As you expect from Kirigakure, it was a misty morning. The air itself was light, fluffy almost, however this contrasted greatly with the overwhelming weight that the mist seemed to have; it was almost impossible to see.  Fortunately and unfortunately at the same time, the mist was only over the water, the endless horizon of the coast shrouded in grey. It was not busy, and due to the mist supplies were slowed down. Everyone was preparing for the war effort. Fishermen walked with crates of supplies, from their boats to the shops, while generic workers took boxes of supplies to boats to send off for troops. And among them all, sat just before the waves, was a single, solitary girl.

Her hair is long, messy, and covered in highlights, while she has two blocks of dye at the front of her hair; blue and purple. Wearing a basic, blue, shinobi training top with a single sleeve of the same fabric, on her right shoulder she wears her forehead protector. Unlike her normal left sleeve, her right sleeve is a long, translucent purple fabric that covers half of her arm, like a cloak more than a sleeve. She has a skirt on that’s a dark grey, and beneath those, dark blue shorts, while on her feet are a pair of combat sandals. Her posture could be described as, in a word, informal, and she simply stares out into the mist, amber eyes roaming the sights. But perhaps the most mysterious thing about this stranger, is that atop her head, lie two small horns. This strange lady, is Alwen Sangotatsu.

With a grin, Alwen stares at the few bits of the sea she can see, eyes focusing intently on the rippling of the water, the calm of the sea, and everything in-between. She exhales deeply, and then, gently leaning forward to put one hand into the water, she inhales. Gently, she hums, focusing chakra into her hand, then into a small bit of the water. She begins to rise, hand still outstretched, and with her, a small stream of water follows. Roughly two meters of cubic water leaves the sea, forming into an orb in front of her hand. Rather cheerfully, and as if this was little more than just a bit of fun, she begins to sing and hum, the orb of water rotating around her in a surprisingly consistent form, not a single drop falling to the cobbles of the ground.

She continues this for a while, the orb needlessly spinning around her as she sings. “Inside of us is a freshly placed clockwork key, and it’s rustling as it is beginning to move, see? Looking down on the dull boring world from the edge, who are you?” she begins to tap her feet on the ground as she sings, grin spread across the sea loving girl’s face. “Right in front of us the untouchable future is able to change. If you can’t touch it, make your way through quickly.” She cuts her words off as she looks around, realising a few people were watching. Sheepishly grinning, she sends the orb of water back to the sea where it came from, quieting down and sitting back to resume her watch of the sea, for once embarrassed by her actions.

549

Chakra: 140/150
Jutsu used:

Hyrdokinesis technique:

Taro dredged his feet through the village of Kirigakure, his eyes primarily focused on the cobbles that were beneath him as he walked. It was easier for him to walk like this, it allowed him to block out the others in his vicinity.. faces that one day, he might see once more, lifeless. It was a cold world they lived in, and that was only exemplified by what had been happening in and around Kirigakure recently. Merchants flocked to and from ships, hurriedly producing more stock to take advantage of war time prices. He looked up momentarily from his feet to look between the hired help, moving large, wooden crates through the village on their shoulders. What would be in those mystery boxes was any guess. Would it have any hand in killing opposing shinobi? Simply a food product? Hell, it could even be a cheap, poorly made statue. Knowing how fickle merchants were, and how desperate villagers became to try and give off the illusion of having some modicum of wealth, it was most likely the latter. Although, who was he to criticize others for the pleasures they relish in? It's not like he could control his pleasures, if you could even call them that. Although, he had heard a lot of his people say that giving in to your animal impulses was the greatest freedom one could experience.. perhaps they were right.

The bandaged left hand of Taro moved out from his rugged, brown cloak momentarily to tug on the collar before retreating back into the warmth it provided. It was fortunate for him that he had decided to wear it today, as the mist certainly seemed to have become thicker than the days it had been before. Perhaps it was a sign from a god that they frowned upon the notion of this war, an attempt to cause havoc for those who wished to sail away to their destination, their.. holy crusade of sorts. His hands moved down by his sides as he continued to walk through the village, attempting to continue doing something just so that he didn't get lost in his own thoughts. He wondered if it was like that for others as well, if they had to continue keeping themselves occupied to stop themselves from doing something they'd come to regret at a later time, or perhaps even something they'd be murdered for. Where were the others like him.. the ones he needed to guide him? For a brief second, his inner mind roared into life and he got an unsightly glimpse into the recluse of his imagination he didn't want to visit. A child he had caught sight of but a few seconds earlier, when he had had the audacity to look up from the ground where he belonged, had suffered from multiple, extreme bruises over her body. Varying contortions of the body suggested that broken bones were a likelihood, and the awkward angle her head at been at suggested a snapped neck, and well, the glazed over gaze as she stared into his eyes suggested.. well, you get the picture.

Scrubbing the thought out from his mind, he threw his hand out from his cloak in a rush, brushing it through his hair to idly style it once more into the regular spiky formation. He was fortunate that it was so humid in Kirigakure, it allowed for him to constantly, and easily, sort out his hair should it go bad. It was a simple cut, sure, but most people focused on hair for first impre- What the hell? As he had been walking with his gaze fixed on the ground, he had pushed through a few people who dared not speak out about the transgression, the male was a behemoth standing at 6'5", and that was why, as he looked at the ground, he saw a figure with, ironically, the most curious hair he had ever seen before, and what appeared to be prosthetic, nubbed horns.. Wait.. no.. they didn't seem to be reflecting the light all too much, so they couldn't be the regular plastic that was used.. perhaps they were even real. The reflection showed the disruption of the water and the ripples, and he realised why the area had become so quiet.. she was displaying her mastery of suiton, exercising her will over the element, and the citizens wanted to watch it.. Wait, no that was merely a single part of it.. she was singing. Taro had been unconsciously blocking out the sound of the area, but the girls words started to reach him.. they were.. interesting to say the least.

She forfeited her little display, and if Taro could see anything from the immense, rippling reflection in the water, it was that she was likely blushing. Walking towards her still, he used the reflection to guide him so that he didn't have to look at her face personally. Standing about one meter away, he turned to look down at the ocean fully, speaking out towards her once the citizens had went back to their preparations for war, "Where'd you get the inspiration for the song, Siren? It's a strange piece." Heh, Siren.. he found that nickname fitting for a singing, water-release user. In fact, he was so proud of it that he even afforded himself a small smile to soften his features.

