Kakesu had managed to wander off on his own inside of the big city after meeting with Tooru. Well, maybe wander off wasn’t the right term, but that was a tale for another day.
With a fistful of change that he had acquired back in the Land of Fire, he approached a cherry red merchant stall that smelled of meat, grease, and batter. He spotted the fried treat on his initial trek through the city and after having gone on several wrong turns down different alleyways he had finally made his way into the market area.
He wasn’t quite sure what he was eating. It tasted like beef, but it had batter around it and was very rich and salty. He was somewhat used to the salted taste because he used it to preserve his own meals on the road.
He noticed while he walked and munched that he looked sort of out of place in the city. His clothes were made for keeping hidden in the forest, and many of the people here were better dressed for the rain. His clothes seemed to just absorb the water and kept him drenched and darkened the green into more of a dark and drab color.
He found a nice awning outside of an old theater that looked abandoned. He decided to take advantage of it to get out of the rain and better preserve the warmth of his treat. He couldn’t help getting the feeling that he was being watched though.
Last Edit: Oct 30, 2021 6:39:24 GMT by Sharp: Topic is full now!
[attr="class","exhausted"]A lion concerns itself not with the opinions of sheep..
[attr="class","rhythm"]
❝
So often, we run from consequences. Do as you please but do it without regret.
The genesis of my time in Amegakure had built a certain ability to distinguish between the familiar and the foreign.
In this case, it had been the figure draped in clothing hardly fit for preservation against the elements. "Are you sure you won't have another?" I heard as my head turned to a degree in a minute effort of observation. An empty bowl, once filled to the brim with wasabi shoyu, sat before me with discarded chopsticks sitting lifelessly inside. "No. Thank you," I replied, offering the chef a shake of my head. Casually, I slid a hand into my pocket to retrieve an amount of ryo. "Don't insult me, Anotsu-san," the elder restaurant owner chuckled. "I imagine that you're around these parts more often than we know. Shady characters walked around here freely, stealing and taking things without any consideration. Now, though, every petty thief we got familiar with has up and vanished. I suspect you have something to do with that."
An almost inaudible exhalation through my nostrils. "I do my duty. No more, no less." The chef's fingers lofted to scratch at his neck, weary eyes peering out and into the gathering of people. "You've been around a long time, Anotsu. Just continue to pay it forward. Take care of the people like I'm taking care of you." I'd no time to argue the matter. Little glory was found in the assignment of my protective detail. Denying the pursuit of insistence, I nodded and stood to my feet. "Thank you," I said with a dip of my chin. Into the seemingly perpetual rain I ambled, my familiarity with even the nooks and crannies of Amegakure allowing me to close the distance that had grown with time between myself and the stranger present a short time ago.
My approach was one that he could see from a distance away. The pristine white of my garb offered him view of my gait, though I altered my course and made an angular maneuver to greet him indirectly. Beneath the awning I stood, a few meters away from the young individual as I turned and pressed my back to the establishment that it belonged to.
"There are few days where it doesn't rain like this. On those days, the magic of the stalls is far greater."
Growing up as an attendant to a shrine, Mizu had grown used to taking care of wayward souls that drifted by every once in a while. Some had been looking for meaning, others were on their way to places they belonged, while many just needed a place to rest and stay warm. And those were in short supply in this land that perpetually rained. The shrine had been a place where those that didn’t have a home could be safe for a while, and they thought they’d bring that safety into Amegakure. If only a little bit.
So whenever they had a moment to spare, Mizu would prepare simple sandwiches and bottled water and travel around the village proper, handing them out to those homeless they saw. They didn’t have the resources to set up a shelter or anything of the sort at the moment, but no one would complain about a full belly, so they contented themselves with what goodwork they could do in the moment.
There were faces that Mizu would see time and time again. It was sad, seeing such good people on the streets, but familiarity was always comforting. Seeing new faces always made an uncomfortable weight settle in their stomach, because either the new face would become a regular or they wouldn’t be seen again. And both of those things carried their own kind of sadness.
It was as they made their rounds today that they came across two new faces that they hadn’t seen in the market before. It was usually the place younger individuals frequented, as they were more capable of stealing food and making a quick getaway. Mizu had been seeing less and less of the young ones, which gave them hope that the kids were being taken in by kind folks and taken care of, but now they focused on the two that stood outside of the old theater.
