'Thank the ancestors for shade and soda' Rokumaru thought to himself as he jostled his way through the crowds picking the Bazaar, happy to be under the tall canvas canopies that shielded the marketplace from that merciless sun. The sugary drink he sipped from a paper cup may have been dehydrating to some degree, but he'd be a tanuki's uncle if it wasn't refreshing. The sun had reached it's zenith in the sky, and the teen had business to attend to in the financial district that day. A quick stop for the carbonated beverage only delayed him for a few minutes

And speaking of his business for today, Rokumaru spied the sign of the shop he was traveling to over the heads of the crowd. One of the many blacksmith businesses, a mid-tier shop that supplied the shinobi of Suna with weapons as well as making mundane items like construction tools and discount jewelry. Roku wasn't here to commission anything, instead her on a more... personal reason. He drained the last of his drink and disposed of it in a dumpster, then entered the stone building

The iron door swung open ringing a bell to announce his presence, and the civilian girl behind the waist-high counter greeted the prospective customer with a smile. At first.

"Welcome to The Sandstone Hammer! Our kunai are half..." but when she saw that wild mop of red hair poking over the Suna headband and that lecherous grin, her mood took an immediate 180. "I'm working, Rokumaru. Are you actually going to buy something this time?" The blonde girl had very little patience for this boy.

The civilian's bad attitude was familiar to Roku. "You're too serious all the time, Kiwa. A quick break for lunch would bring out that gorgeous smile of yours!" The young Sabaku flashed a grin at the girl, confident in his charisma.

Kiwa buried her tanned face in her hands, and Rokumaru thought he heard her mumble under her breath about a clueless pest. She was silent for a moment, and when her hands dropped a throbbing vein poked out of her forehead. "So I could eat sandy food and listen to you talk about your clan for half an hour? You might as well leave before my father sees you." To punctuate her point Kiwa opened the door behind her to the forge, and Rokumaru heard the sound of a hammer beating against an anvil rhythmically. The Genin grew an even paler color than normal.

"Wha-no no no that's not necessary! We're both reasonable people, there's no reason to get Toshi involved!" Rokumaru backed himself slowly towards the door behind him, hands up in a pleading gesture, feeling the door with his rear and pushing it open.

"I don't want to have to ban you", Kiwa hissed through gritted teeth, "but you had better be here to buy if you come back. Or maybe I'll show you how a kunai fares against the soft skin under your pants." She twirled one around her index finger to drive the point home. The amount of killing intent in the air was substantial for a civilian girl to produce.

He knew when his welcome was no longer warm. Struggling to put on a smile through his fear, Roku pretended he wasn't affected. "I'll... I'll keep that in mind next time. See you later!" And with a glare from the girl he made his exit.

Outside the door Rokumaru let out the breath he was holding and felt his heart pound like a marathon runner's. 'Alright, wow. I definitely read that situation wrong.' Roku hoped he could entice the girl with a promise of free food, but she obviously had no patience for him today. 'What was the word Gorou used for women like her? Ah, tsundere! I think I understand what he meant by that now.'

Knowing he probably escaped a dangerous situation, Rokumaru tried to scrape his good mood back together. He stopped leaning against the building and caught his breath, and took a second to watch the people walking by. Just because he escaped castration from a protective old smith didn't mean he couldn't be social, right? He looked for someone he could have a quick conversation with, just to get what just happened off his mind.


WC:697

Anon's foot steps in the sand were rhythmic and precise, his destination unclear even to himself. The young shinobi was taking the day to enjoy time away from home, something he desperately needed. He was growing too stagnant in his days spent at home, with no training being done. To be fair though, he wasn't planning on training too much anyway. He hated training alone and he wasn't the best person at finding people to train with or buddy around with. In fact, he was about the worst at it. If anyone else was worse than him at finding new friends, it'd be a miracle. He made his way out of his apartment building, waving at his neighbors who were coming in the door after him. He'd held it open to make their time entering easier  then made his way into the streets of bustling people in the market district directly adjacent to the grand bazaar. Sometimes Anon liked his home being next to the bazaar, since he always needed to check up on new weapons and the shops there were always carrying something useful. But other times he hated it because there were so many people  around him at all times, it reminded him of being at the compound of his clan. Thinking about this actually put him in a sour mood, after remembering what had happened with his clan. They had forced his mother out when it was found she was an outsider, or perhaps there was something else? But they'd never told him about it or why they'd done it. In all reality, he wouldn't have known if his father didn't speak up, but the man refused to let Anon know why or even where he could find his mother. He glared at the sand beneath his feet as he walked, cursing his father and his clan for their misleading him throughout his entire life and keeping information on his mother from him.

