taking a moment to collect herself and think, Hasu thought back to the battle she witnessed in the training ground and tried to measure herself against the ronin who had sparred there.

After the brief moment of thought Hasumi focused back on Toshi, her nervousness seeming to disappear for a moment as she tried to give him an accurate measure of her abilities, “I’m training to be a medical ninja, but I’m not sure if I can really call myself one yet. I could heal cuts and bruises.. maybe stabilize someone but I haven’t had to do anything that extreme yet. Honestly I just mostly help people out with small jobs while I try and progress toward learning more powerful techniques. I can do a bit of ninjutsu too, but my most powerful move would just get everyone in here wet if I used it.” As she finished speaking Hasu flashed yet another nervous smile, her feeling of awkwardness returning as she found herself running out of things to say.

“What about you.. what kind of jutsu do you specialize in?”

As Hasu answered the boys question their drinks would arrive, with the waitress saying the pancakes would be out in just a few moments.

WC:429
TWC:1,029

Toshihiro sat eye to eye with the blue-eyed genin. He leaned back into the soft cushioned seat and was visibily relaxed. This and the joyful expectation of a pile of pancakes coming his way was what the young man needed after walking all morning. His view wandered, meeting Hasumi's while he asked his question about her abilities, then across the room and the other guests. It was a good habit of his to take in and analyze his surroundings. The most dangerous animal are humans after all, the young hunter thought. Exercising this type of control by taking in information allowed the young man to relax a bit more.

He took in Hasumi's answer with the same kind of relaxed attention and met her nervous smile with a confident one. "I see. So you really do like to help people. Well, for myself, I know first aid and a bit of anatomy but nothing on the level of an actual Iryounin. I do however have great knowledge about medicinal plants and the natural world in general. I was raised in the backcountry of the moonland and am a hunter and tracker by trait. My ninjutsu is not very impressive, I can throw some rocks around. Ideally I avoid fights and try diplocamy first, flight second and battle only when there is no other choice." the young shinobi gave a rough overview of his skillset. He wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea to reveal it like that. But he only gave rough details. so he felt comfortable with what he said. Thanking the waittress he took the leave steeper and stirred it around the water while waiting for Hasumi's reply. Steam was rising from the cup, giving off a pleasent aroma.




WC: 293
TWC: 788

Hasumi listened as the wanderer explained his skillset, noticing that he was somewhat vague but gave her a good general overview. It seemed that if he did specialize in using any specific kind of jutsu that he wasn't going to tell her just yet, which the young girl believed to be a fair notion. He was after all in a village that was led by and constituted of many foreigners so it made sense for him to be wary. Taking her glass of water from the waitress Hasumi thanked the woman and then looked back to Toshi.

"I think that's a fair plan of action. I'll admit though before joining the village I was a bit scared of trying to engage in diplomacy with people, I usually go for flight first." She gave gave an embarrassed chuckle at that and then took a sip of water as she pondered how to best continue the conversation.

Fortunately for the awkward girl the waitress returned almost immediately after providing them with their drinks, arriving with two plates that were stacked high with pancakes. The young genin smiled brightly as she noticed the food approaching, she hadn't tried many types of food in her brief existence but pancakes were her favorite so far. The excited girl quickly grabbed syrup and poured it over her stack. The last time she'd done the challenge she hadn't even known the purpose of the syrup, having eaten the pancakes completely plain.

"That doesn't look like to much, does it?" The girl said after practically drowning her stack in syrup. Thankfully it didn't spill over the plate but the girl wondered just how much more she could put onto the stack before that happened. Realizing she had probably overdone it the girl put the syrup back down on the table so that Toshi could use it.

WC: 308
TWC:1,337

Toshihiro lifted the cup up and began to gently blow on it in order to chill the tea. Wafts of steam were rising from it and the delicious aroma was filling his nostrils. A small but meaningfull pleasure to the shinobi. He was used to a simple and rugged lifestyle so he learned to enjoy even the smallest of pleasures. He took a small sip and then set the cup back down, his kind eyes meeting Hasumi's, mirroring her chuckle. "Well, if you keep a good distance you can probably still flee when the diplomacy is going south. But yeah, handling people is difficult either way and I can understand why one would avoid them. I would seek the company of animals and the peace of nature over most people anytime." he replied, half-jokingly. His gaze wandered down to his cup and he was about to go off into some thoughts when the pancakes arrived.

"Thank you very much." he expressed his grattitude to the waittress, then examining the plate. "Well, my stomach is pretty empty. So I think I can handle it. I hope so can you, you are a pretty small person." he replied to Hasumi, then taking some syrup and spreading it in a thin layer over his pancakes. The young man then proceeded to roll it up and handle it like a wrap, taking a good bite and chewing down with an expression of happieness on his face. "Random question. But have you hunted before?" he asked Hasumi once he had swalloed the first bite, taking another one while waiting for her reply. Hunting and the outdoors in general area a topic he could talk about for hours.

WC: 281  
TWC: 1069

Hasumi listened to Toshi's response about fleeing, nodding as he mentioned preferring the company of animals. The young kunoichi enjoyed her moments of solitude and her time with the small dog that The Mask Man occasionally brought along with him. She'd yet to enjoy much time in nature however, only really having experienced it while escaping the ruins of Tengakure and meeting of with Lady Tsukiko.


When it came time for them to eat their pancakes Hasumi laughed as Toshi made a comment questioning if she could complete the challenge. "I'll admit I had a difficult time when I first attempted this challenge, but I missed breakfast to deal with a mission this morning so I think I'll have room for this."

Hasumi grabbed her fork and knife, noting how Toshi went about his own way of eating the pancake. She wondered if she ought to try that method, but figured she would use her utensils for the time being. Hasu had barely began to eat when Toshi asked her if she ever had been hunting before, prompting the girl to ponder for a moment. The only hunt that the young kunoichi had ever been involved in had featured her as the prey, as the blue eye girl wondered how best to answer she briefly remembered how scary it had been trying tio employ basic ninja techniques in order to trick the residents of Tenga.

"Not really, no. I actually had a really sheltered life up until recently, I know a bit about the shinobi arts but I never really got the chance to pick up other skills growing up." Hasu felt a bit nervous lying about her life, but she didn't want people to know the truth. As she waited for Toshi to reply she'd begin eating her pancakes again, tring to think of what else to say if he continued to ask personal questions.

WC: 316
TWC:1,653

It was a very relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant. Some chatter in the background, the rather dark lighting and the decorations make for a great ambience. Toshihiro was enjoying the warm tea and Hasumis company. The pancakes were delicious and just the right thing to give him back some energy. The young traveler has eaten all kinds of things in the jungles of Tsukigakure. But pancakes reminded him of home a little bit. "Sounds like we are both well prepared, not having eaten much." he replied, taking a bite and chewing with a smile on his face.


"Well, I like being out in nature. Hunting or gathering for my food or medicinal herbs. It can be quite fun. Pancakes are delicious but not easy to get by while traveling." Toshihiro gave a short reply. He fehlt like he asked enough questions of his own and fell silent for a bit while enjoying his pancakes. His eyes would wander around the room from time to time, to Hasumi, his meal or the people surrounding them. He felt quite at ease inside the village and enjoyed talking to the young Genin. Continuing to dig in Toshihiro would make it about halfway through his pancakes if Hasumi did't ask any questions.



WC: 212
TWC: 1281

Hasu listened to Toshi's response as she ate, deciding she'd have to give the world outside the walls of Tsuki another go someday. She was worried about venturing out there as she currently was but perhaps once she had a bit more worldly experience she could head out into the wilds and enjoy the activities Toshi mentioned. The two then fell silent for a brief time as they ate, both trying to get through the stack of pancakes before they started to feel full. Hasu thought she was keeping pace with Toshi at first, but as her new acquaintance finished the first half of his stack Hasu realized she'd only just finished her fourth.  

"Seem like you'll beat the challenge before me, good thing this isn't a contest." Hasu nervously chuckled as she made the observation. She tried to pick up the pace as she ate more of the pancakes, though she did her best to not make a mess with the syrup as she depleted the stack of pancakes in front of her.

It was unlikely that Hasu would be the first to finish but unless Toshi started conversation back up she'd eventually manage to finish, sighing as she put her fork and knife down. "I thought it'd be easier the second time, but oh that was rough."

The young kunoichi took another sip form her glass of water and slumped in her seat as she waited for the waitress to return and confirm they'd completed the challenge.

WC:249
TWC:1,902

Mid Thread Claim using, all 1902 words:

Using 1,418 words to finish claiming Pureblooded Shinobi, Previous Training Here. Applying Max Stat Discount.

484 words toward Hasumi's Curse Mark Transformation, putting it at 1,676/2,000. Previous Training Here.