They adjusted their umbrella and walked up to the pair, though their walk was more like gliding. As they approached, they pulled a bundle from a basket about their shoulder and handed it to the smaller of the two “I know it’s not as good as a warm bed or a place to keep dry, but I’ve been told homemade sandwiches are a comfort in and of themselves. And we should all find comfort where we can, especially with your kind of...nomadic lifestyle, awa.”
They turned a kind smile to the older man “Are you two together? Your son, perhaps?”
Kakesu finished nibbling on his fried good, when a stranger in a white coat appeared. Finished chewing and gave the man a friendly wave while he nibbled off little bits of leftovers that remained on the little skewer.
“It all seems pretty magical to me mister, the rain don’t bother me none!” Kakesu said with an upbeat voice. “I’ve never eaten so good than being in this place!” he said glancing left and right with a hand out to imply that he meant the entire city.
After a few moments a woman approached with a basket that she promptly handed to him. His face lit up with excitement as he peered inside as he began going through it. Although he had just eaten, the road and lack of consistent meals had left him a scrawny lad and his body jumped at the opportunity for more sustenance.
“Thank you!” he said. “See,this place is great!” he said before taking a sandwich to his lips. He wasn’t used to bread, it wasn’t something he had very much in his travels, but it was pretty good.
The food was distracting to him, and as she inquired if the two were related he wasn’t really paying attention. He gave her a thumbs up with his mouth full of food to imply he agreed with whatever she was saying while his mouth sang with the flavors of the most modern city in the world. “Mhm!”
It might have seemed like he were agreeing that the man was his dad, but he was really just hyper focused on eating and was trying to look greatful and polite.
[attr="class","exhausted"]A lion concerns itself not with the opinions of sheep..
[attr="class","rhythm"]
❝
So often, we run from consequences. Do as you please but do it without regret.
Far be it from me to deny the dreams of the youth.
The scene unfolding before me was one of subtle chaos, my ability to reply to the boy's words pilfered and replaced with an implication the likes of which I had never received. Astonishment was twofold, her observation and his lack thereof forcing the swallow I'd engaged to rob me of its smooth transition. Immediately, I coughed with such force that I was rendered immobile. "Wh-what!?" I choked out, my eyes falling shut as the flesh of my fist beat hard against my torso. Surely, this child looked nothing like me. The scrutiny of those before me spoke of the wisdom beyond my years. Never, however, had I been charged with the fatherhood to any child of Amegakure. Had my sexual escapades born a fruit that I wasn't privy to?
I shook the thought from my head, slowly but surely standing to full height and coughing into the sleeve of my garb until I could adequately communicate. All too content to welcome deceit for the price of a meal, I gave an incredulous look and sigh at the pair. "The boy is no kin to me," I stated matter-of-factly. "I'm Anotsu, a Jounin of this village. Your inability to recognize me tells me that you're either inobservant or not acclimated to the faces of Ame." I spoke more to the third of the group, the young stranger before me occupied with what looked to be a seemingly voracious appetite.
Still, I could not deny that her kindness was a stark contrast to the usual treatment of beggar and wanderer alike. To that end, I'd hold no reservation about her character. "I'd come to greet him. I know the faces in Amegakure. His isn't one of regular sight," I finished with a nod. "What's your name, young one?" I asked the hungry stranger.
A hand lofted to push the obsidian of my locks backward. If this interaction was indication, I'd stepped into far more than my greeting had bargained for.
Mizu happily handed over the sandwich basket, letting the boy eat his fill with all his gusto. They smiled brightly at the pair, though the smile quickly fell as the older one let out a strangled sound and started coughing. They moved to gently pat his back, eyes darting around wildly while searching for anyone who might be able to help. If he was sick from the rain or from traveling without shelter, they wouldn’t be able to help, they weren’t a doctor-
But then he had straightened, collecting himself before speaking. Whatever concern they had felt the moment when he was choking was chased away by an indignation that colored their cheeks a bright pink “Inobservant? Why I-” Mizu took a breath to collect themselves before pushing forward in a clipped tone “What I observed were two individuals, both without any umbrella and one soaked to the bone, standing outside an abandoned building. To be quite frank, you looked destitute enough to require assistance so there.”