He barely noticed when he entered the grand bazaar, weaving through the throngs of people as they made their ways from shop to shop, making purchases on things they insisted were needed but were pretty impractical. His steps brought him towards a blacksmithy near the western edge of the district, and he bumped into a young man standing in front of it, because he wasn't paying attention. He was jostled a bit and looked up, a bit surprised that he had run into someone. He stopped and looked at the other man, taking in the first thing he saw: spiky hair poking over a sunagakure no sato forehead protector. What stood before him was a pale teenaged male with unruly crimson locks and black attire almost matching the shade of Anon's own. With a sigh he bowed to the other, then upon coming back up he spoke.

"Forgive me, I didn't see you there. I was quite lost in thought at the moment and did not mean to bump into you. My mind just runs away sometimes, you know."

He yawned a bit, finding control of himself once more, pulling back into himself emotionally to once more adopt his apathetic nature towards life. His hazel eyes scanned the other male a bit more in depth, taking in his body language and appearance, noting that Anon hadn't actually seen this young man around before. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever even met someone who looked remotely like him. It made sense though, since Anon didn't know a lot of people in the village due to his reclusive nature. But he was sure he would have met another ninja other than Sutaka by now . But alas, he hadn't and the male who stood before him was very much a stranger. How would this stranger react to being jostled by someone else, he wondered? Would they react violently or would there be simple joking on the matter? Anon could never tell with others just how a situation would go and it would worry him if he cared much about anything.

WC: 691

He stood in front of the smithy for a few minutes enjoying the shade the building gave off, losing himself in observing the bustle that always enveloped the Bazaar at this time of day. Civilians and shinobi alike carried bags and packages of the things they had bought, merchants wheeled carts by laden with items to sell. Mothers held the hands of children who often were Kuching on some sort of treat, and couples did the same as they went about their business together. It tickled his sandy little heart to see commerce in his village thriving, even if the place had seen better days. Rokumaru should have been paying a bit more attention to his surroundings instead.

Rokumaru was disrupted in his people-watching by someone nearly bowling him over, the frail young Sabaku much smaller than the new arrival by about half a foot. He stumbled a bit before he managed to  recover his balance and turned to the assailant in question with a glare on his face.

Any thought about retaliating against the one who bumped him died as soon as Rokumaru laid eyes on the man. The Suna hitai-ate marked him as a member of the village's military, and his muscular frame spoke of someone who was accustomed to either a heavy workout or experience in close-quarters combat. More likely it was both. His face was hidden behind a mask the same dark-purple color as his hair, but above it lay two blue-green eyes that seemed to study Rokumaru carefully.

To say Roku felt a little intimidated was an understatement. He kicked himself mentally for being so easy to scare today.

But the man didn't act hostile as Rokumaru thought he would, instead apologizing for bumping him and blaming it on his lack of attention. The Suna-nun let out a small yawn, and waited for him to respond. The hostility Roku felt a few seconds before drained away in the face of the man's casual demeanor. His voice betrayed the fact he was younger than Roku first thought. The Sabaku now understood why he had trouble attracting girls if people like this were his competition.

"It's no issue, I suppose I shouldn't be standing out in the street waiting to be bumped," Roku said as he patted his long sleeve black T-shirt down. If the man had something on his mind he wouldn't try to add to it. Rokumaru had met a few other shinobi since he graduated as a Genin, but this stranger's rather mysterious appearance intrigued him into wanting to learn more. "If I can be honest I appreciate the distraction, even if the way it came was a bit off-putting."

He crosses his arms, and regarded the figure once more. Roku guessed the man was high-Genin or low-Chuunin, but with how young people seemed to get promoted he could very well even be a Jounin. If he didn't ask he wouldn't know for certain.

Rokumaru uncrossed his arms before holding dominant right hand out, offering the man a handshake in introduction. "I am Sabaku Rokumaru, handsome and humble Genin of Suna. Very pleased to meet another shinobi like myself!" Rokumaru gave the man a friendly grin, and silently hoped a handshake with him wouldn't leave a bruise on his fragile hand.


