The village of Kumogakure no sato was bustling as it neared dinner time, people hurrying to close up their shops and get to their homes. Chiruka walked nonchalantly through the small crowds, weaving her way past tired looking vendors and sweat covered craftsmen. The smell in the air was palpable and it was with no small amount of effort that the woman kept her face in it’s usual relaxed, if slightly amused, expression. As opposed to the slightly more disgusted one her brain was telling her to take on. She was relieved when she passed out of the market place and away from the larger groups of people where there was more air. She swore that people in large villages just simply went without soap or possibly bathing all together, it was vile and offensive and her least favorite thing about spending time in any of the villages. She paused near a building and leaned against it, giving a quick check in either direction for anyone looking her way. While she wasn’t working at the moment, it didn’t hurt to be careful, her family name hadn’t exactly made her popular.

She sighed and ran her left hand through her long black hair, it seemed she couldn’t go very long without thinking about her family. She missed them all terribly, her dozens of brothers and sisters, it was a small comfort to know that they were all safe. She chuckled to herself as she imagined the trouble that some of the younger ones were likely getting into right about now. The same sort of trouble that she had caused when she was small. Just before dinner she probably would have filled every pot in the house with water, or rocks. Or water and rocks. And then tried to innocently pass it off as ‘helping’. She hoped at least one of the younger ones was following in her footsteps while she was no longer there to cause chaos. It would be a sincere shame if everyone was serious all the time, especially once those children grew up and learned what they were being trained to do. When she was a young bright eyed child, she’d fully believed the stories of helping to make the world a better place. And in truth she still did, but she knew now that it was not all heroism, in most cases it was deception and lies and cold blooded murder.

Feeling a slight chill Chiruka realized that while she had been lost in thought the sun had begun to set and the shadow from the building was now covering her completely. She cursed under her breath at her choice in attire, Kumogakure was annoyingly cold. She had  grown up in Lightning country, but in the lowlands where it was much warmer. Here in the mountains it was always more brisk and she had yet to adapt fully. Stepping out into the fading sunlight she pulled her short black leather coat tighter around her, while briefly considering going for a short jog to warm herself up. Leather, while attractive and durable, was by no means warm if you were simply standing still and the ambient temperature was less than ideal. And she, like an ever impressive bundle of intelligence, was clad in it head to toe. She shook her head, letting out a quiet laugh as the wind caught her hair and added to the irony of the situation. She scanned her surroundings as soon as she laughed, she’d been careless, and was irritated with herself when she saw a man standing alone at the edge of the village watching the sunset.

She was not terribly far away from him, and she would have turned to go, but her curiosity got the better of her. He looked so serene standing there, his shining white hair gently blowing in the wind, she simply had to know what he was doing out there alone. As she approached it occurred to her that perhaps he was there because he wanted to be left alone, but the thought was fleeting as she had already committed to her course of action. She softly walked up on his right side and would let out a barely audible gasp. He was gorgeous. Chiruka would look up at him, her grey eyes searching his lilac colored ones as she addressed him with a charming smile. “Well hello there tall, bright and gorgeous. What’s someone as beautiful as you doing here all alone?”

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Chiruka was both intrigued and amused when the tall and beautiful man standing before her did not immediately answer her. He did offer her a polite smile, though it was the sort of smile you would offer to someone you passed by in the street, not the type she was used to receiving. Especially not after paying someone such high praise. She was not exactly new to flirtation, it was in her job description after all. Gathering information was made all the easier by putting her marks at ease, and the simplest way to do that was usually by appealing to their vanity. This was the first time that she had encountered anyone where that had not worked. Were this an actual mission that the woman was on she would be fairly frustrated, but since it wasn’t her eyebrow raised slightly as her smile turned into more of a smirk. She’d never been rebuffed before, and it was an interesting feeling, one that brought with it a feeling that she hadn’t experienced for quite sometime; she felt challenged.