[895 WC]

Too many people. That is the first thought that enters Alwen’s mind as she accidentally grows a crowd of people watching and listening. She was fine with crowds, and performing in front of others, but maybe this was a little much. Her eyes fixate on where she returned the large blob of water, intent on avoiding eye contact with any of those around her. Perhaps, in hind sight, she should have visited a different part of the shore, one less ripe with business and commerce. Her eyes focus intently on the movements of the water, the ripples that slowly fade back to its regular rhythm, the disruption she caused becoming redundant. She would not have turned away from the tides if not for a sound, the sound of a voice. From how close it was, she concluded the voice was trying to address her, as well as the sounds of the villagers returning to their daily war efforts.

She spins on her heel, looking up at the stranger who stood nearly an entire foot taller than her. She scanned his attire, as if trying to figure out more about him aside from what she could probably guess from his comment. A quick glance up confirmed a grin, likely at his own remark. She had to admit though, she was surprised at the, shall we phrase, creativity of the comment. It wasn’t truly creative, but it was something she’d not been named before. She nods slightly to herself out of nowhere, before deciding to mimic the stranger, staring back out to the water, her right hand on her hip. She had seen enough of this stranger to make her opinion, so instead, she would focus on the horizon, trying to see as much of the sea as possible beyond the mist. A single boat begins departing, fading into the distance, and disappearing among the mist, its movement rippling and messing up the already inconsistent pattern of the water.

After a moment of silence, she speaks up, needless cheer in her voice. “My mother used to sing it to me. It is a song I have always loved.” She didn’t need to pause, or take so long to reply. She was just being herself and being, as she liked to put it, quirky, like that. Closing her eyes, she lets her answer sink in for a moment, before speaking once more. “Tell me, stranger. If I am a siren, then what does that make you, the one who followed the song of the siren? A sailor, wandering to his demise?” she giggled at herself, a light hum coming from her mouth. With an almost cruel grin, she dropped any posture she had, simply shrugging. “I’m kidding of course.” This last statement held an almost teasing tone to it, and with a sly grin, she stretches her arms out in front of her.

She didn’t wait for a response before sighing, turning directly away from this tall man. “My name is Alwen. I am going to go find somewhere along the shore where the water is less disturbed.” At this, Alwen extended a finger to point to the waves, then to the boats. “You are welcome to come along as well. From what I am assuming, you strike me as the sort to also not find interest in these crowds, no?” Her question a rhetoric, she cared not for any responses, walking off along the shore. Her feet clacked across the cobbles, the bottom of her sandals resounding off the rocky path as she makes her way to what would be this strangers left. Alwen’s only priority was to get away from the boats, to one of the places along the beach that were not so busy. A little company could not hurt, which is why she extended her invitation towards this man. Her eyes flick open, the amber contrasting against the blues and greys of the rest of the scene. It was probably from the sheer height of the stranger, but whatever it was, Alwen was intrigued. If her intuition was correct, perhaps the day could prove more productive than simply watching water.

691 + 549 = 1240

Witnessing the girl turn towards him, he continued to observe the reflections in the water for a brief understanding of what was going down without having to make direct visual contact. It was only a brief appraisal of him, he noted, which was quite.. refreshing for him. Clearly she didn't find him to stick out too much, and perhaps she even found him to be normal, a strange concept for him to truly grasp due to how he was forced to go about life with his ailment. He decided to look up from the water soon after, staring out into the distance to see what was happening for the preparations. The boats that came in, and the boats that left.. His right hand shifted from his cloak once more, pressing his fingertips into his throat before dragging them down for a few moments, scratching his throat roughly. How many boats lay at the bottom of this ocean? He gazed back down towards the depths of the water, too murky for him to clearly see all the way to the bottom which only further ignited the idea inside his mind. No. Change of thoughts. He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight as if that would block them, although of course, it didn't. He gave up after about five seconds, continuing to gaze out towards where the mist swallowed everything.

A voice came from his side, and he was startled.. he almost forgot about the girl who he had initially spoken to, having taken such an unusual amount of time before responding. The song appeared to be a family favourite, or at least a fond memory of her time with her mother. Taro himself skipped over that idea rather quickly, the absence of knowledge regarding his own family irked him, but that was not simply information you divulged within the first few meetings you have with a person. So instead, he continued to listen as the girl indulged in the prospect of being a siren, and perhaps he himself a sailor. In a sense, it could be a true scenario, albeit extremely toned down. In fact, the idea that he could be wandering to his own grave by staying around this person amused him more than he could say.. How ironic it'd be if he was to be killed by a shinobi who appeared to be so.. small, so frail. He shrugged his shoulders lightly, responding rather simply, "We've got to follow our destiny, right? Guess it's written in ours that the sailor survives a little longer with the siren." He looked back up from the water to scan their immediate vicinity, noticing how people seemed to be rushing far more than the duo themselves were. He was unsure on whether destiny truly was a thing, or at least, if he wanted to believe in it. That'd insinuate he was destined to be a monster during this period of his life.. but.. what if he was destined to be more later on?

As he looked around, he noticed the figure beside him turn and point towards another direction while speaking, suggesting that the two should go somewhere more private. The original implication caused a faint chuckle to emerge from him, "Trying to lure me off so you can satisfy your own impulses, 'Siren'?" He started walking beside her regardless, moving towards the more secluded area. For him it was to avoid the incessant bustling of crowds that continued to scratch at his sanity, he was unsure on how long he could last in the public domain, and so the suggestion itself had been a divine intervention on his behalf, or at least he'd have to believe so. During the time spent walking, he decided to speak up again, coughing a little beforehand, "Taro, by the way." He decided to state initially, having almost forgotten to introduce him, "I can only imagine you're going to serenade me with more family songs, right?" It was around about his time that he decided to take in the difference of height between the two, but he simply shrugged it off as it wasn't too important. He hoped, at least, that during this break from the others he'd be able to maintain his composure. To not give into the impulses that threatened both his physical, and mental safety. Things surely wouldn't go that bad anyway, after all, Alwen seemed friendly enough, albeit.. quirky.

[740+895 = 1635WC]

Destiny? The word resounds in the sea witches mind as she walks, leaving an almost sour feeling in her thoughts. She did not like the concept of destiny. For according to destiny, all flowers must wilt eventually. No, a focus on destiny was best avoided. Alwen much prefers the idea of the sea lotus blooming, ignoring the false whispers of destiny calling. She shakes the thoughts out of her head, eyes fixated on the stretch of cobble she walked along, followed by the large man. Workers shot glances at the odd duo, one being an overly large person, and the other being lithe, and with small horns. Alwen returns their glances, in turn judging those who seemed too flabbergasted. Her horns weren’t fake, and the ridges and details of them, as well as the dark brown to light brown colouration. Of course she knows that none of them would be dumb enough to say something about it; most fear the unknown.