WC: 547+697=1244
(OOC: I like that you color your dialogue, I'm going to steal that to use myself)

Upon a closer inspection, it seemed to Anon that the young man was a bit intimidated by him at first, which didn't actually occur to him that it was possible. In his opinion he was no more intimidating than a common house cat, but then again there was the air of mystery to him and it was hard to really pinpoint who he was under the mask. With a mental shrug, he left that thought and moved on to the boy's words. He had appreciated the distraction, so he possibly was just as bored as Anon had been only minutes before, which was understandable. He was just standing in front of a shop, looking around. So he was either waiting for someone or simply watching the people go by. Either way, he probably wanted something more interesting to do and took Anon bumping into him as a means to get just that. Which was fine, he had no qualms about meeting and befriending new people. Anon just remembered that he was listening to the other male talking and zoned back in just in time to catch a name and rank. Rokumaru Sabaku, the genin. Sabaku seemed to sound familiar to Anon but he just couldn't place why. With a mental shrug once more, he moved away from the though.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Anon Brier, Genin of Sunagakure no Sato and formerly a member of the Mitarashi clan."

Upon stating his name he reached out to grab the other male's hand in a tight, but not forceful, grip, shaking it up and then down twice then releasing it. After he released it, Anon smiled beneath his mask, the mask in question concealing it, but only his mouth. Anon yawned once more, and began to look around. He wanted to offer to do something but he didn't actually know of anything the two could go and do together. The young man figured the other was too young for a drink, so they would have to find something more age appropriate to do. There were a few eateries around them, blacksmithies, taverns, and the occasional both with side show games. There wasn't really much to do that could interest two platonic acquaintances and less if they didn't share the same interests. With a shrug, Anon started making his way towards a tea house at the far end of the street, motioning for the other male to follow.

"If you wanna talk or hangout you can come here with me. I'll buy. It's a nice little place called Sand House Tea. Don't let the name fool ya, there's hardly any sand in it."

Anon laughed as he waded through the bustling pedestrians, making his way towards the tea house in question. He reached the doors and held them open for his compatriot before making his own way inside. Whether or not the other man decided to follow him it was only polite to hold the doors open. He nodded to the hostess as he made his way in and she led them to a booth near the back, setting menus on the table. The young shinobi quietly plopped down and picked up his menu to begin looking through it.

WC: 550 + 691 = 1241

OOC: No problem. I've done it a while, lol. It really makes it pop and separates it so much better

To say Roku was happy to meet this guy didn't cut it; he apologized, gave a friendly introduction and his name in return. The masked man's name was Anon Brier, somewhat strange as far as names go but with a name like Rokumaru how could he judge? What really interested Roku was that Anon said he was a former member of a clan he had never heard of before, the Mitarashi. He didn't have the clan as his surname and that fact he said 'former member' really sounded like there was a story behind the situation. Anon really did yawn a lot, though. Roku thought he should get more sleep. The 12 hours Rokumaru liked to get was the only reason he can have such an exuberant personality.

The handshake was firm and professional. Rokumaru could feel the muscles in Anon's forearms through the grip in his hand, basically yelling out that the man trained for close quarters combat, Taijutsu specialist if Roku could guess. Making wild assumptions based on little evidence was his specialty after all. This was really the first time Roku tried to really meet another Genin as he didn't have a squad yet, and as far as he was concerned the right person came along. Casual and polite, but still looking like he'd bend someone in half at the spine if he wanted to. A useful type of person to be on good terms with.

Anon Brier offered to take the two for a spot of tea, at a place Roku hadn't visited before called Sand House Tea. The masked man also quipped that the things sold there were free of any offending sand. If that was the case, the young Sabaku was more than happy to rectify the situation. Roku didn't carry that enormous gourd of sand with him everywhere, but he sort of wished he did At the moment.

"I would love that, Anon. As long as you're buying, that is." Rokumaru joked with the man. Of course, Roku wasn't offering to pay, his Genin salary didn't afford many social calls with others.

Anon Brier led the way to the tea shop he mentioned, a somewhat small place that had booths as well as a central bar with stools, and the man in question held the door for Roku in a friendly gesture. Anon nodded at a waitress signaling he was familiar with the place, and she led them to a booth towards the back of the shop where they would be out of sight of most other customers. The waitress set a few menus down in front of the duo and vanished to attend to her other tables.

Rokumaru studies the menu quickly before settling on a black tea flavored with honey and sugar. His father had given Roku his first taste of tea sweetened with the substances early in his childhood, and it had ruined his taste in bitter teas completely.