She tilted her head to the side as the taller man spoke, his voice smooth as silk as he slowly shared his thoughts with her. She had some idea of what he was trying to convey, she’d been in a similar mindset herself just minutes before, though she hadn’t been so self aware about it. She stretched the range of hearing a moment before answering; she could hear far in the distance the fading bustle of the market place and a lone barking dog. It was mildly distracting, and she could see that even at the far edge of the village you could not find complete peace. She wondered how far into the forest she would have to wander before it was silent and she could, as the white haired man had said, ‘fully hear her own mind telling her something’. Probably pretty far, since there was all the wildlife to contend with once she was down there. And then of course her own thoughts, her wildly sarcastic and consistently inappropriate thoughts. Like right now for example; while she should be coming up with some sort of witty comeback or insightful comment, the only thing she was thinking was how her own mind was telling her that she’d struck gold with him. Instead of that though, she would look at him thoughtfully before murmuring, “Sometimes it’s best to not think too hard on what your mind is trying to tell you.”

She would laugh cheerfully as he asked her about peace and quiet. Perhaps she had been initially, but now that she was standing here in his presence, that was the furthest thing from her mind. She imagined based on his lithe figure that he might be a very good dancer, or at least be willing to walk about the village and enjoy the nightlife. The last part of his question though, she wasn’t sure that he really knew what he was asking and she would sweep her hair over her shoulder, placing her left hand on her leather clad hip, a playful smile lighting up her features as the leather made a satisfying ‘squeak’ noise. “Well funny you should ask that, because as it happens I was just on my way out here looking for someone to eat dinner with. And wouldn’t you know it, here you are.” She chuckled quietly waiting to see if he would find the joke even slightly amusing, she wasn’t certain, based on his cool response so far. “In all seriousness though, I am new to Kumogakure, and in dire need of a meal, and good company. Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?”


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The exchange between the two of them was not going anything at all the way Chiruka had been expecting. These sort of encounters were so mundane they normally followed a script and at this point they had strayed so far from said script that she was quite off balance. It was both simultaneously invigorating and frustrating in its novelty, and at the exact moment that she was just beginning to lose her patience for the game of it the man swept his left hand across his forehead to move some hair out of his eyes. A normal enough movement, one that she saw everyday from dozens of people and also one that did not warrant much attention. Chiruka however was well trained in observing her surroundings, and the action caught her notice. More so than the action though was the marking on the man's forehead, a small delicate crescent, its points facing down. It was not a symbol she recognized from any clan or gang, and seeing it only for a moment she could not determine its origin, a tattoo perhaps. The woman could not fathom why someone would choose to put a tattoo on their face in such a prominent location, however she decided to merely file the information away for further investigation at a more suitable time and let an air of mild offense pass over her at his words.

She was not the least bit offended, she had as he stated chosen him at random. And there was no doubt in her mind that had she walked a hundred meters in another direction and found someone else that they would be more than happy to take her up on the offer of dinner. However, she was not interested in doing so. She had already chosen the very lovely and intriguing and exasperating man in front of her. “I wouldn’t call it convenient, that makes it sound contrived. If anything I would say fortunate. Yes I most certainly made a detour over here to speak with you, how could I not? And if you’re implying that I would have just as easily offered my company to anyone else, well. . .” She would stop herself there before she turned a civil conversation into one full of colorful language and biting insults, and instead laughed and shook her head gently.

His voice was mesmerizing, she wasn’t sure if he knew that, she hoped he didn’t because his voice was all the more alluring if it wasn’t practiced. Her mind worked furiously as she tried to come up with a million reasons why she didn’t have to tell him her name, or of a suitable alias she could give him. She had yet to use an alias in this village, since she had not had an occasion to use any identification. But something about the way in which he spoke his own name stopped her, his honesty perhaps, but in the back of her mind she had the strangest thought begin to form. What harm can it do, if it's only a first name? You’ll probably never see him again after today anyway. This sort of thinking was strange because it was dangerous and far outside her careful and strategic self. And in a moment of perilous impulsiveness the raven haired woman would hold out her hand to the snow haired man and with a sincere smile she introduced herself. She wanted desperately to speak the name Chiruka, but she knew full well that it was near enough to a death sentence to give away that name to someone she nothing about. Not just to her, but possibly to him as well and so she held her tongue, inwardly disappointed that once again she could not be fully honest. “A fair name indeed Renier, and a pleasure to meet you. My name is Satsuki. While it may not seem like an honor to you, to me it is quite the fortuitous event. You see, I’m not from here, and I know exactly one person in all Kumogakure. That person would be you my handsome Renier.” She would wait patiently expecting him to take her hand. “So, would you join me then, now that we’re at least acquainted in name?”

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