She smiles as she recollects her thoughts, when the stranger’s words once more repeat in her mind. Impulses? She cannot help herself but to burst out laughing, leaning her head back in an over exaggeration of the humour she found. Turning around to start walking backwards, and to face the big guy, Alwen leaned up, gently stroking a nail across Taro’s chest, before spinning back around. “Someone has quite the imagination.” She remarks, rolling her eyes before continuing. “Did you never read stories of the creatures of the sea? We are in Kirigakure after all…” with a pause, Alwen glances out to the water once more, then speaking up once more. “The sirens are the killers of the ocean. The sailors all should fear them. However, they do not directly cause the kill. The true killer is a lot more graceful than the siren. More powerful, more beautiful. Can you guess what the true killer of sailors is, the one that works with sirens?” she asks, giggling at herself. That must have sounded cool, she thought, a semi-menacing grin spread from cheek to cheek.

Taro? So that was his name. Alwen had to admit, it was a fitting name; simple. She briefly glances behind her as if to match the face to the name, making a mental note of it. Giggling at her own mean thoughts, she continues walking, tracing a finger nail along one of the many crates while she passes by, as if almost casually pretending it didn’t exist. “If you want to hear real music, perhaps you should pay attention to the wonderful sounds of the sea itself. It would be rude to pretend the pure beauty that is the oceans song is not the most wonderful family song, no?” spouting rhetorical questions once again, Alwen looks behind her to grin at Taro, facing forwards again just in time to spot herself nearly colliding with a worker carrying a crate. With a quick duck, she manoeuvres beneath the man’s box, spinning slightly as if it made it quicker, feet seemingly dancing in rhythm. Now back to standing up straight, she simply waves to the person as if it was not her fault, giggling gleefully at her foolish actions. Honestly, she was hoping she gave Taro the impression that she was wise, mysterious, and strange… Something where only the latter would really apply.

556 + 1240 = 1796

Unfazed by the glances that were thrown their way, Taro continued upon their venture. He was used to receiving odd looks by others, and that was why the girl's almost instant appraisal of him was rather welcomed, and more inviting than someone simply staring at him as if he was a freak in a carnival. Perhaps it was because she was used to being seen in the same light, after all, she did have those weird horns.. and that.. well, THAT personality. He didn't bother to look at those who laid their eyes upon him, instead focusing on the ground that was immediately in front of him as to avoid eye contact with anyone that could ignite him. There was little for the male to do in terms of controlling his rage, but this was the best one he had came up with throughout his travels, his primary coping method of avoiding the beast that was inside.

Soon after he had managed to sooth his mentality, a cackle pierced the sanctity of his mind and scratched against the inside it, almost tearing the walls apart. He briefly frowned, looking up to see that the girl was now walking backwards.. If she was to fall, he'd have the time of his life laughing, and he was almost preparing himself for the possibility, but she.. started to stretch out towards him. Her arm was moving towards his chest, and his heart rate increased, pumping to accompany the terror he was starting to feel. His left arm moved out from the cloak as fast as he could, knocking her own arm away from his chest before the nail could touch him in a hurry. "Don't touch me." Taro barked, intentionally starting to walk a greater distance away from the girl due to that fiasco. His panic started to subside, and he continued to listen to what the girl had to say, shrugging his shoulders under the cloak before he decided to reply, "I'm not from Kirigakure, I haven't been here for too long actually." It was at this point that Taro started to believe that either he had given off the wrong impression with what he had said, or that the girl he was following certainly had a deep, almost disturbing interest in the ocean. Was he legitimately about to be sacrificed to some forgotten deity of the sea? He didn't bother to respond to her comment, not wanting to entertain the idea that he'd stick around if he was going to be treated much akin to a child. Was this tiny girl looking down on him? He moved his hand towards his head, ruffling his hair for a few seconds but pressing his palm against his temple, calming himself down somewhat. He was unsure on how long it would last, dropping his arm back down idly to his side.

It was official, now, that Taro believed the girl was going to attempt to sacrifice him to some god of the ocean. She spoke so fondly of it, and it was a queer thing for him to experience, even from someone who lived in Kirigakure, who's economy practically thrived from the merchant ships that sailed for them. He decided to look up once more, catching sight of a brief grin, and it appeared that this would be the time she'd finally trip. An event Taro could partake in heartfelt laughter. He returned the grin, as he believed it was finally time. Alas, she spun around just in time and danced under the crate, evoking a confused cry of surprise from the poor fellow carrying it. He even felt so bad for the male that he went out of his way to turn his body so that he didn't barge past him. "Consider me rude then, Alwen. I don't see the beauty in the ocean, I see the destruction that it houses. Perhaps that's your thing.. I much prefer testaments to human creativity." Perhaps the word 'human' was going to be a bit offensive to the two of them, he thought between the pause, shrugging it of soon after, "I'd rather hear the musings of a bard than the sweeping of the ocean." Truth be told, Taro was mainly terrified of the ocean because he had had dreams of being on a boat, traveling from one destination to the next with a happy family who simply had the misfortune to be kind to him. In the dream, he couldn't control it, the crashing of the waves sparked some primal response from him, evoking the rage he feared.. He killed the family, and in turn, he snuffed his chances of survival due to his inability to steer a ship. Perhaps.. perhaps this all linked in, Taro started to think. He looked towards the girl for a few seconds as the thoughts stirred around his head.

[815+1635 = 2450WC]

So, Taro wasn’t a fan of being touched. Alwen makes a mental note of this, so as to avoid doing so in the future. After all, as much as she is enjoying her mysterious persona that she was pretending to have, it was wrong to make others uncomfortable. Honestly, she was really surprised the person took her up on the offer of a quiet place. Maybe it was because they were tall. Or going to try to kill her and sell her horns. That’s probably a market somewhere right? She shrugs to herself, seemingly out of nowhere at this thought. She then glances behind her once more as she hears he isn’t from Kirigakure. Strange, it’s not common for people to decide it a good idea to visit a place during a time of war, especially if you’re not from there originally. She began gleefully skipping, completely dropping her mysterious persona. Her more upbeat, speedy pace was completely unnecessary, as realistically they were nearly at the place she had in mind. The cobbles of the village had faded, scattered, into sand. It was a more, beach like, beach. Were it not for the mist, it would probably look great as a tourist destination.

Her eyes lit up in a bit of surprise at his comment about the water. He couldn’t see the wonders of water? Well, it’s even stranger for him to be in Kiri! She goes to say something, but finds herself cut off as he continues. The choice in wording made her giggle. Human? Not usually a term people use with her. Perhaps it was just a word the big guy was used to? She didn’t know, and didn’t care. As he finished his statement, referring to the musical and lyrical profession of bards as being more enjoyable than the water, Alwen shrugs. Thinking of a way to phrase her view on it, she decides to begin by addressing a previous bit of their conversation. “The ocean is the biggest killer that I was talking about. I mean, duh, it’s big, heavy, and people drown in it!” her voice was light and cheerful, sounding completely out of touch with what she was talking about. She was referring to the countless of sailors who lose their lives to the storms at sea, and was doing so with a smile.

