After dinner on her first night in Konohagakure, Kameko had made arrangements to stay in a room at the very pub that she had dined at, for it doubled as an inn. The Crayfish & The Snooty Shoemaker accommodated travelers, like herself, and it was no trouble to book it a week at a time, for she had no way of knowing how long she’d be staying in town or when she might be recalled in Kumogakure. The room that had been agreed upon was an efficiency style. Upon entering the room, immediately to one’s left was a door that led to a full bath and to one’s right was a sliding door that led to a closet. Continuing past that would find a kitchenette and a little breakfast table with two chairs. All in the same room, was a king’s size bed, a desk, and a dresser near a large window which, during the day, easily illuminated the hotel room. Overall, it was comfortably decorated and clean, but not fancy.

It was within that room that Kameko was sitting at the desk, sharpening her kunai with a whet stone. It was the last of her little collection of weapons to be cared for, her katana was already back in its sheath and sitting on the desktop next to her hitai-ate. Wearing Kumo’s forehead protector was required when one was traveling, but she was settled in for the night and didn’t bother with it at this hour. The young woman was dressed comfortably in a long-sleeved, royal purple cowl-neck top and a pair of dark grey corduroy pants, one of her bare-feet was tucked up in the chair with her. Intent on her task, she was surprised to her a knocking on her door.

‘That’s weird. I didn’t order anything, and I don’t recall telling anyone I was staying here...’ Setting the whetstone down, she made her way to the door, the kunai held ready in her hand. The young woman was wary, not knowing what to expect. The door had a little fish-eye peep hole that was common for security. Rising up on her toes to peer through it, she saw… “Tenzo, I wasn’t expecting you,” she said with a smile as she opened the door to the familiar face. The hand grasping the blade was down at her side, non-threateningly, though she wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t need it. He seemed friendly enough, but that didn’t change how unusual it was that he would track down the specific room she was staying in and come calling late at night. He gave a little speech about explaining himself properly, and curious, she invited him inside.

Leading the way into her hotel room, she casually set down the kunai upon the nearby counter of the kitchenette. It wouldn’t do to have it sitting on the table between them; besides the rudeness and possible threat that could be read into it, it would seem far to reminiscent of the butter knife incident from the last time that she had seen Tenzo. Going to the little breakfast table, she took a seat and, with a gesture, invited him to take the chair across from her. Conversationally she asked, “Did the innkeeper tell you where my room was, or did you go around knocking on every door until you found mine?” the question was asked good-humoredly, but the answer was important. She doubted that the innkeeper remembered her little dinner a couple nights back, and so he probably was not aware that she knew Tenzo. That meant that some man came asking about her, a young lady from out of town staying alone, and the old man just gave out directions to her room instead of, far more appropriately, taking a message for her. She might have to have a little chat with the old man in the morning.

“…I got mine right here...” Blue eyes narrowed at Tenzo in sharp contrast to her previous amiable mannerisms. The words accompanied by quick movement were a threat, and as is common when one senses danger to their person, time seemed to slow enough where she had time to consider the situation. Kameko mapped out the locations of her weapons, and as Tenzo had ascertained, neither were within easy reach. Assuming it was a projectile, she would not have time to form the handseals and mold the appropriate chakra to deflect it. With those rapid observations in mind, she did not jump up from the table to try and grab a weapon or anything so dramatic; it was unlikely to do her any good but to present her back as an easy target.

Instead, when his hand rose up into her line of sight, one could see the young woman’s right arm jerk upwards to take the assumed attack on her arm and protect her more vital areas, her face instinctively turning away from him, though her eyes tracked his movements. In the next instant, it became clear that he was not wielding a weapon in the traditional sense but holding a bottle of alcohol, and the young woman played off the defensive gesture by brushing at her bangs. Although the speed at which she reacted made her original intentions easy to guess, she did not directly acknowledge her reaction as having been anything more than a little preening.

‘That was exactly what he wanted,’ she observed, ‘To get a reaction.’ She had a feeling that those dull looking eyes were sharper than they appeared, and the young woman had that discomforting realization that she was being sized up, her reactions being judged. She felt as though she was being manipulated as some kind of experiment, and it did nothing to endear the Uchiha to her. She obliged his request for glasses and as she rose to fetch them she began, her pleasant-sounding voice, carrying clearly despite her back being turned, “Oh Tenzo, I actually think it’d be far more inappropriate,” having reached the counter where she had set down her kunai, she lightly flicked the handle, sending the little blade spinning like the needle on a compass, “To invite a guest in and then sit down with a weapon in hand.” The young woman moved to the cabinets, looking through them for glasses, while she continued, “There are ancient traditions against harming guests, and I’m sure a physical weapon would not be my only concern when dealing with one of the esteemed Konoha shinobi.”

The room was furnished, so, after looking through a few cabinets, she located the glasses. Getting down a flask and a regular drinking glass, she filled the latter with water and carried both back to the table with her. Setting the flask before Tenzo, she said with a smile, “Speaking hypothetically, of course, for someone who comes bearing such a generous gift must be nothing less than a friend. Although, I’m afraid that I don’t drink alcohol, but please don’t hold back on my account, Tenzo; the gesture was a kind one, and I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”

The young woman retook her seat and set her water glass down on the table before her. “Shall I?” she offered, indicating the sake bottle. It was traditional when drinking sake to pour for one’s guests. After his answer, she would either open the bottle and fill up his flask for him, or not, however his response dictated. Once it was settled in either fashion, the young woman would lean forward slightly, her face alight with interest. “So, Tenzo, was there something in particular that you wished to discuss with me, or is this a social call?” It was hard to tell with the young man whether he had business on his mind or not; from his show of self-control in the pub when she first met him to his little ‘joke’ with the bottle, he was rarely clear with his emotions and intentions.

Kameko raised her eyebrows as Tenzo reached across the table and helped himself to her water, draining the glass in a single gulp. “Is helping yourself to my drink meant to be charming?” she asked, the words a challenge to his behavior. She caught the drink with her hand when he slid it back to her. Those blue eyes pointedly looked down at the empty glass and then back at Tenzo. He proceeded to insist that she have a glass of sake with him after some highbrow remarks about him changing her world view. It was hard to tell if he was serious or if this was just another way of flirting with her.

Her usual abstinence was not from any sense of morality, simply practicality. The young woman was a light-weight and did not want to end up getting drunk and causing herself trouble. Having assisted her father in the running of his company, she had frequently joined him when he took his associates or clients out for drinks; it was a common part of the culture. She settled into different situations with little difficulty, and having been in Konohagakure for a couple days, she was comfortable enough that she convinced herself that she’d be able to eject Tenzo with no problem if things didn’t go to her liking; she was used to young men honoring her requests, and she was young enough herself that she didn’t really consider the possible implications of a man arriving at her hotel room late at night and insisting on her drinking with him. Past that, she decided that there was little difference between drinking with a business partner and with another shinobi; don’t let yourself get drunk and use it to strengthen bonds between you and the other person. After all, it could be helpful to have friends in other hidden villages in the future. It never hurt to have someone that you could call upon for favors. 'Isn’t that part of the reason why you wanted to travel?'

With those thoughts in mind, she replied, “If you insist..” Rising from the table, she returned to the kitchenette and, leaving her glass in the sink, she exchanged it for a little sake cup to match the one sitting before Tenzo. Setting her cup down on the table, she remained standing and reached for the bottle that he had set on the table. Opening it, she would proceed to fill up his little cup, fulfilling her role as hostess for the evening, before setting the bottle between them and retaking her seat.

Kameko was surprised to hear Tenzo open up about his family, without a single innuendo or smirk to accompany it. She wondered if she had misjudged him… She certainly had not thought to hear him apologizing for a lack of refinement, nor had she intended to cause him to feel that he needed to do so. Their family circumstances were different, but that was hardly something to hold against a person; the Ryuzoji were a well-respected and influential clan in Kumogakure, but individual circumstances varied and it was the hard work and entrepreneurial nature of her parents which had resulted in her fortuitous upbringing. Shaking her head, she assured Tenzo, “There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m not disappointed in the least.”

If she was honest, it was almost a relief to hear. Hard work was something that she respected more than his front of sly looks and word play. While mystery played to her strong sense of curiosity, it had been that which had initiated her inviting him in this night after all, the curiosity demanded that she be given an answer to whatever questions that mystery presented; as a result, she preferred when people were straight-forward as to who they were and their intentions towards her. As he lifted his cup, she lifted the bottle again to fill her own. Traditional sake etiquette dictated that they pour for each other, but Tenzo had likely not thought or known of the custom, as per his upbringing. She did not draw attention to it nor fault him for it, and filled her own little cup, raising it to meet his. “To a bright future!” she brightly declared before bringing the cup to her lips to sip at the sake within.

After returning the cup to the table, she considered what might be of interest to the young man, at his urging. Her eyes were drawn down by the noise to the flash of silver as he adjusted the steel bracelet on his wrist, but they returned to meet those ebony eyes across the table. As she began to speak, she did so with candidness, her face expressive. “About myself? Well, you already know that I’m from Kumogakure.. My father heads Seika – it’s a company which handles most of Kumo’s iron imports – so after graduating from the Academy, I took a few years off to learn the ins and outs of the business. It was only meant to be a year, but well..” Her slim shoulders moved upwards in a shrug. “.. I don’t think my parents would have minded one bit if I’d decided to take a permanent position instead of coming back from leave.” She added with a touch of humor. The idea of parents wanting to keep their little girl safe at home was an understandable one, but it was also a touch unrealistic when children who showed potential were eagerly recruited for life as a shinobi or kunoichi. The hidden villages were run by high-level shinobi and the lifestyle was glamorized; it was that potential for earning distinction that had lured her back, in the end.

“As for the future, who knows? I wouldn’t mind it being filled with roses and love.” She laughed lightly. “I hope to spend a while here in Konoha; it’s nice here, but who knows?” she repeated herself with an open-palmed gesture. She assumed that it went without saying that, as one of Kumogakure's kunoichi, her fate was subject to the whims of her superiors, the Raikage and his administration. She could request going to or staying in a certain village for a time, but in the end, if she received the call to return or to travel elsewhere to serve Kumogakure, she would be expected to do so without regard to any personal feelings on the matter. It was something that she had accepted when she signed up; the young woman was fortunate in that she enjoyed traveling and adapted quickly to wherever she ended up, for there was no telling what would be asked of her.

“You mentioned that you  and your family just recently came to Konoha? Have you traveled much outside of Hi no Kuni?” she asked conversationally before lifting her sake cup to sip at it.


Training Stats
Speed: D-2 -> D-3 450/450
Perception: D -> D-3 1175/1175
-
Remaining: 881

Sorry for this late post, but posting here just because a lot of time passed and I'm going to train here.

2801 Total WC

Training Strength B0 to B3

2800 - 2400 = 400 WC Left