He set his menu on the table before him and regarded Anon across from him, eager to ask the questions burning in his mind. "I don't mean to be rude, Brier, but what did you mean by 'former member of the Mitarashi clan'?" Rokumaru didn't really care for being polite at the moment. "It sounds to me like the clan is no longer a part of your life". Clan and family were important to Rokumaru, so he wanted to learn more about someone who didn't feel the same way.

WC: 1244+592=1836

Rokumaru had accepted his invitation as long as Anon would be the one paying, which was fine. Anon didn't mind putting the money up to spend some time one on one with another ninja from his village. Upon them both taking their seats and looking over their menus the other guy decided he still had more questions to ask. This time it was more personal as it came to his remark about no longer being a part of the clan that had betrayed his mother and lied to him for all those years. It was a sensitive subject to the young shinobi and he sighed, picking his words very carefully before answering. He didn't want to give too much away, but he didn't want to be impolite and not answer a question regarding the subject he himself had brought attention to. It took him a few minutes before he decided he knew what he wanted to say. It wasn't easy opening up about this sort of subject especially to someone you didn't actually know at all so Anon took a breath then just let himself speak on his woe.

"Well, to be frank, it was mostly the deceit and lies that did me in. But when I was younger I was raised by my father and someone who I knew bore no resemblance to me. I was rather suspicious of this but didn't really have anything to go on, so I left it alone. On the day I graduated the academy, my father came to me and sat me down. He started telling me that he was sorry he hadn't told me sooner, but the woman I knew as my mother was not actually my mother. She was someone he had paired with after my real mother was expelled and banished from the clan for reasons that no one would tell me. She abandoned me there and left to do whatever she did. For years I was kept from this information and lied to, the clan members all treated me differently for whatever reason and I always thought I'd done something wrong. But it was them. They took my mother away from me and then treated me like garbage. I hate them."

Anon was getting angrier as he spoke, clenching his menu. He noticed this and sighed, unclenching and letting the menu be set upon the table, as the hostess came back for their orders. He looked back at his new compatriot, waiting for him to decide on what he wanted as Anon had already known what he was going to get: his regular green tea with three sugar cubes and Dango. The hostess smiled at him and wrote down what he wanted then took his menu and turned to Rokumaru. Once she had left with their orders Anon turned back to the other ninja to continue on with what he was saying.

"After that, I came to this village to get away from them, to find my own life. I wanted to get stronger, to become strong enough to one day perhaps take revenge on them, or even just strong enough to go on a journey to find my mother, where ever she may be. I have no idea where she's gone to and I would like to remedy that. But enough about my clan, what can you tell me about yours?"

Anon wanted to shift the conversation before it got too uncomfortable for either of them.

WC: 587+1,241 = 1,828

As soon as the question left Rokumaru's lips he knew it likely wasn't the best decision; Anon stiffened visibly, betraying his formerly calm demeanor, and seemed to search for the right words to say in silence. Roku allowed the man to formulate his response-not that he'd dare try to interrupt the man, that is. Not with those arms the size of Roku's thighs, those hands that could grip his skull comfortably! Rokumaru edged back in his chair just an inch.

When Anon's answer did come it was absolutely shocking to the naive little Sabaku. Raised by his father, and a mother who really wasn't, so very different from Roku's own experience. He was no longer considered a member of the Mitarashi because of some unknown offense his biological mother perpetrated, only knowing most of the truth when he graduated from an Academy outside of Suna. Anon's mother apparantly had abandoned her son to his father and disappeared. It all certainly explained his last name of Brier, and why Roku wasn't familiar with either that or the Mitarashi name.

And Anon obviously seethed with anger for his clan abandoning them. As he went on with his explanation his voice slowly rose louder and louder, a far cry from his usual distant attitude. He considered his clan as garbage for the unfair treatment they had given Anon. Roku couldn't really understand what the man across from him had gone through, and he really felt bad for asking such a personal question when they were really only strangers to each other.

When Anon seemed to realize his anger he took a second to calm himself, just in time for the waitress to return. She didn't seem to notice the rather downcast mood around the table, or if she did the woman took things like a professional. Anon ordered a green tea with a few cubes of sugar as well as some sticks of dango, and she wrote the items down on a pad of paper very quickly. Roku ordered the black tea with just as many cubes of sugar and a dish of honey, eager to have the latter sweetener since it had to be imported into Kaze no Kuni and he didn't have it often, and flashed a grin at the waitress as he handed her his menu. She took both from the men and left to hand off the orders, leaving the table to their previous discussion.

