Oh man. Oooh man. Ramen. Good ramen. This was going to be amaaaazing!~ He just wanted to enjoy some good ramen again. That's all. Nothing special, nothing major. Just ramen. Simple, easy, everyday, ramen. That's it. No grand entrance, no big flashy whatever. Just lunch. A quiet, tasty, lunch. Yep. That's all he wanted. He'd even managed to bribe Yuki and Aki into letting him off the couch for it; a promise of steak and lots of brushing later was just enough bribe to buy some freedom. Barely. The canines had been hellbent on keeping him within view at all times; they didn't want to let him vanish long enough to scare the kids int thinking he'd left them again. A fair reason, yes; but it made it difficult to enjoy what time he had to himself; with Amaya at work, Naota off being ANBU, Michi in class, and all the kids in class... well, he was bored. And hungry. He was eating his family out of house and home at the moment, he'd been in the woods so long he'd even managed to loose a little weight, and that was dangerous; so Amaya had him on a strict 'EAT EVERYTHING' diet. Yay.

He was abusing that a bit; indulging like a Akimichi in all of his favorite food stuffs, as well as all those things he'd normally never let himself have. Lots and lots of fatty meats and breads and pastries and so very much ramen. So much ramen. Fresh ramen of course; he was a decent enough cook and Amaya wouldn't let him touch the cheap stuff (Michi just gave him the 'Try me. 8|' face when he ever considered it), so now that head eaten the entire contents of all three houses (and sent off to have it all replaced, yay for rich families), he was off to get lunch. Or supper. What time was it? The sun was up, that was about all he noticed. Sun was up, people were around. Could be anything from mid-morning to late afternoon, he really didn't care.

Keeping himself hidden was easy enough now that he was home; he had access to things he hadn't before; namely cosmetics and contacts. Nothing fancy; Amaya had come home the other day with special contacts that turned his golden eyes emerald and a special paste that gave his skin a bit more of a tanned appearence while covering the brilliant red of his fang marking. A good washing of his hair left it lighter, and a bit of gunk that forced it into submission had it slicked down and back in a way that changed his appearence enough to not be recognizable by anyone that wasn't very close to him; so basically anyone outside of his family. Simple.

Making his way across the village was easy enough, without two massive dogs marking him as Inuzuka and taking up space, he just blended into the crowd; even more so with him wearing civilian clothes, namely a simple black tee shirt with the Konoha leaf on the chest, basic khaki cargo shorts that hung just below the knee which was held up by a cloth-tie belt at the waist, and pretty normal looking strap sandals, akin to what one wore at the beach. Casual in the extreme, enough so that he literally melted into the background of the village. Excellent.

Finding the ramen shop was easy as well, even after tenish years the village was much the same, the streets rarely changed and the positionings of major tourist spots even less so. Finding this place, simple. Ichiraku's, the most famous ramen in the world by this point. The little shop that was always busy but always had a place or two empty at the bar; it was like some weird magic that kept at least one more spot for someone to come sit, even when the place was stuff full of people and there was a line nine deep at the counter, you always had a place to sit. It was awesome. Thankfully, it wasn't that busy at the moment, there were several spots open and the ramen guy behind the counter wasn't rushing like a chicken with it's head cut off. An order was quickly placed (Double Mahi Mahi Soba with extra spring onion and heavy on the chili pepper!), and a drink was had (just tea for now, thanks~), and he settled in to wait for the order, and maybe even chitter with the patrons, as would happen so often in a place this informal and awesome.