Rather unceremoniously, she leaps away from the cobbles of the path, feet causing puffs of sand to rise and scatter upon impact. With a completely foolish laugh, she does a little pirouette before jumping down onto her back with a thud. She does completely childish things while on the ground, such as making a sand angel, and stuff like that, before sighing and sitting up. With a happy look upon her face, she just looks outwards to the sea, intent on just enjoying the moment while it lasts. Alwen carefully dusts the sand off her back and arms, before resuming her watch. The breeze picks up lightly, and next to the beach, behind Alwen and to the side of where the path was, were what seemed like a mixture of a beach and swamp. A sandy marsh, all the greens and yellows dulled by the mist. It all shifted lightly under the breeze, and it was clearly a more isolated part of the village. It wasn’t completely isolated, as there were a few buildings scattered around, but there was not a single person wandering around the streets here. The quiet helps her focus on the sea, the tide making a gentle whooshing sound as it goes in and out. The distant commotion of the main docks now nothing more than just that, distant. The sea witch smiles contentedly.

618 + 1796 = 2414

The pace of the girl had increased, and in response so too had Taro's. Following her all this way had been quite an amusing event in itself, as she seemed to have found a different way to maneuver constantly, despite how detrimental it truly was. Although, Taro could respect it somewhat. He understood that she simply wanted to remove how mundane regular walking felt, after all, the two weren't exactly having the most thought provoking of conversations at the moment. In fact, Taro was unsure on what he was even being lead to, but like an obedient, bulky sheep, he followed the shepherd towards the promised pasture. His feet pressed against the dusty sand and continued to displace it, with the thoughts on where just exactly he was being lead to continuing to invade and poke around inside of his mind. This was the chick he had considered to be capable of sacrificing to some power of the ocean, and perhaps his initial belief was slowly going to turn into a rather grim reality.

Alwen went on a tangent about the ocean once more, and he couldn't help but smirk at her comparison of it being 'big', and 'heavy'. Granted, that was a bit of an understatement given the scope of things, but it was around about this point that things took a rather strange turn. She seemed rather cheerful about the drowning of others. She seemed pretty delighted about such a major topic.. perhaps.. she didn't truly understand the gravity of that. Maybe she truly was bonkers. He paused for a moment, expecting her to add another piece of information after an abnormally long pause like she had done before.. but she didn't. That appeared to be the entirety of her statement, her actual view on the value of life. He decided to speak up about it, perhaps to ease his own bit of tension, "You find the ocean to be beautiful because of it's capacity for death? Do you cherish murders committed by monsters as well, or is it only the cold depths of the sea that earn your admiration?" He continued to watch her, albeit more carefully this time around. If there was anything you could say to set a man on edge, especially who was visiting a secluded area with you, that was probably going to definitely be near the top of the list.

With a sudden jerking motion, the girl appeared to be having some sort of seizure he was unfamiliar with. Her body had twitched towards the side, and then spun around almost immediately, before she fell onto her back. In most cases, he would have been worried about the person's health in such a case, but this seemed to just be an adverse side effect of being around this girl. Crazy stuff seemed to keep happening. There was no logical explanation for why she did any of it, but perhaps that's what added to the charm of her. Willing to be open about who she was, instead of hiding it. Should he stop hiding the beast that was inside? Wait, no, that was a dumb idea.. his had the capacity to actually kill. His was a minor incarnation of the attribute of the ocean that the girl had previously praised. Shaking his head a little, he stepped towards her side once she was sitting, deciding to crouch beside her himself. Resting his body in the squat, he looked out towards the ocean that the girl seemed to have an almost.. too intimate of a relationship with. What was it that excited her so much about it? Well, he wouldn't find out if he didn't ask, and perhaps he had asked a similar questions earlier, but dammit he needed more answers. "Why're you so infatuated with a body of water?" The question was quite simple, just like the man, but with how much the girl seemed to create something out of nothing, he was sure she'd have some new found wisdom for him to relish in. Or, on the more likely side, just boggle his mind even more.

[686 + 2450 = 3136WC]

Alwen stops smiling for a moment, her gaze unmoving from the waters ahead. She concludes that her mysterious attitude attempt had perhaps gone too far. She was not a killer, and nor did she believe that was what was wondrous about the ocean. Amber eyes scanning the misty horizon, she spoke up, voice emotionless with her words. “I do not believe the beauty of the ocean comes from its ability to kill. I respect it, but do not love it for that.” Her hands reach up and gesture to her horns, a finger carefully tracing its ridges before putting her hand back to her side. “My clan comes from the sea. It is to us, as emotional closure is to others. We rely on it, and in turn, we use it.” She lets out an exhale of breath, letting her words sink in. “I do not seek pleasure through killing. A life is precious. One who has power to take life should be respected, but, perhaps one that has the power to take life and doesn’t should be more so. How many people go out to sea? More come back than don’t. That is a gift from the ocean.” From this, she lets her words hang heavy. Did she speak too much? She probably started sinking into the mysterious persona again, but she felt it was a serious matter, and while she was enjoying having fun, that was something to discuss properly.

She picks up a clump of sand, holding it in her hand and letting it fall between her fingers. Her hand stays raised until all of the sand either falls, or gets drifted away by the wind. As soon as it returns to the mass of sand, she laughs, quite sporadically. “That probably sounded a lot more serious than it really is! Look at me, rambling on and on!” Shaking her head, Alwen begins humming to herself slightly, as if in a silly attempt to lighten the mood. She wanted to think of something better to do, since surely this big guy wasn’t the sort to enjoy basic meditation and contemplation. After all, he had just said he couldn’t see the wonder of water. Maybe, just maybe… Was he scared of the water? The concept of such a thing made her begin giggling like an idiot, unable to help herself at the thought that popped into her head. An image of Taro, freaking out at something like a puddle, just made her crack up. But the thought left her head as quickly as it entered, as she remembers the man approached her despite her having water spinning around her; and not a small amount of water either. She falls silent, letting the words and sounds of herself and the location respectively sink in. Amber eyes glanced to Taro, but only for a moment, as if checking for a reaction, before they returned to their wishful gaze at the mass of water. She hadn’t had a conversation in so long, she had no clue what she was doing. The horns were generally off putting, probably.