Anon went on to explain that he came to Suna for a fresh start and to be judged by his own actions rather than that of his family. His reasons for becoming a shinobi were understandable, to find his true mother and perhaps even rain vengeance on those who did him wrong. Roku wouldn't stand in his way, if anything he hoped the man would reach his goals. Trying to steer the conversation away from himself, Anon asked about Roku's clan in return.

Something he was more than happy to do; not only would it color the discussion in a lighter mood, it was probably one of Rokumaru's favorite things to talk about.

"I am lucky that my own experience has been a very happy one. I am a scion of the great Sabaku clan, progeny of the Godaime Kazekage and inheritors of the Ichibi's power!" That almost sounded arrogant enough for Roku's liking, but that would improve with time hopefully. To punctuate the point Roku slipped off the shinobi-style boot on his left foot and poured a little sand in it onto the table in front of him, probably bad manners but he enjoyed showing off. Using his powers in Sabaton he felt the connection to the small pile, forcing it to spread out into the shape of a circular happy face. His ability was still rather weak and he had to to wipe a small bead of sweat trailing down his forehead.

He wiped the sand off the table into the boot and slipped it back on his foot, and continued his answer. "I am the sixth child of seven with another on the way, and my parents apparently thought they were clever by gives us names corresponding to the order we popped out. My mother is a fairly strong member of our clan, although she's retired from active shinobi duty now, and she met my father while he was traveling on one of his merchant missions through the village. He buys goods in one land and sells them at a higher price in others, working for an old man who'll give him the company when he passes on."

He leaned back in his seat, and thought of a way to summarize everything. "Overall I've had a very privileged life so far. And for that I am thankful." He wasn't trying to rub his own positive experience in his companion's face, Roku was truly grateful considering how things could have been.

While they waited for their orders, Rokumaru tried thinking of something else to ask the masked man. Obviously there was strife in his life up until now, and whatever question Roku asked would need to be carefully worded.

"What made you choose Suna to begin your career in, Anon? I like all the sand and the hot sun, but that sort of thing isn't everyone's cup of tea. Roku stuck his tongue in his cheek and gave a smirk at that, considering that they were in a tea house, and continued.  "Plus we haven't had a Kazekage around for a while, there's really a power vacuum at the moment." He hoped the man didn't mind if he asked personal questions, but that was the best way to get to know him.

WC: 1836+979=2815

Anon quietly listened to the other male talk about his clan and watched as he poured sand upon the table they would soon be enjoying a tea and snack over. Before he could protest, he watched in amazement as the other genin formed the sand into a smiley face at will. There was noticeable effort to do so on the other ninja's part but it was still rather impressive to see someone control the element that was around them the most: the sand. After the other ninja cleaned up the sand he had poured on the table Anon listened intently to his story about his rather large family. Anon couldn't relate too much as he didn't know his true mother and he was an only child, but still he was rather enthused. Seeing someone control the very thing that surrounded and encompassed their village was no small feat and it piqued the interest of the young genin to the point he made a mental note to keep an eye on any and all Sabaku he came across.

Though the other ninja had a privileged life over Anon it didn't change his feelings about his new companion in the least. It would be interesting to befriend someone with this type of power and hopefully become great companions or even rivals. Hell, why not both at the same time? This really fired up the motivation for Anon to do better and become a better ninja. He was feeling as though he could conquer the world at this point and definitely could use a partner like Rokumaru to train with. It would be the best course of action to take after getting to know each other like this. His train of though was interrupted by the hostess coming back with their orders and setting them down in front of the two then departing from the table.  Anon listened to the questions with earnest as he placed the sugar cubes in his tea, stirring them in and watching them dissolve. For the first time in a long time he reached up and lowered his mask to show his slightly thin drawn lips, which at this point were in a smiling gesture. He took a sip of his green tea before deciding to answer the other male. Upon placing his tea back down he pushed the plate of dango towards his companion, offering one to him.

"I actually didn't know that I was going to choose Sunagakure no Sato at first. I was just wandering aimlessly to get away from my clan and the people there. I'd heard stories of a secluded place far away from the others and how there was a bit of trouble here without a Kage. I wanted to be able to help people here and decided that my best course of action would be to join this village. It took me a while to travel here but once I arrived I confirmed the stories were true.  I figured here I could become strong and help the village, bring it back to a state of prosperity. That's the idea anyway."