WC: 785

Bau quietly walked the streets of Konoha while he yawned. He had a place to stay now and it was a rather nice room as head of the Konoha branch. He didn't think he was strong by any real means but he was recognizable from the televised chunnin exams. His martial arts were hardly a joke even if he had underestimated the kid with the Iron body. Knocked out in the first round was what he was most known for. Not that anyone had bet on the random Hobo that entered but he certainly gave a couple of people a scare when he smacked the kids face against a rock. He would chuckle when anyone brought it up and shrug about the loss. He wasn't exactly prideful anymore but that wasn't the point. They wanted to get a rise out of him and prove by beating him they could be a contender in some chunnin exams. Usually academy students or thugs that thought they had made a name for themselves. He was careful to be gentle with them when showing them the error they had made. No more than a bruise here and a bloodied nose there. He never used his staff on them and regardless of the situation the sword on his waist was welded shut for a reason. A reminder of a past he was not eager to catch up with him. A lot to repent for. As for the moment though he was in a new town with just a little spending change. Maybe just enough for lunch.

He had been invited to join the Iron Falls Mercenary group and he figured as long as they accepted arrests instead of kills he was all for it. A paycheck for utilizing skills he had already developed was nice. However getting out of a fresh bed wasn't easy. The other mercenaries worked pretty hard at some of the more tedious tasks but the were not eager to risk life and limb. Bau just was happy with a room and free food. However he wanted to actually try a Konoha meal so he had made his way from the woods to this particular street. He was considerably taller and had broader shoulders than many of the people around him but that was to be expected. He came from a more western civilization originally so his heritage made him bigger. He was easily able to move about and see where he was going being a head taller than most. He was wearing his usual grey pants with sandals on and a grey shirt which simply folded over itself in the front. He was wearing a long green robe as well simply because it was kind of cold still though warming up. Over his shoulders hung a black coat though which seemed out of place. It just hung across his shoulders as if buttoned there with the symbols of Iron falls on the back. He hadn't bothered to slip his arms into it. However he was wearing a strange striped hat which shadowed his green eyes and messy white hair. In his right hand an old walking stick moved when he walked.

For now he ducked into a rather popular ramen shop. Keeping his shoulders hunched as he moved so he didn't bump his head on anything like a low hanging light. He found a chair nearby and smiled. Ignoring the fact that he smelled like a certain medical herb heavily. Instead his green eyes focused on the menu as he struggled to read the simplest of words. It wasn't his native tongue after all. However he did recognize the prices and all he could do was sigh as he dug into his shirt pocket. He pulled out some pocket change that was just enough for the cheapest thing on the menu....a bowl of chicken noodle ramen with no other ingredients. He shrugged and smiled as he wasn't one to wallow in self pity before looking to the man at the counter and speaking with a heavy accent. As he did so he would set the change down to pay for it and lean his walking stick against the counter and place his hat on top of it. He looked cheerful at least.

"Ahoy there Laddie. I would like ta have me some of dose chicken noodles eh. Ye thats right...plain chicken noodles if ye be so kind."

746

More people, yay. More people he didn't know. Even better. He just wasn't up to being recognized yet; not just yet, but he couldn't stand being locked away in his house, or his clan compound, or Amaya's house, or wherever the dogs had him herded to. It had been enough of a fight to get the kids to go and do the things they should be doing; little missions and all that jazz; normality was needed until someone (Naota) found the Senju running things, or something that passed for being in charge of the village, and he could sort out things. That was going to be so much fun.

Habit had him picking at his hair as he waited, the glop that had dried and kept it slicked and under control was.... itchy and sort of... crusty without being crusty and it was so weird for him. He wasn't even a brush it out in the morning type; outside of washing the gunk out of the golden strands every so often he left his hair to be wild and insane and sticking up everywhere and anywhere. It felt heavy and nasty and he didn't like it; hence the idle picking and poking. At this rate he'd break it into a shaggy mess that would risk him becoming himself again and possibly called out, even by a kid that saw a picture of him in a book and had a moment of 'oh my god!' and freaked out in that way that only young kids did.

So much to worry about, so little fucks to give.

A yawn escaped him, long and relaxed and flashing his animalistic canines to all and sundry; just because everything else was hidden didn't mean he thought to check his teeth. He remembered to brush them, that was about all he'd remember on a good day. It wasn't that strange of a feature, least not in Konoha of all villages, but it would be a bit of a hint that he wasn't a normal civilian. That, and he was quiet possibly bringing the ambient temperature down a bit; his chakra was icy cold in a may ways, and he had been known to do that on occasion. If not for the fact that he was born and raised in the region, you'd think he was a Yuki or Kiri ninja for the properties of his chakra; that he was Inuzuka would go right over heads with his fang mark hidden.