516 + 2414 = 2930

Taro listened to what the girl had to say, although he was unsure on whether she was being sincere or not. There appeared to be a lack of empathy in her words, no real emotion being shown.. was she telling him what he wanted to hear? The words that followed after, however, swayed the male. Perhaps she was genuinely being truthful, he could understand the whole clan ordeal, after all, she did appear to be pretty aloof and had shown prowess over the water earlier that day, so there was nothing to truly dispute there. He nodded at the end of her sentence, a smile nestling on his features that were currently hidden by the collar of his cloak. Perhaps he had finally cracked the shell the girl appeared to put up, or maybe he had just put her on the defensive. He rested his elbows on his knees during his squat, allowing his hands to fall forwards in between his legs to grant him some modicum of comfort during the position. The words had struck the male somewhat startlingly, and they had a bit of truth to them, although he felt that the power of ocean was being personified too much. However, that wasn't too bothersome at the moment, and he simply let the girl reflect on what she said while playing with the sand.

The laugh didn't even surprise Taro anymore, during the moments they had been together he had grown accustomed to the girl's erratic behaviour, and it was barely a worry anymore. Perhaps he had just got the wrong end of the stick with her. She spoke once more, and then started to hum.. then giggled again.. It was almost as if she was trying to fill the silence, or was blocking something out from her mind. After all, Taro had used that method a lot in order to ignore the rage that built up inside of him, roaring to come out. "What's so funny, Alwen?" The boy questioned bluntly, turning his head to look at her from an angle. She seemed to be amused by the smallest of things, and that was probably a great coping mechanism. He found his eyes drawn towards her horns once more, but he frowned and looked away. He knew that people like him.. like them just wanted to fit in. Asking about that deformity would just make Taro like the others.. he was a monster himself, he should know better. "We've been sitting around for quite a while, dont you think? Maybe it's time we get something out of this journey. We're a good distance away from others.. I think we should spar." He paused a little, turning to look towards the girl to see how she'd react. If there was no denial, his left hand would work at his cloak, unraveling it from around his shoulders before discarding it to the side, away from the water so that he didn't lose his valued possession to the damned depths. He'd stand up himself, walking about ten paces away from the girl so that it wouldn't be easy on him. He wanted this to be fun, after all, a true display of skill by the two of them.

[540+3136=3676WC]

Upon Taro asking what was funny, Alwen turns her head to face him, as if confirming for herself if the question was really serious. It was at that, she notices his eyes looking to her horns. She went to puff out her cheeks, but he turned away without mentioning it. The little tension she felt dropped in an instant, and she looked out to the water again. Was this guy just like the other people, completely clueless to not matching up to the view of societal standards? It’d be a shame and surprising if he was. After all, he was very tall. So, if nothing else, that should have made him stand out… She hummed to herself in thought, although this was soon broken off by his next question. A spar? She had to admit, it would make it quite interesting. With a grin, she hops up to her feet, nodding. “Why not? Although I’m warning you, my water skills aren’t just for dancing.” She giggles, taking off her sandals and throwing them to the side. From there, she did the same as Taro, taking a few paces back. However, unlike Taro, she steps into the water, the cold of the sea splashing against her bare feet.

She crosses her legs slightly, taking up a rather askew posture. Her left hand goes down low while she holds her right hand above her head, body at a low angled tilt. She decides to take initiative, wanting to prepare for what would be the best offense, and best defence, all at the same time. She almost felt sorry for Taro. He was fighting a suiton user while next to a large body of water. Uncrossing her legs, she steps one foot forward, raising her left arm while doing so. Two steady streams of water follow her as she does this, and they keep rising and rising, until both of them seem to pillar almost twice Taro’s height! She then lifts these massive orbs of water into the air, letting it hover in front of her slightly. She could tell from his bulk and height that Taro was used to fighting up close and personal, so she wanted to make it as hard as possible for him to get to her. Besides, she knew this could also act as a psychological deterrent as well. After all, she was literally moving several tonnes of water with little more than a gesture of her hand. She lowered this water in front of her again, stretching out the orbs to make a perfect dome around her. From here, Alwen gathers yin chakra into her hand, leaning to the side to rather simply touch her little water dome. The location she made contact with began to turn a light red, almost as if it was watered down wine. A change of hue spread slowly throughout the entirety of her water dome, contrasting completely with the grey like blue of the water she was standing in. Her defence was ready, and she was looking forward to seeing how Taro would deal with it. The siren has made her move.

521 + 2930 = 3451

Chakra = 120/ 150 (-15 for C rank jutsu use, -5 for ruby suiton)

Jutsu used:

The girl had stepped into the water, and he knew straight away that this was not going to be a dull battle. He'd have to endure those blasted bubbles again, and he'd probably be soaked by the end of the ordeal, and it was just so.. bleh. He was preparing himself for a charge, as to not let her have any time to prepare herself, but then he noticed the water rising up from her position in the water, it had reached Taro's height, fine, yeah, sure, that was alright but.. it rose to.. double his height, or at least that's what it looked like. Wait, no, it wasn't just one.. There were two formations that had just been created that made him seem rather inconsequential, and that was going to a bother to get past. Going off what he had seen, the girl was capable of creating spheres from water, and also manipulating the water into pillars.. was he going to hope this was all she could do and simply charge in head first anyway? I mean, that did sound like an extremely fun idea that would get him slapped down to the ground with a concussion, most likely, but it was not something he planned on doing at this point of the fight anyway. He wanted to scope out his target like a predator before he engaged in the kill. Well, not kill, the attack. He had no intention of killing the girl, nor of even damaging her badly. He simply wanted to win the spar and make a friend, with either option being acceptable, but both, of course, optimal.

This was going to be a war of attrition, at least until his adrenaline fully kicked in and he wanted to simply charge and do his best to land a single hit. He stepped back a few more meters, with a distance of about 15 meters between them now. He paced from side to side, analysing the situation as he tried to figure out the best way to attack the girl. So, until he thought of the most optimal one, he'd focus on the two pillars of death, or at least, bruising, currently content with letting the girl waste her chakra. His hands shifted over his ninja pouch, and he felt the contents of his kunai, his shuriken, and the forehead protector that he could never be bothered to wear. To completely pull out the victory in this fight, he'd likely have to use these weapons to keep him on equal footing with this girl, a distraction of sorts.. the thoughts continued to cascade through the young boy's mind, and he was starting to feel alive. The possibility of getting slapped, pretty damn hard, by a python of water was damn exciting, and that was likely to happen if he dared to step foot in the water. His hand remained inside of his ninja pouch, ready to make a sudden move in case the situation changed. He needed to be careful with this girl, and perhaps, that was what had drawn him to her in the first place, the quirky siren. He continued to watch the constant manipulation of the water as it formed around her person, at least in Taro's vision, to become a shield of some sort. He'd have to.. he'd have to potentially punch through that thing. Could he do it? Was it possible for him to pull off? He doubted it a little, but never the less, his spirits remained high.