Anon continued sipping his tea, until he had eventually finished it. The sweet liquid was a bit hot to the touch but cooled more and more as he ingested it. He then moved to take a dango stick, biting off the top dango, happily munching on it. He was still rather curious of his compatriot and wondered exactly how he would be able to find out more about him. And his jutsu. An idea struck him and after he'd eaten his second dango, he swallowed at looked straight to the other male before speaking.

"I'm curious to see your sand control in action. I don't suppose you'd honor me with a sparring session sometime? I'd like to see what your clan members can do."

WC: 655 + 1,828 = 2,483

The masked man listened politely while Roku told his story, as much of a rapt audience that he could hope for. Anon's eyes narrowed a bit when Roku poured sand on the table but when he saw true Sabaton at work, it was obvious he wasn't too familiar with anything about the Sabaku family. It made Roku more than happy that he was the first introduction to one of the prominent clans of Suna.

The waitress returned with the orders the two made, two cups of tea with plenty of sugar cubes and a plate of dango. Roku gave her another smile before she walked away but she didn't seem to notice. Or was used to men flirting with her and could ignore them like a pro. Anon and Rokumaru added sugar to the tea and stirred the content of their cups with spoons while Roku asked about Anon's decision to come to Suna. The honey was added to Roku's black tea already as it was likely the tea house didn't warrant another dirty dish just for the sticky substance, but that should probably have been expected.

While Rokumaru raised the glass to his lips and sipped the hot beverage he noticed Anon slipped his mask off his face, a small smile on his thin lips for Roku's sake and sipped his green tea. The young Sabaku thought he was somewhat handsome for a man who hid behind a mask most of the time, but unfortunately could not compare to Roku's own beauty and ruggedness. He thought of himself as a rather attractive specimen in his own humble opinion. Brier offered some dango up to his companion and Roku took a stick to nibble on while he listened to the formerly masked man's answer.

To say Anon had chosen Suna to begin his career wasn't entirely accurate, the violet-haired teen explained. The wayward Mitarashi left his clan abruptly and wandered for a time before he came to the sandy village. Hearing about it's remote location in the deserts of Kaze no Kuni, it must have seemed like a good place to start his life anew. The fact that Suna was in a bit of a rut also added to things as it was perfect for an up-and-coming shinobi to make a name for himself. Rokumaru respected that greatly as he himself wanted to step out of the shadows and make a name of his own.

The two drank their tea in comfortable silence and finished up the dango. Rokumaru had gotten the general outline of the man who had bumped into him that day, and was content to learn the details another day. The lessons in etiquette his clan forced upon him told him it was rather impolite to dig to deeply into someone he had just met, and Roku had already dug rather deep for one day. Before long both cups say empty on the table and both men finished up the dango. Rokumaru placed the two sticks he had on the plate they came on and leaned back in his booth comfortably. He was thankful for a quick meal from hopefully a new acquaintance, and planned to leave a quick tip for the waitress after his companion paid.

Anon Brier looked at Roku pointedly and asked for a future sparring session between the two, eager to see how Sabaton would fare in a real-life confrontation rather than just drawing shapes on a restaurant table. While Roku was wary about fighting a man who looked like he could do some real damage with his body, he was even more pleased that his demonstration sparked curiosity about the powers his clan displayed. If he was a bit more cynical he would have guessed it was to gain experience fighting a user of Sabaton and formulate a way to counter it's long-range combat style but the man genuinely seemed excited to learn more about it. It would definitely aid him if a more hostile Sabaku came around and caused trouble.

"I would be delighted to spar and train with you! You seem to be a very motivated individual, it would do me some good to see how you handle yourself in action. If you are ever interested I live on my own in a little place just a few blocks from the Bazaar." When the waitress passed by Roku stopped her and asked for a napkin, which he wrote his address on with a pen from the woman's pocket and slid it across to Anon. He didn't mind giving such personal information out to a man he had just met, he didn't seemed like the honest type despite wearing a mask. When the waitress came back for her pen Roku handed it back as well as a few bills of ryo as thanks.

Feeling the encounter draw to an end, Roku turned back to Anon and smiled widely at him. "I appreciate you inviting me out here, but I must excuse myself. I hope we can consider this the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship, Anon. If anything it will be nice having someone to beat up on!" Rokumaru stopped to give the man another handshake in goodbye, and made his way out of the tea house with a bounce in his step.