Speaking of foreigners... What was that accent? He hadn't heard anything like it before, and it was just... wow. It was interesting trying to figure out what the male was saying. Cheap order, but he didn't judge; sometimes a simple, cheap bowl was the best snack.

Incoming tactless idiot moment.

"Oi, that accent; never heard anything like it before. Where ya from, eh?" He wasn't outright staring at the other male, but it was obvious whom he was speaking to. His tone was neutral, an attempt to be 'friendly', as he was trying really hard to suppress the natural growl that all Inuzuka had, which left his voice seeming almost... lacking in tones, it was empty, but not in a way that was artificial; just strange. Like he was an outsider himself, really.

WC 562

562 + 785 = 1347

Bau quietly sat on the stool as it creaked under his weight. He wasn't very overweight due to body fat or muscle really. He was just considerably larger than most around him. The average height wasn't very tall in this country. Most were between maybe five'two or five'six. Not to mention their build was fairly thin while his shoulders were considerably more broad. He himself stood at six'one but stooped constantly to not seem so tall yet his shoulders, even slumped made him broader than most anyone he met. Even in the restaurant he felt like he wasn't confident with the amount of space provided to him. Should anyone sit on either side of him it would be uncomfortably close and they would further show his physical attributes. It was a pain but he wasn't about to let it stress him. After all he was the foreigner here. Now just as he was before a hired hand in a world where violence was common. Difference being was his use of a walking stick instead of the sword at his hip that was welded shut. He was no longer the raging blade even though his body had begun to recover. A lot of penance to account for still.

Regardless his emerald green eyes glanced passed his scraggly hair and the actual straw within it to see someone surprisingly closer to his build A man closer to his age than the usual that felt odd to him. He couldn't place it but than again he could hardly place for a shinobi himself. The individual across from him was only a couple inches shorter and their shoulders just a little more narrow. He took in a breath and noted the oddity before preparing to take his attention back to his simple meal when the man yawned and Bau blinked at something unexpected. The man had fangs? He had seen some strange things in his stay in Kumo. Men throwing lightning and bungee snapping back at him. Kids that could take a full on slam with their face against a rock and shrug it off and people who could drop him and disable his ability to move with a touch to his ribs. Bau still looked away as it was considerably rude to stare and shrugged it off as another oddity that was likely common place. He couldn't feel the chill in the air anyway so he was not aware of the sheer capabilities of this person chakra.

Still he heard a voice directed in his direction inquiring as to where he was from and he turned his head to look back. The man had spoken to him this time and Bau took a moment to realize he should respond. The individual was wearing nice robes after all and commonly people wearing nice things didn't interact with the low class like himself. Still the tone was hard to discern as friendly or unfriendly. Perhaps he was about to be kicked out of a place again? Rich kids had tried to pick on him before. Even tricked him into entering the chunnin exams. Just in case Bau casually stretched out and ever so nonchalantly placed his hand next to his staff. However he misjudged the distance and nudged it ever so slightly making the hat wobble on it drawing the eye to it. His spinal injury recovery and his attention being directed else where hadn't helped. However his eyes were on the man as he smiled politely. Just in case the man wasn't about to be rude he spoke back in his usual deep accent. His voice cheerful and warm as was his eyes if not for the hint of worry in them.

"Aye. I suppose me accent would nay be too known round here. A hard habit ta break from ye know? I learned yer language while I was in a nation to the north west of here dey call Kumo. However da lands I was born to were south west of here across the sea. Her wild waves did carry me far from home and I hear rumor tell dat the home land be lost to us now.. How about yerself lad? You from round these woods?"