[587+3676 = 4263]

Alwen watches the figure of Taro shimmering from behind her reddish, watery bubble. She particularly took notice of how he seems to be unmoving. Was the sea witch giving him doubts? This thought was good for her, as she knows doubt is the first step to defeat. However, doubt alone wasn’t going to win her the fight, and realistically, she could not hide in her bubble forever. Even though doing so would cause him to feel lethargic, Alwen was all too aware that if he tried to punch through the dome, he could; it would be the same as punching a pool of water in terms of resistance. On top of this, she couldn’t keep the bubble active forever. While she could maintain it for a long time, she’d rather not consume too much chakra. On top of this, as a downside of making the first move, she was now behind in terms of chakra resource management. Taro had yet to even move, and yet here Alwen was, draining her strength away by the second. Perhaps going all out at the start wasn’t a good idea. She scans what image of Taro she could discern from the water, before concluding that, no, it was her best option. He was probably twice her weight, so, getting hit once would likely end the fight for her. Her goal was going to have to be play on the defensive. Although, that being said, there’s no reason for her to not pretend to be on the offensive. After all, if she doesn’t end the fight soon, or make him use up chakra, then she had no chance. Her grin continues to be quite cheery. Alwen has a plan.

Slowly, the siren lowers her hand from in front of her, letting it rest even at her side like her other for a moment. After a brief pause, she raises both hands in front of her, clapping the two together. While to Taro this image would be distorted, what then proceeds to happen is that between her hands, a small globule of water begins to form. This water is smaller than that she manipulated to make her dome, by quite a significant amount. This water begins falling for but a second before suddenly shooting out, a small handle like shape ending up in Alwen’s right hand. From this handle, the water continued to fall, somehow without messing with the density of the formed liquid. This kept going, to become an almost rope like shape. While it’d be hard for Taro to see due to the water in the way, small spikes begin to form throughout the rope. Finally, at the end of the rope, a small, reptilian looking head forms. She cracks the whip in front of her, causing a combination of a crackling sound and a splash, before giving Taro a thumbs up with her spare hand. This was likely a terrible plan, and she was now losing chakra even faster. But now she could at least make it so that Taro had a sense of urgency, hopefully. After all, what opponent lets the one they’re fighting set up as many techniques as they please? All she has to do now, is wait.

538 + 3451 = 3989
Chakra: 95/150 (-15 for C-rank jutsu, -10 for maintenance costs)

Jutsu used:

With Taro prowling side by side as he witnessed the dome swirl around, multiple thoughts of assault came to mind. He could man mode, simply run straight in and try to punch the girl, after all, she seemed pretty frail to him, and there was a large difference in muscle mass which would obviously work in his favour when it came to strength. Although.. the water itself was a problem. He was unsure on what it was capable of, and he knew that it wasn't something he should be willingly venturing into without any second plan, so he'd have to think about his options carefully and weigh them out with the limited amount of time he had available to him. The girl was going to be using chakra to maintain that jutsu, he knew that much, and that'd mean the longer the fight went on the easier it'd be for him to overwhelm her all at once, but if he was to take the route of least resistance, there'd be no fun in it.. He had simply waited until the girl had become exhausted and there was no sport in that, no contest.. No, he'd break through this defense, and while doing so he would hit her, or fall unconscious trying. Rolling his shoulders behind himself, he made some form of idea to prepare himself for this.. fiasco. His hand removed a kunai from his pouch, spinning it around for a few seconds, with a final glance towards the dome. She appeared to be making something else inside of the dome, and that only meant she would probably have an entire army of.. of something waiting for him. Maybe more bubbles? Or something that'd be more of a nuisance..

It was fortunate for Taro, however, that the dome was a double edged sword for the girl. While it did obscure his vision on what was truly happening inside of it, due to the way water operated it was likely that she was also unable to see Taro all too clearly, and would likely be seeing him in positions that he was not truly in due to the refraction of light while she was inside the dome. As such, Taro started to charge towards the girl, wanting to break through her defense cleanly, or at least, break his shoulder against it. However, naturally, if he was to see the whip coming out from inside of the dome, he'd change his erratic movements to continue to try and avoid it to the best of his ability. If all was to go well for him, he'd burst through the dome unscathed, yet alas life was not going to be a fairy tale for him, and he remained ready to change his plan at any second.

[462+4263=4725]

She grins to herself. Perhaps the mere size of her bubble was intimidating to him? After all, she has had enough time to not only form her shield, but also to form her weapon. It was highly likely that Taro could break through her dome at any time, since it’s only water, but perhaps he didn’t know that. Perhaps the sheer fact that Taro was fighting against something physically bigger than him was too scary for him, and that concept would prove to be the deciding factor? She stares at the shimmering image, trying to figure out what could be going on in his mind. Strange… The image seemed to be getting bigger. Was this a genjutsu? A size increasing technique? Before Alwen has a second moment to think of the reason, reality kicked in; he was charging the bubble.

As Taro charges through the water dome, Alwen shrieks, her focus on the hydrokinesis technique faltering enough for the entire bubble to simply collapse. On the plus side for her, this meant her red suiton had made contact with Taro. Its chakra based composition would make him feel lethargic, slightly drained. This was little consolation for having her defence destroyed, and with a dive to the side she narrowly avoids the charging man, whip in hand. She begins to pant, having used up too much energy before the fight had even begun. She had to make the next attack count, or she’d never be able to last. He was close now, too close for comfort. Her mind rushes to think of a way to either end the fight in the next hit, or at the very least, slow his movements enough that she can make a retreat. Looking to her whip, she concludes the latter was the best option. While it would connect the two, hopefully the spikes and bite of her whip would cause enough of a problem to Taro that he’d be unable to run after her as she retreated to recover strength and think of a better plan. She cracks her whip in front of her a single time before sending it out in front of her, towards Taro. It wasn’t incredibly fast, due to her not being very proficient with the whip, but it was fast enough that it would hopefully hit. Alwen hopes to have the head of the whip hit, so that its fangs can cause deeper cuts than the barbs of the whip could hope to, but realistically, she was simply hoping for anything to hit. After all, she had to avoid getting hit at all costs. Her posture had become more defensive than before, less fanciful and dance like. Her feet shoulder width apart and sturdy as can be. After all, she couldn’t afford to have a loose posture or aim with this attack. If she misses, all Taro would have to do is turn and move, and the fight would be over. She had to admit, this was giving her good insight. Fights are fast, quick, and sudden. Good things to know.