There was a sofa-bed calling out to him at home. Roku walked through the streets of Suna back towards the Bazaar he visited earlier, stepping off onto the side street his house was located in.

WC:2815+939=3754
Exit Thread~

Training
Strength E-0 to D-0: 750/750
Speed E-0 to D-0: 750/750
Endurance E-0 to D-0: 750/750
Perception E-0 to D-0: 750/750
Reaction Time E-0 to D-0: 750/750

Discarded WC: 4

This was it. The sabaku across from Anon had accepted his dueling invitation and that was that. The two would have a sparring session sometime in the future to hopefully test out and feel for each other's combat abilities. This would be something to look forward to as Anon rarely had a reason to train, or anyone to train with and keep him motivated. He figured he wouldn't have this problem when it came to sparring a sand user as something so interesting was sure to keep him motivated and ready. It would be a boon for both of them to find how just how strong they were. And hopefully with this they would be able to grow stronger together. It was always better setting goals with friends and reaching them. It made things easier and more attainable. To try and do everything alone just alienated someone from everyone else and put the world on their shoulders, so to speak. Everything would weigh on them until they didn't believe they could go on and do it alone, but now Anon didn't have to worry about that.

He was given the address to his new companion's home, which was a large show of trust and made Anon feel somewhat special. Was this what it felt like to start becoming special to someone? He didn't want to get in over his head but this was something he'd been yearning for that he'd only ever felt with one person, that being his old friend Sutaka. With a chuckle, he watched the other ninja pay the waitress a tip and depart for home, probably tuckered out from a day of doing whatever it is Sabaku do. As for Anon, his day wasn't over just yet as he had so much more to do when it came down to it. He wanted to get more training in or perhaps work on more jutsu so that he could get everything that he needed done, done. That is, before he tried to apply for chuunin so that he could take on more dangerous missions and work towards becoming a special jounin. He wanted to earn his way to the top and become more powerful, and for that to happen he couldn't just head home after this. He'd have to find something to keep himself busy, and to keep himself driven. He had been so deep in thought he almost didn't notice the waitress waiting for him to either order more or pay his tab. He waved for her to bring him more tea as he deliberated quietly what he was going to do once he left the tea house.

While waiting, he stared at the place the sabaku had sat and remembered exactly what he had done. It was no mere trick to control sand at will, and there was definitely an art to it that Anon didn't understand. Somehow their chakra had to be in the sand they moved, otherwise there would be no way for them to do that, right? Or perhaps they combined chakra natures of different types to do what they did, making it that much more complex. Anon quietly held his head in his hands, contemplating the ever growing complexity of the jutsu used to control the very earth. Once his tea arrived, he stirred the sugars in once more, watching them dissolve into nothing within the liquid. Could the sand be like this tea and sugar? Different things added to make it do what it did? Could the other ninja somehow create the sand from other elements if he needed to or could he only control sand around him? Anon drank his tea in silence as he contemplated this, imagining the different ways that sand could be and was created. Once he finished his tea, he replaced his mask upon his face and left the money required for his tab, walking out of the tea shop and heading towards the kage's manse for more missions, the Sabaku still on his mind.

He was going to have to get much stronger than he initially thought if his contenders would be like Rokumaru. That would mean that not only was he fighting against regular ninja, he was competing with ninja that could control the very essence and embodiment of Sunagakure no sato itself! It was all very daunting, but exciting as well. He would have reason to be motivated and try harder to surpass each and every one of his contenders for the top spot of the village. It was going to be rigorous and much harder now that he knew what he was up against, but that was half the battle and now it would be twice the fun, befriending Rokumaru and hopefully training with him to be rivals for best in the village. Anon smirked and became giddy at the thought.

He looked up to the sky as he walked his way towards the manse, noting the day had become more beautiful than it was earlier. Less clouds in the sky, but a breeze had started. The sun shone brightly, almost as though it was smiling upon the village hidden in the sand. With the breeze going a lot of sand kicked up, or was it Rokumara playing tricks? In either case it was not too windy and gave the day a nice, calming sort of feel. As well as being just warm enough to warrant normal clothing but cool enough to keep the people in the village from getting too hot. This would change sooner or later and it would become hotter than the depths of hades once more, but for the moment someone like Anon could enjoy and appreciate the nature of it as he took his walk.

Exit Thread.

WC: 973 + 2,843 = 3,456(Trained Speed and Strength from D to D-3)