1462

"Aye. I suppose me accent would nay be too known round here. A hard habit ta break from ye know? I learned yer language while I was in a nation to the north west of here dey call Kumo. However da lands I was born to were south west of here across the sea. Her wild waves did carry me far from home and I hear rumor tell dat the home land be lost to us now.. How about yerself lad? You from round these woods?"

Oh, well, that explained a hell of a lot of things pretty instantly. In his youth he'd traveled to Kirigakure with his father, long before the... incident, and before his family had been taken from him; while he was there he'd met the sailors and not-pirates that spoke with languages that confused his young mind and made his ears twitch from the strangeness of it all. He'd never forgotten about them, even if the words they spoke had faded from his memory. This man was massive, he could see that, and that was part of what had sparked the idea of him being foreign, Kenta himself wasn't as xenophobic as some of his compatriots had become over the generations; even in times of trade and peace, a people could be open as possible as an economy but still closed off as a population, and that lead to problems sometimes. He'd seen enough of the world to shake the few threads of xenophobia that had tried to take hold, so he was easy and happy around outsiders.

"Southwest? Your people traded with Kirigakure then, yeah? Not trying to be stupid, I just met a bunch of sailors and traders once when my father took me to one of the big ports down that way." He was honestly curious, and it showed, there was a hint of a glint of interest in his emerald-concealed eyes and the hint of a child-like wonder in his voice. He could revert to a child in some instances, and he'd always been fascinated by tales of pirates and sailors and all that; it was his connection to water, or so he'd always assumed, that made him fixate on things like that. His was a pure water affinity, but saltwater and the sea still called to him on some level. Of course, all of this was him guessing, and he could be entirely wrong, and that was fine with him, really. Anything new to learn was welcome in his world.

"You could say I'm native, in a way. My family is from the forests of this part of the world, anyway; less from the city itself. Lots of memories here, sure, but I've been all over the place, seen plenty of things. Call me a man of the earth, yeah." All true, all a bit cryptic bullshittery, but nothing that would be offensive to anyone that recognized it for what it was. He wasn't lying at all, but it was ninja 101 to not give away exacting details, and that was drilled deeply into his psyche. "Kumo's one hell of a country. Beautiful land, bit too high for my tastes. I love me some high places, but it's hard for a lowland forest beast like me to breath up that high."

WC: 567

567 + 1347 = 1914

"Southwest? Your people traded with Kirigakure then, yeah? Not trying to be stupid, I just met a bunch of sailors and traders once when my father took me to one of the big ports down that way."

Certainly an educated and curious individual. Or perhaps that was just common knowledge for those who lived on this land mass. After all he was learning the longer he stayed around people. It had taken him years to obtain a firm grasp on the language but for the time being he had the ability to talk casually. His homeland tongue was still going to slip in every once in a while when he was distracted but otherwise not so much. It had been difficult at first to so much as ask for food and water when he had been left in Kumo. Not many cared to assist a homeless cripple with bloodshot eyes. He had been a warrior and for a long time his cold gaze scared away the kind and the cruel alike. He had scraped by but it had left him weak while he recovered from his injuries. Had he been a bit more prepared and kind to people he may have healed some time ago. For now he replied with a smile as his food arrived. Fast because of how simple it was but miniscule in comparison. His stomach growled even as he spoke.

"Aye lad. My people traded with Suna for small trade along the sea because it was closer but larger trade ships moved around to the east to Kiri because it was a land that was surrounded by sea and needed more trade to thrive. Meself though, I wasn't part of da trades. I did there what dis here coat says I do ere."

With that he indicated with a thumb over his shoulder the Iron falls coat on his back. The symbol of sword crossed with arrows emblazoned there to show he was a mercenary. Of course he wasn't just any of their number. He was the head of the Konoha chapter. Not that he would advertise that. It sounded like it was a position of power. Considering anyone stronger could take it from him if they were a member it was a position requiring power. He just happened to be present when no one stronger was. Still he sipped some of the chicken broth from the bowl before blowing on it. He couldn't feel the heat but he knew it was hot. Hell he couldn't feel anything. Nor could he taste it but he remembered the sensations faintly and it was comforting. Still he would need to keep from burning his lips. Bright green eyes shifted back to the young man across from him as he spoke up and finally received his own delicious looking dish.

"You could say I'm native, in a way. My family is from the forests of this part of the world, anyway; less from the city itself. Lots of memories here, sure, but I've been all over the place, seen plenty of things. Call me a man of the earth, yeah." There was a small pause before he continued on. "Kumo's one hell of a country. Beautiful land, bit too high for my tastes. I love me some high places, but it's hard for a lowland forest beast like me to breath up that high." Bau could only nod in aggreement. It had been thin air up there and he had felt like his lungs were going to explode when he came back down finally. However Kumo was in turmoil so he left while he could. Still he picked up the chopsticks awkwardly trying to eat properly instead of like a dog and fumbled with a noodle. Speaking as he did battle with his food.

"Aye men of the earth are usually stronger though. Not wee lads round here really that wear the headband. It be interesting to see so many young out playing soldier though...sad ta say it but if they been where I be from...they may be seein more blood on their hands by now. I sure did...Now I just grow me herb where I can. I keep tryin for the rollin hills but there be some family with some big old pups there that don't like the smell of it."

2197

"Aye men of the earth are usually stronger though. Not wee lads round here really that wear the headband. It be interesting to see so many young out playing soldier though...sad ta say it but if they been where I be from...they may be seein more blood on their hands by now. I sure did...Now I just grow me herb where I can. I keep tryin for the rollin hills but there be some family with some big old pups there that don't like the smell of it."

"Yeah, when you grow up in the system you never stop to wonder how smart it is to train children to be soldiers; you hear tales in the outlands of civilizations long ago that considered it a war crime to have children fighters; but the legacy of the old wars dies hard; we never stopped making our kids fighters, and everyone stopped questioning why we did it." Hell, his own kids were Genin now; when he was Hokage he never once questioned the need to teach the children to be prepared for war and strife, but now... meh. He wasn't as sure about that decision, about never once questioning the need for Genin to be so damn young. Sure, the peak of human physical condition was young, but the level of training and such needed to surpass even the Chunnin ranking counteracted that decline once you passed that natural peak. So why did they still force children to be cannon fodder...

A train of thought for another time.

"Big dogs? Inuzuka, if they're actually dogs. Wolves would be Ookamizuka. Cousin clans, they raise canine packs in the woods; use them as ninja partners. Smell is the strongest sense a dog has, so they can be rather... forceful about keeping things that trigger that sense badly far away. You may want to try the northern sections of the hills; the clan doesn't normally congregate that far out, unless they're meeting with their cousins. You might have some better luck up that way." A simple offering of information; something that anyone that knew anything of the workings of the clans would know.

A mercenary, then? Or a fighter, anyway. He'd never seen that symbol before, not that he could remember; but that wasn't saying much. He could have come across it during his exile and it just not stuck with his mind. Well, the man was peaceable enough right now, so he didn't see the need to start a fight just because the man had a trade that caused... headaches for the ninja. Not that ninja were much better, the only real difference between a soldier and a mercenary is that a soldier is a sanctioned killer, a mercenary was freelance. Plenty of each switched sides all the time, and he understood that, so his opinion of the other side was rather... lax. So long as they weren't causing problems for him and his own, he left mercenaries alone, and expected the same from them. Simple enough, and usually acceptable to both sides.

His own order was a bit more complex, so it came a bit after the other male's had. The bowl was larger, but that was a given for one that was holding double portions and such. The moment it was set down he was reaching for his chopstick and picking at the pork soaking in the miso broth, it was a rare treat for him because something in the miso broth made his mouth... well, bleed; after an hour or so anyway; some weird allergy or sensitivity (or just the sheer power of the burns because he never bothered to let his food cool down) that never stopped him because it was gloriously delicious and wonderful and he had to force himself not to eat it every single time he had ramen; which given Amaya would skin him alive if he tried to eat it more often than he did (TOO MUCH SALT!), well... he was going to enjoy him.

"So that symbol, never seen it before. You're a mercenary? Or is that some clan symbol I've never seen?" Curiosity killed more than just the cat; it killed the dog as well.~

WC: 718

718 + 1914 = 2632

"Yeah, when you grow up in the system you never stop to wonder how smart it is to train children to be soldiers; you hear tales in the outlands of civilizations long ago that considered it a war crime to have children fighters; but the legacy of the old wars dies hard; we never stopped making our kids fighters, and everyone stopped questioning why we did it. (Another pause) Big dogs? Inuzuka, if they're actually dogs. Wolves would be Ookamizuka. Cousin clans, they raise canine packs in the woods; use them as ninja partners. Smell is the strongest sense a dog has, so they can be rather... forceful about keeping things that trigger that sense badly far away. You may want to try the northern sections of the hills; the clan doesn't normally congregate that far out, unless they're meeting with their cousins. You might have some better luck up that way."

Bau quietly digested the mans words and knowledge of the local area with a calm gaze and a smile. So there was a clan owning the area. Or rather two cousin clans. He was familiar enough to be able to tell most breeds of dog away from a wolf so he was sure it was the Inuzuka clan. He would need to go to their clan compound and talk to them about the northern hills instead of being run out again with some fairly cruel threats. He was not interested in becoming dog lunch. Konoha people sure were territorial. His green gaze shifted to the man behind the counter and caught him looking away from the conversation. Was he not happy with Bau? For a moment Bau considered what it could be before it hit him. He was a mercenary sitting in the mans establishment which meant he brought a higher possibility of danger with him. With him not really buying much more than the minimum menu item he was hardly worth the risk. Still the owner wouldn't say anything in fear of violence. Bau would sigh audibly before setting into his meal which had a moment to cool down. Mostly just grabbing chunks with his chopsticks awkwardly and shoveling it into his mouth. The other mans smelled better but he was really happy with his own too. Something in his belly would be great for his energy levels he was sure. After all he was about to go do some work to get a wee bit more in the way of spending money. Still he emptied his bowl and spoke up to the question posed to him. Or rather series of questions. All interesting enough but hey if the organization he had joined wasn't too known it was both good and bad.

"So that symbol, never seen it before. You're a mercenary? Or is that some clan symbol I've never seen?"

"This here be da Iron Falls symbol on me back. Shows I be a mercenary in these parts of the world. Ye know how Iwa, Konoha and Kiri have an alliance? Well some members of each nation built a mercenary group ta do the crud work others can't be asked ta do. We risk life and limb for pocket change for glory and so our name can be known. To some that be more important den having fortune or family. I suppose me old ways haven't died entirely if I joined this lot. Just not pickin up a blade for someone else so much as arrestin folk with a stick."

His hand would reach down and casually tap the hilt of the sword welded into the scabbard. It had most of his history in that rusty blade. Marks taken out of its edge from many battles and rust from more blood than he could remember. He sighed as he remembered his passed sins and why he still fought...why he fought for something. So much to atone for but that was why he kept the useless weapon. Never intending to use it or its like again. Sadness seemed to fill his eyes, his expression and his scent for a moment before he sighed and forced his hand away from the metal hilt. A smile placed on his face again barely meeting his eyes. He was not proud of who he had been but at least he wanted to be something more now. He rose from his seat and picked up his stick before bowing to the chef and looking to his conversation partner. Speaking once more in a cheerful tone.

"Well it seems I have ta earn me livin for the evenin. Just didn't want ta pick a bone with some bandits on an empty stomach. Iffen you may wish ta continue a conversation at a later time...follow the Naka river inta da Dense forest until ye find a fenced in cabin with this symbol on a sign. We work from dere and have our own kitchen. I will treat you ta a meal. Savvy?"

3037

"This here be da Iron Falls symbol on me back. Shows I be a mercenary in these parts of the world. Ye know how Iwa, Konoha and Kiri have an alliance? Well some members of each nation built a mercenary group ta do the crud work others can't be asked ta do. We risk life and limb for pocket change for glory and so our name can be known. To some that be more important den having fortune or family. I suppose me old ways haven't died entirely if I joined this lot. Just not pickin up a blade for someone else so much as arrestin folk with a stick."