Mizu continued, though their pointed tone faded into something more conversational. They never had kept their anger long, if at all “In any case, Anotsu-san, Ame is a large village with a lot of people and more than a few Jonin, can’t expect us to know all the faces. Mizutsune Hozuki, Genin. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you but this has been rather awkward, awa.” They gave a single shouldered shrug as an apology for their contribution to the awkwardness.
“Now we know he’s not homeless, but what about you?” Mizu turned a curious glance towards the young man still enjoying the sandwiches “You’re eating like this is the last scrap of food you’ll ever see.”
Kakesu's name was asked, but he couldn't quite finish chewing before Mizutsune had started on scolding the man for making an assumption. Rather than interrupt, he scarfed down another bite of sandwich with a bit of a nervous look, seemingly confused about the whole ordeal. Then the attention was turned back to him as the Hozuki asked if he was homeless.
He snuck in one last greedy bite and then raised a finger up to indicate that he would speak once he finished chewing, his eyes falling back to another sandwich in the basket but fullness starting to settle in as he tried to hastily get the food in his mouth down. When he tried to swallow, some food got stuck in his throat and he rampantly grabbed for one of the water bottles provided in the basket. He practically ripped the lid off and started chugging the water down, then lowered his head and gasped a few times for air.
“I have a home, far aways away from here across the plains and into the for’sts headin’ towards the rising sun,” he said. “I ain’t been back there in quite a while. I’ve been far and wide and this is the best place I’ve found. The rain ain’t botherin’ me any.”
After saying that he performed a few hand seals that were not quite standard, like messy home taught somatic alternatives. He pulled some, but not all, of the water from his clothing.
“Kakesu the lesser. Nice to meetcha!” he said offering a handshake to the woman who fed him, who had his favor of the two so far for obvious reasons.
[attr="class","exhausted"]A lion concerns itself not with the opinions of sheep..
[attr="class","rhythm"]
❝
So often, we run from consequences. Do as you please but do it without regret.
"Your ineptitude is noted," I began.
The life and way of a shinobi required a keen observation. To have misread a situation of such casual nature meant death for one so untrained. "I'm responsible for the entirety of the village. Such consistency means that I've walked in plain sight, and my attire has never changed. A Genin worth the headband they've been given would have taken notice. And now you put on a poor display for one that doesn't come from Amegakure. Thankfully, we are not the sum of your ignorance." One might have surmised that my reprimand would have differed in the face of a foreigner - they were gravely mistaken. I treated my Platoon with the same challenge to critically think. Koma. Daichi. Aiko. Ryuu. Their scolding would have been much the same.
I allowed the shift in conversation with no sign of emotional or facial change, watching as the young boy before me became more forthcoming as every bite of sustenance was taken. And then there were handseals - or a lack thereof - that display a novice's skill in manipulating Suiton - a curious matter. "What brings you to this place, Kakesu the Lesser?" I asked the boy without reservation present in my question. "At the very least, we should seek a warmer setting." I pointed to the distance toward a ramen shop, its open doors showing that it was mostly vacant. Save a few patrons dining at private booths, it was easy to surmise that we would be served immediately.
The population of the streets had thinned enough to leave them an opening. Though he'd devoured sandwiches and water, I would offer him a bowl of broth to further cement his health and wellness.
Mizu watched the boy perform his hand seals and rid himself of the water that drenched his body, giving a small smile and a gentle clap as an encouragement for his skills, even as rudimentary as they were. He obviously didn’t have much formal training, and to be able to do even something as simple as drying himself was commendable without the proper teachings. When Anotsu spoke, Mizu turned to look at him.
The pinkette simply stared at the Jonin for a long time, blinking slowly “You know” they said, tilting their head to the side a bit “You’re a dick.” It wasn’t meant to be insulting, just a simple matter of fact statement. They turned back to Kakesu and gave him another smile “Enjoy the sandwiches Kakesu-kun, and I hope you come to enjoy your stay in Amegakure.” Mizu turned and began walking back into the rain, calling over their shoulder “I hope we’ll see each other around, sometime. Maybe with more pleasant company.”
They paid no further attention to Anotsu as they departed, simply turning down one of the village’s side streets and heading on their way home.