511 + 3989 = 4500
Chakra: 90/150 (-5 for maintaining water whip, hydrokinesis drops)

As soon as Taro had charged through the mildly crimson waters, he felt a strange.. feeling. His body seemed a little fatigued, as if he had been doing more streunous work than he truly had been doing during this spar. After all, all he had done is take a simple stroll from the village up towards a secluded area.. it must be the girl. She was just exhausting to be around, to try and match her euphoria about the sea.. Regardless, just as soon as the feeling came, the grit of Taro started to show through. This was combat.. this wasn't a good time to slow down, to hesitate.. His body wanted him to slow down, to take it in, but he was strong willed, and he didn't want to come off as weak.. He didn't want to slow down despite what his body wanted him to do. He'd fight through this feeling, and he'd beat the girl.. mentally and physically. Sure, it wasn't the most chivalrous thing to do, but hey, a victory's victory.

He saw the girl dodge towards one side as soon as he broke through the barricade, so to speak. The crimson water continued to drip from his hair, running over his flesh and clothing with a primitive snarl upon his features. He wanted to get into her mind, and he knew that appearing aesthetically to be savage, and genuinely wanting to harm her, would likely do the trick. When the girl jumped, he knew it was his time to strike. He pressed down into a crouch before throwing his body towards the destination of where the girl would land from her dodge, as it had only been a meter or two away from her original position, his arms held out as to tackle her to the ground with him obviously being on top of her. If that was to work out for him, he'd remain in that position unless the girl found a way to counter his attack, not really wanting to punch her out of fear of actually causing grievous bodily harm. That'd be a terrible way to introduce yourself during a friendly spar, really. Of course, there was still the matter of him holding the kunai in his hand, but he wouldn't do much with it at this point, simply allowing it to remain by his side in his hand. While sitting on her, he'd speak with a grin on his face, "Do you forfeit this spar, Alwen?"

Of course, if the girl was to avoid the tackle, Taro himself would weave under the whip once it had come towards his person, aiming to pull the legs out from under the girl to take the fight to the ground as it had been planned prior.

[463+4725=5188WC]

Alwen watched as her whip went past Taro’s head, missing completely. As he charges her, an audible cracking sound would be heard, perhaps a bit of the whip grazing against his skin, not enough to injure, but enough to show how close it was. The big man began to barrel at her, and she found that she herself was the one feeling frightened. Her techniques had all backfired, and he just seemed terrifying. Which makes sense, it was the same logic she tried to use on him; something twice the size standing in front of him, something twice her size charging at her. Thoughts quickly fill her mind. Where in her strategy did she make a mistake? Was it overusing chakra? Did she misjudge distances? Or perhaps, was this a match up she could not win in the first place? After all, her techniques were often best used against other jutsu fighters, at a range. But Taro was neither of that, and in fact had yet to use any techniques as far as she could tell. Her skills relied on jutsu usage, and yet here she was, fighting against someone who didn’t need stuff like that. The moment before impact was made, one thought went through her mind; mistakes were made.

With a rough smack, Alwen finds herself pinned to the ground, the towering, overwhelming presence of Taro pushing her into the sand. It was over in an instant. She was too exhausted to use her water techniques. The whip in her hand collapses in shape, splashing into nothing more than seawater against the sand, which soaks it up as sand tends to do. Her amber eyes scan the situation, as if looking for any way out of it. She was exhausted, having used almost half of her chakra for techniques that in the scheme of things did nothing. And above her was someone almost twice her size in muscle mass. To make the situation more inescapable, he had a kunai in one of his hands. As much as she hated to admit it, there was no way out of it. She drops her head back, closing her eyes, before replying. “You got it. I surrender.” It annoyed her having to surrender, after all she wanted to show him the power of the water. When she opens her eyes again, she looks up directly at the misty skies, trailing off in her thoughts. She had to get stronger. To find a way to make up for her physical weakness. These thoughts in her minds, she speaks up once more. “Tell you what though, Taro. When we both get stronger, we should spar again. And when that happens, you’ll have no choice but to use chakra just to keep up. That’s a promise.” She declares, sticking a tired thumbs up towards the man currently on top of her. To anyone looking, this would look incredibly stupid. A horned lady giving a thumbs up to someone who looks ready to punch her in the face. But nobody’s watching, so, that doesn’t matter.

510 + 4500 = 5010

It was every boy's dream to hear those magical words. Well, every boy who lived for fighting, which was unfortunately the only motivation in Taro's life. After all, when you entered uncontrollable bouts of rage, you had to eventually embrace some aspect of it.. or you'd be overwhelmed completely. If he entered some sort of rage, and he was unable to fight, that'd just be silly. He'd be throwing punches at people with no true damage that could be inflicted, and it'd be like a toddler swinging ham fists at the legs of an adult. Sure, it'd be amusing for the first few minutes, but after that it becomes a bore, and discipline would have to be brought out on the child. So, to know that he could hold his own in a battle.. to defeat another shinobi, it was a highly relieving situation for him. It gave him a sense of being.. a purpose of sorts. Of course, it was a rather empty one given the nature of the world, but it was the drive that kept the boy going. He pushed his body up from her after she forfeited the spar, content with his victory. Of course, he could have made it a bit more flashy, he could have theoretically used one of his jutsu, and perhaps in hindsight he should have.. being beaten by a person who used no jutsu would be highly demoralising, and for a moment he felt a pang of guilt for having forced the girl to endure that. The words that followed after, however, caused the feeling to subside and a smile to replace his blank expression.

He spun the kunai in his hand around his finger for one loop before he plunged it down into his ninja pouch, releasing the metallic weapon into the recesses of the bag before sending his hand back out from it. He waded out from the water, imagining that the girl was quite at home while lying down in the ocean. He returned her thumbs up, just so that if people did happen to be looking on, she wouldn't look like the only one who was weird. He wasn't entirely sure why he was doing this gesture, but perhaps the adrenaline of the fight had changed him somewhat. Once he made it out from the water, he kicked his sandals off and waded up and down the beach, attempting to relieve the moisture from his feet. He finally decided to return the words that the girl had spoke to him, teasing himself at this point, "You don't fight too poorly for a siren, although your techniques could use a little work." He wondered how the girl would react to his words, perhaps she was one to get easily riled and she'd try to start the fight again, which would simply be quite a funny scenario. "Why was the water bloody, anyway? Is it cursed?" The thought hadn't ran through his head much during the scenario, the truth of the matter having been that he simply didn't want to linger too much on his fears of what he may be going into. A dome of blood seemed pretty terrifying, come to think of it.