He damn near snorted into his ramen; his brain got as far as Konoha and Iwa having any sort of relationship, let alone an alliance, before all thought slammed to a halt and he had to fight the urge to explosively laugh and growl at the same time. The very idea was... well, it was like a train wreck, horrifying yet captivating all at once. Shit, he had been gone a loooong time, after the clusterfuck that what's his name... Dengen? The dude that claimed to be Tsuchikage and nearly sent them to war over his stupidity at the Chunnin Exams the year before he left... that they'd gotten past that, he should have assumed, but it was still so... laughably fresh to his mind, that contempt and borderline hatred that he had for Iwagakure's leadership.

"Well it seems I have ta earn me livin for the evenin. Just didn't want ta pick a bone with some bandits on an empty stomach. Iffen you may wish ta continue a conversation at a later time...follow the Naka river inta da Dense forest until ye find a fenced in cabin with this symbol on a sign. We work from dere and have our own kitchen. I will treat you ta a meal. Savvy?"

"Well, whatever makes a living, yeah. Yer group is new to me, so I have no feelings toward them, good or bad. I was a bit of a bounty hunter in my younger years, but I hung that job out to dry when I got a family. Settled into being less of a fighter and more of an advisor, you could say. But even that's behind me, now. Sort of float around these days. Aimless, yeah." He was almost sure he new that area, the whole place was full of caves and such; so it would make a good spot to hide a base. Solid rock for building into, anyway; if you didn't want to dig into the old caves. They did flood sometimes, when the river ran high after the floods or heavily snowy winters in the mountains way out in the high forests. He'd have to keep an eye on this group, that the leader was so open about them meant that they either had no reputation, or a good relationship with the village. Not unheard of, anyway. He'd have to poke at Amaya and Naota, see what they knew. "Fair enough, eh. I may stop by one day, poke around a bit; maybe I'll come outta retirement, who knows. It'd be nice to do something with these old hands again, yeah."

WC: 564

568 + 2632 = 3200

"Well, whatever makes a living, yeah. Yer group is new to me, so I have no feelings toward them, good or bad. I was a bit of a bounty hunter in my younger years, but I hung that job out to dry when I got a family. Settled into being less of a fighter and more of an advisor, you could say. But even that's behind me, now. Sort of float around these days. Aimless, yeah. Fair enough, eh. I may stop by one day, poke around a bit; maybe I'll come outta retirement, who knows. It'd be nice to do something with these old hands again, yeah."

Who ever this person was they certainly said yeah a lot. It didn't really matter as it was just someones way of speaking and Bau just now picked up on it. Still he didn't care either way to point it out. People rarely liked it when you commented on speech patterns or really anything to do with them negatively. Who really cared enough to be rude anyway? He just smiled and nodded as he placed his striped hat back on his head. The white and green lines shadowing his face once more as he gazed out with green eyes like emeralds to those about. He noticed one or two of them staring at him before he realized he had forgotten to hunch himself over to look like less than he was. His size intimidating to most that might see him in this country. He was hardly taller than the man he had been talking to and yet his shoulders were wider which made him seem just that much bigger than anyone else. Quietly he lowered his shoulders and hunched his back a little to try and appear smaller before leaning on his stick. He spoke again as he smiled while leaning on his stick like an older man.

"Aye, just say yer comin ta visit ol' Bau. Dey will likely let ya in without a fuss. Name is Bau Eitilt by the ways. Shoulda introduced meself earlier I spose. Anyway iffen you wantin ta return the favor by given me yer name do it at the cabin. I been takin too long ere as is and I am sposed to be guardin a wealthy man bout now. I am gonna be havin ta hoof it pretty fast ta da border. See ye later Lad."

With that he tilted his hat and turned heading out to prevent the man from telling his name there and then if he intended to. Give him more incentive to come and visit after all. Still he packed his pipe just outside as he walked. Not really getting very far before he lit the strong smelling herb and inhaled. Likely the inuzuka back in the shop could smell it from there but normal people would have to be much closer. Still he inhaled before blowing out a thin smoke cloud and continued walking towards the main gate heading for the border. Another mercenary had joined the chapter and was making her Debue with him it seemed. He would see if she could follow his no killing rule but for now he just wanted to get the job done. Likely he was in for a fight that night so the bonus was she was at least back up if he walked into more than he was prepared for. His eyes watched a cat and a dog run by and he chuckled as he thought about it. Fangs and extensive knowledge of the Inuzuka eh? Maybe he had met someone important. No way of knowing for now at least. Just enough time to focus on work.

His eyes scanned the road ahead of him with scrutiny as he let his smile fade and began to focus more on work. Quietly he tapped out his pipe and put it back in its pocket. His hand shifting inside his cloak to another pocket before its fingers claimed a scroll there. His mission assignment was to guard a family with a team mate from a circus people that were known to be travelers and kidnappers with a hint of being assassins. Nothing held any proof for the second one but he wasn't interested in taking chances. If he was going to survive he was going to need to hold himself to a higher standard. After all have the people he met were capable of breathing fire and farting lightning. His gaze shifted back over his shoulder as he considered the unnamed man he had just met. A curious fellow with plenty of knowledge of older events and yet he seemed surprised at the announcment of current treaties. Bau idly wondered what had happened in the mans past for him to think of allies in such a way. Perhaps his time in seclusion in a neutral country had left him unaware of the events years passed.

Still he unrolled the scroll as he tucked his walking stick in the crook of his arm. Walking as he read with his legs carrying him at a pace that would be considered running for average people but was just a brisk walk for him. If someone were sprinting they would pass him but out for a casual run they would simply keep pace. He wasn't really aware of his power growing as it had but he didn't really care for power enough to keep track of it anyway. Still he reread about the girl joining him. Her talents were sword and shield and to top it off she was an Aburame. The clan listed was actually fairly infamous in Konoha and he had heard about it a few times since arriving. If nothing else the bugs were rumored to be excellent sensory. He would use it for such. He chuckled as a thought struck him. Perhaps later if the man didn't show up and introduce himself after all he could ask her to track him. Bad idea but still funny.


4049
Exit thread
Taijutsu C-B 2000/2000
Futon C-B 2000/2000

49 remaining

"Aye, just say yer comin ta visit ol' Bau. Dey will likely let ya in without a fuss. Name is Bau Eitilt by the ways. Shoulda introduced meself earlier I spose. Anyway iffen you wantin ta return the favor by given me yer name do it at the cabin. I been takin too long ere as is and I am sposed to be guardin a wealthy man bout now. I am gonna be havin ta hoof it pretty fast ta da border. See ye later Lad."

Oh right, he forgot about that. He was already bad about manners as it was, Inuzuka didn't bother with them usually; least not in a way that most understood. Oh well, didn't seem like this man, Bau, was all that fussed by it. He was fine with that, really; he would have been fine with leaving a bad impression as well; as he didn't much care to impress or make friends with most people. No, he liked being... neutral, if an asshole, toward most people. This man though, he didn't trigger Kenta's jackass nerve, so there was that, anyway.

"Will do, good sir. You've managed to peak my interests, anyway." The tilted hat was a common enough gesture; a dismissal by way of goodbye. Good enough for him, his own gesture was a two fingered wave, index and middle fingers raised and wrist flicked in a way that would have produced a totally normal wave had he extended all his fingers. A quirk, that wave of his, he used it on anyone and everyone unless he was making an effort to be formal in some sense.

Well, time to finish inhaling his ramen. No more conversation, no more reason to be... proper. Time to dunk a face in hot ramen and inhale. Yaaaaaay for food times.

-EXIT-

WC: 310

310 + 3200 = 3510

STR A2-S0 2850/2850

660 leftover