[537+5188=5725WC]

Inhale. Exhale. Alwen simply allowed herself the luxury of breathing as soon as Taro had gotten off of her. She wasn’t going to comment on his weight, since that’d be a stupid idea, but to her it was harder to breathe with him crushing her into the water. She didn’t bother to sit up, simply enjoying the feeling of the water shifting against her, taking in the feeling of the sounds and feeling. She wasn’t sad about being defeated. Frustrated at being defeated by someone who didn’t use any jutsu, sure, but not hung up over it. Alwen was fully aware that she has much to learn. She’s just a genin after all. Chakra control was never going to be perfect starting out. If anything, it was stupid of her to just accept the spar out of nowhere, and even more so for her to misjudge distances and make the first move. But, hindsight is 20/20, and honestly, she was fine with losing. The best way to learn is from mistakes. If you win every fight, how are you going to know how to avoid losing?

With a hum, she turns her head to watch Taro as he speaks. Upon his comment about how well she fought, and her need for improvement she simply shrugged. Well, no shit she needed to improve. If she had won that fight, she’d have thought differently, but she didn’t. The thought was in her head anyways, although she wasn’t frustrated or mad about him pointing it out. So, a shrug was an apt response. She’d have given him critique on how he fought, but really, the fight was too quick for her to judge, and she made nothing but errors, so there was nothing for her to judge. Perhaps the only critique she could make, was that he charged in almost too recklessly. After all, if her ruby suiton dome was more dangerous than it actually is, running face first into it would have been a terrible idea. But, that wasn’t a critique she could make, because of the fact that it worked out for him. Speaking of which…

Taro had just asked about the “bloody” water. Alwen can’t help but giggle at the question, the big man believing it to be a curse. She shakes her head, deciding to answer. Not completely, but enough to clarify. “My clan, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, specialises in the manipulation of the water element. What you have not yet noticed, is the scale of which we manipulate it. The redness is not blood, but me manipulating the composition of the water itself. Speaking of which, you may wish to dry if off. Until you do, you may find yourself feeling… Drained.” She lost, so, it was only fair he know that it was best to dry off. With a resigned sigh, she explains further. “I’m sure you’ve noticed this, but I’m best against those who specialise in jutsu and ranged combat. So, while it was embarrassing that you didn’t have to use any, I’m not surprised either.” She proceeds to look back up to the sky.

520 + 5010 = 5530

Dropping the small gesture of extending his thumb, he brought it down against his body as if patting himself down. After all, he had just been covered in water and it was entirely possible that he may have lost some of his belongings to the ocean, and that'd kinda' suck. His hands pat over his clothing initially, before dropping down into his ninja pouch to feel the individual sharp points of each of his weapons. Sure, that sure felt like three shuriken and a singular kunai, and everything was fine. He brushed his finger tips along the cold metal of the forehead protector that was nestled at the bottom of the pouch, and that of course, confirmed his suspicions that he still retained that piece of equipment. With everything in order, he listened to what the girl had to say, lifting his arm up towards his torso so that he could get a better look at it, and he did in fact, notice that the water dripping from him was ruby in colour. It appeared to have the ability to make the victim feel lethargic, and that explained why he had suddenly felt the strong urge to allow the girl victory in the fight. If he had been hit by more of that ruby suiton, the fight could have gone another way, but the two of them were both inexperienced when it came to each other. Next time, she'd be prepared.. So he'd have to prepare for the next fight himself. Try to avoid the red water, it was simple stuff really, although hindsight was always a killer. Dropping down into a crouch once more, he took his cloak into his hands and worked it over his hair, releasing the moisture into the cloak before continuing to work the piece of cloth over his face, and of course, over the rest of his body to dry himself from the water. It was an interesting concept, and next time he'd have to use some jutsu to see just how potent that ability was. He wanted to take everything the girl could throw at him, and still keep moving forward.

Taro continued to listen to what the girl had to say as he dried himself from the spar, tipping his head to one side while slapping the other side, allowing for some excess water to drain out from his ear and onto the sand beneath him. He wasn't entirely sure on what to say, as he wasn't exactly the comforting type. He stood up from the squat and wrapped the cloak around his form once more, with the mildly wet side facing outwards as he threw it over his shoulder once to allow for it to conform around his body. "Come on, we should get heading back to the village. I'll, uh.. buy something." He wasn't sure on what he was purchasing, but he felt as if he owed the girl something at least. As he waited for a response of either a rejection or acceptance, he'd stretch his arms out from his body to sooth the muscles he'd used. Regardless, Taro would walk back towards the village whether he was accompanied or not, because truth be told, he was a bit cold.

[Exit]
[542+5725=6267WC]

[D>C Taijutsu (Hybrid/Strength) 1500/1500
D>C Ninjutsu 1500/1500
D>C Senjutsu 3000/3000
Strength E>E-2 225/225]

She watches as he seems to check himself. Was he worried about not having things on him? She giggled slightly, quietly, to herself at this, finding the concept of him being worried about losing stuff in shallow water quite funny. He really wasn’t from around here, and it showed. But that didn’t matter. She noted that he didn’t say anything as a retort, or to rub in her failure. That was something Alwen could respect. Lying in the water for a few more moments, she waits until a bit of water gets on her face before jumping up, ripples in the water resounding from her sudden movement. She shakes and spins, as if she were a wet dog. Giggling, she cartwheels over to where she ditched her flip flops, putting them back on while listening to Taro’s suggestion.

He’ll buy something? Oh, how the ideas rush into her mind. Of course, as you logically do, her thoughts immediately went to food. Did she feel like having ramen? Sandwiches? Seaweed wraps? All you can eat? Oh the choices! For a while, she just stood there, mind lost in the images and thoughts of various foods she could imagine. Her stomach audibly rumbled slightly, imagination running wild. Deciding to be completely unashamed and take him up on his offer, Alwen quickly snapped out of her hunger filled trance, running after him with a “Wait up!” Upon catching up, she couldn’t help but giggle, deciding to give him fair warning and announce “You miiiight regret this big guy!” with a nod, she quickly did some thinking through her head before. “I’ll make you a deal! Buy me some food, and I’ll tell you about another type of Suiton I can use, give you a bit more insight into our next fight, eh?” it was only fair. Besides, she was planning on discovering more uses from Suiton, so, it didn’t matter if he knew, right? Worst case scenario, if he betrays her trust, she could confront him and pretend it was all a lie, and state a complete lie as the ‘reality’ of her Suiton. Manipulation was fun, and clearly completely harmless! Not that she was manipulating him at the moment. But as a backup, there was no harm in it. And with that thought in and out of her mind, she hurried after him, intent on getting him to buy food. Lots and lots of food.

403 + 5530 = 5933
[EXIT THREAD]

Training: