The sun shone past the clouds, a grey, soft light spreading across the grounds of Iwagakure no Sato. The mountains and hills surrounding and making up the land of stone’s hidden ninja village were clear in contrast, the looming threat of a storm showing more details than perhaps are fitting. Birds sang their morning songs, and people went out and about to gather items needed before the lunch rush, or perhaps to grab themselves a breakfast. The diluted light gave a comforting chill, not too cold, yet cool enough that one would imagine there would be increased potential of a precipice. Ice nipped on the windows and the ground, grass frosting up from the remnants of the winter past.

Bare feet crunching on the ground, a large, hulking behemoth of a chuunin walked with a spring in his step. Hairy feet and legs led up to, fortunately, shorts of a dark grey hue, and a white vest top covered by a black jacket. A chain of a silvery metal hung loose around his neck and shoulders, akin to how one would expect a scarf to be worn, and around the thick neck of the figure, the forehead protector of the stone village was tied, like a collar on a dog. On the person’s hands, long, claw like nails could be found, and the masculine facial feature showed clearly the muscular definition, a large toothy grin upon his face. Sat on his chin was a sharp, pointed black goatee, and his hair was one like the man had been electrocuted. At the man’s side was an also large life, a caramel furred brown bear with a white streak on its snout, and down its stomach length. Around the neck of the bear was a forehead protector, like the one the man wore, and the creature just plodded along, seemingly disinterested in the world, or at the very least what it was doing. Olive eyes on the large guy scanned the area of gathering morning crowds, his breath misting as he continued to smile, nodding to himself as he stroked the bear on the head. Oki Kuma and Debu, the bear duo of Iwagakure.

The duo walked to the main square of the living quarter, looking around curiously as the large bear chuunin hummed, stroking slowly at his goatee with a nod. He crouched down next to his bear, smiling as he rubbed the animal on the head a bit more. “Okay my friend! We have to do the groceries today, but before that, is there anywhere you would like to go? We wrestled yesterday, so, what we do today is your choice my friend! So! What will it be little Debu?!” he declared, his voice like a roar that, if anyone was sleeping near by, they were not for long – there was no such thing as sleep with a loud mouth like Oki around. The response of the bear? To just lie down, and roll around a bit, huffing lazily. Humf.

500

Her grip would begin to loosening causing her to lower by a few inches keeping her legs wrapped securely around the child as she slowly pulled upward again before hooking her arms over the bar in an attempt to take a short break. The child would wiggle about letting a squeal leave his throat followed by a giggle as he peered up to watch the clear strain that had started to show in her frame and face. She would bite down on the soft pale pink flesh of her bottom lip causing it to discolour in the process. Her attention would be drawn off into the distance just past the garden to the sound of a haggle of children all bound their way. She would shift to gain more grip on the pole before tensing her stomach to draw her legs upwards slowly shifting her grip on the young boy keeping them swaying above the ground  as the group of children came barging into the garden tripping over one another in both their actions and their words. The only words that were catchable in the chaos of the children were Bears and living quarters. Taeru would roll her eyes, it wasn’t the first time she had heard this. She would tense her stomach enough to raise her legs drawing the young lad upwards as he twisted to look up at her, for a moment they would share a sceptical look before both returning there gaze to the rest of the children allowing her stomach to relax once more as she spoke “ we’ve heard this all before.. last time I went looking and found nothing.. not even a paw print.” Her accent would clip into her dull toned voice under the strain of her position. The children would all continue tripping over one another’s words as they all insisted that this time there were two not just one but two. She would raise a brow before attempting to keep the strain from her face as she drew her legs up as she lent an arm down slipping her arm around the little boy as she unwrapped one of her legs taking a short time to adjust to the new position before slowly releasing her grip enough to allow her foot to touch down against the surface of the ground removing her other leg as she drew the lad up to rest him at her hip. She would step away from the pole still holding the young lad. She would raise her brow looking to the young lad as he gave a little shrug before nodding. She would give a soft sigh lowering into a crouch to place the child into the ground “ alright alright. You’d ok better not be fibbing. Where are they?” she would pick through the voices figuring the rough area they could have been before straightening to her full height looking to the child she had been holding “ return to elder brother I’ll come back and tell you what I find it I find anything at all.” The child would nod and sprint up to the house clambering through the front door. Once she could see he were safe within the walls of the house she would draw her gaze over the other children a mix of the streets children and those she now lives with before lightly shaking her head “ I’ll take a look. Stay” and with that she would turn on her heels heading off through the living quarters in search of the so called Bears.

She would clasp her fingers down over the hem of her sleeve drawing it into her palm before rubbing at her cheek as she stepped carefully through the living quarters. ‘if there are Bears about, I will find them.’  She would sleek her hand up under the full olive green t-shirt retightening her bandaged keeping her chest strapped flat before wiping her hands down her baggy leather strapped black trousers in an attempt to remove the sweat from her palms as she peered around the corners before proceeding each time before coming to a holt as the sight around one corner stumped her. Her head would tilt a touch to one side allowing her pastel lilac hair fan out away from her face exposing her right striking yellow orb. She would back up before taking her time to scale up the side of the building beside her to watch them from a height in an attempt to move quietly as to not disturb what looked like a Hulk of a man and a bear. She would lay against the roof of the building drawing herself close to the edge to watch them interact.  She would draw her somewhat masculine seeming frame up a little as she resting on her forearms straining a tad to keep her miss matched hues on them ‘ they were close enough when they said two. The gent is almost as big as the bear...’ a slightly shocked giggle would raise from her throat as the thoughts passed through her mind shifting from her position opting to sit there instead. ‘wow.’ 

(Word count:859)

As the bear laid down, Oki shook his head, laughing, smiling, and stroking at his goatee in thought. The bear clearly had no intentions of doing, well, anything, and Oki was entirely oblivious to the fact that a fair few people were avoiding where he and the animal were. Still, the bear chuunin hummed in thought. So, what was it that would be best to do? Perhaps he should just prioritise the groceries? He could always get a treat for himself and Debu while out and about. Thinking a bit more, he finally shrugged, before patting the bear on the head, and walking forwards, gesturing with a hand for the bear to follow. It wasn’t a long walk, just a brief one to around the corner, visiting a stall that, unlike most others, didn’t look at the two as if they were simply odd and scary – if anything, the face of the person behind the stall was one of familiarity.

The stall was rather basic, and akin to others in the main area of the village. The wood was likely an oaken sort, although more specifics about that, Oki wouldn’t know as a refined wood. If it was still a tree, then he could comment, but, that didn’t matter – since it wasn’t anymore. Instead, on the stall were various fishes and meets, cooking on a griddle that was slow, and kept from burning the wood via a metal box. And behind the stall, an old woman who was clearly in her later years of life stood. Her attire was neat, loose fitting, and comfortable, and her hair was strained, grey, and the wrinkles on her face seemed lightened from the gentle smile upon her face. As the large bear man and his animal companion approached, she simply waved a hand, her eyes in a squint as she flipped a fish on a stick. “Ah, Oki, Oki, Oki. You’ve gotten taller I see. And what about you, you handsome little devil? You’ve gotten bigger as well.” She gestured to Debu, who got up on his hind legs, and waved a paw, before flopping back down on the dirt with a plop.

“It’s good to see you too Miss!” the jolly voice of Oki replied, before deciding to start up basic conversation. “So, how has business been treating you? Things are good from your side of life, right?” he asked, continuing to smile and wait as the elder woman thought for a moment, flipping a piece of steak now. “Oh, well, it has certainly been a fun time. Mako and I have had plenty of customers, so, business is booming. I guess the smell of meat is too much for most people to resist, ohohoho!” as she began laughing, Oki himself laughed with her, nodding his head as he moved to his pouch, retrieving some coins. “That is true, that is true! After all, I am here for that reason! One raw fish, and one fish on a stick please!” He declared his order, the woman nodding, and going under the stall to reach for a raw fish and holding it down to Debu, who just leaned up, and surprisingly gently for such a chubby bear, took the fish from her frail hand. Then, she picked up the slow cooked fish, handing it to Oki, who traded the money he had taken in exchange for it with a smile. “Ah, it has been good to see you again Oki. Tell your parents I said hi, and that they’ll have to come visit me for a cup of tea some time! They always had such lovely manners…” she nodded with a smile, and Oki, shoving the fish stick in his mouth, nodded and gave a thumbs up. It was then, waving goodbye, the two walked off from the woman’s stall, each with a fish in their mouth, to go find what to do next.

651 + 500 = 1151

Taeru would watch those around the two scamper away only to find that both the hulk of a man and his 'little' bear seemed either oblivious or let it brush right past them. Watching them exchange before noting there movements she would shift her position into a crouch drawing her knees up to the flat of her tightly bound chest allowing her pouches, a brief moment of contact against the slate of the roof before following the two, keeping to the rooftops for the time being. Gripping at the still frosty edge of the roof she would lean over trying to get a better view of the hulking male and his companion as they come close to the stall watching them go out of view. She would lean over the edge listening to the start of the jolly toned exchange finding that they elderly women knew them... and wasn’t apprehensive or at least didn’t seem to be, about having the giant of a man and a bear at her stall.  Taeru would bite down on the soft pastel pink flesh of her bottom lip, discolouring it a tad as she lent back up onto the roof. She would release her lip as she shifted over to the edge of the roof to peer over down one of the alleyways to the stalls side. She would  shift her position crouching down only to dangle herself off of the side before dropping to a lower ledge, repeating the movement until her feet touched the ground lowering her frame instinctively into a crouch.

Staying low she would draw her body close against the wall before edging to the corner to peer around just in time to see the elderly lady giving the bear a raw fish.  Taeru's pastel pink lips would part allowing them to form the shape of a little 'o' in the process as shock creased her usually neutral facial features. She would exhale a breath she didn’t know she had been holding allowing it to make a steam like trail in the cool air. Somewhat forgetting to be cautious she would raise from her crouch drawing her seemingly masculine form from the cover of the alleway stepping closer to the stall only to pause with her miss matched hues resting on the bear. Her child like curiosity tugging at her to move closer as her common sense struggled to remind her of the dangers. The rush of thoughts and emotion spilled into an odd chuckle, giving a spluttered yet short laughter that drew the corners of her lips up into a wide grin. As her attention returned to the world she would find the two companions were on the move again only this time moving closer in her direction, a shiver would caress along her spine as she bite back another almost nervous yet thrilling laughter as she spoke, rather loud "I never seen a bear so close, he wonderful!" Her accent would spill heavier than usual into her dull toned word's, not necessarily talking to the two more so an unsettled statement to herself. She had been waiting to see anyone from the Kuma clan since she first started to learn about the clans of the hidden stone, now seeing one she assumed where from that clan made her fidget with excitement. The realization that she had spoke, not only out loud but loud enough to let her accent sit in it displaying her excitement and that she had at random. A soft dusty pink hue would spread along the pale flesh of the bridge of her nose as her hands darted up cupping over her mouth only for her to immediately arch her upper frame into a deep bow causing her pastel lilac bangs to flow in the chilled breeze before overshadowing her striking miss matched hues, "I'm sorry... I ... that was rude of me..." Her words would simply fail her as the excitement still bubbled within her stomach. She would bite back down on the soft pale flesh of her lip as she will the subtle blush away as her frame whipped up from the bow inhaling deeply filling her lungs with the scents around, only to allow her head to tilt a touch to the right forcing her pastel lilac bangs to graze over her cheek as the other side fanned out away from her face slightly. Her miss matched hues shifted between the two making sure to remember their basic features trying to cure her curiosity or at the very least stump it.  


(Word count:759)

Oki and Debu didn’t make it far with their walk, Oki enjoying the snack he had in his hand while Debu still had the fish in its mouth. The bulky chuunin’s thoughts went to where to head next, still needing to do his general grocery pick up, as well as other things which may perhaps be of convenience. Like perhaps some more tea leaves, for some nice relaxing afternoons with his parents. The ideas were plentiful, but, he couldn’t decide where to get them from, and before he could, there was a sound from behind him that made his ears twitch. A chuckle, a quickly broken laugh from not far in the direction he was headed. He glanced down to Debu, then back ahead, Debu shrugging and continuing to eat as Oki decided to think little of it and continue his walk.

Shortly however, his eyes flickered for a moment to the sight of a woman who had a wide smile upon her lips. Something about her seemed strange, and Oki couldn’t help but be perplexed at the sight, just sort of watching for the moment. Yet, loud even by Oki’s standards, the girl suddenly blurted out something that caught Oki off guard, as well as guarantee to him that she was referring to him and Debu. Something about never having seen a bear at such a close proximity. Even declaring that Debu was wonderful! Oki laughed, letting out a chuckle that came from his belly as he found the childlike curiosity in his animal companion amusing. Taking in the details of this person, and mostly studying her muscle structure with intrigue.

She was pale, and had pink strands of hair that flowed downwards loosely. Height wise, the stranger was short, and had what appeared to be very little mass to her. That was disappointing, although Oki was hopeful that perhaps that was simple due to her being an ectomorph. Perhaps she simply struggled to build mass and muscle? Eh, that didn’t matter. He wasn’t training her, nor was he sparring her, so that information mattered little. What did intrigue him however was her eyes, the woman seeming to possess heterochromatic eyes of red and yellow. An interesting and uncommon sight, however once again irrelevant to Oki’s thought process.

To his surprise however, the stranger began bowing in apology, stating that it was rude of her, and that she was sorry. Oki didn’t think anything of it however, shaking his head and gesturing with his hand. Instead, he simply chuckled, smiling. “No problem at all! I did not think it was rude at all! There is no need to be shy however, miss! This little guy here wouldn’t hurt a fly.” He gave a large expression of pride, gesturing to the bear who was now finishing its fishy treat. Oki however, waited for the bear to seem more comfortable, before picking it up as if the brown bear was simply like a little pussy cat, holding it up in front of him and towards the strange short person. “You are welcome to say hello to him! I can promise you he doesn’t bite! He is, after all, a shinobi just as much as I am, so, he’s not exactly the wildest of fellows, right Debu?” he declared, his voice loud and filled with emotional glee, and simply waiting to see her reaction.

562 + 1151 = 1713

Hearing the man give such a laughter brought forth from the stomach, seeming someone hearty, only brought more of a smile to her lips tugging them up once again only for her to bite down on the soft pale pink flesh of her bottom lip to stop from letting another chuckle leave her. As she caught the movement of the males hand in her prohibital vision, her head would tilt up a touch allowing her miss matched hues to rest on the male before slowly leaning upright once more only now being able to gauge just how big the male were in comparison to both the bare and herself. Her bottom lip would lip would peel from the grasp of her teeth as her head tilted ever so slightly to one side as he spoke. 'I seem shy?' The thought would for a short time sit in her mind, only being dragged back from her thoughts as she watched the male seem to gush with pride of the bear causing her attention to shift to the bear 'little guy?' Seeing the affection the male had for the bear causing her genuine smile to return only faltering a touch only just noticeable in the hue of her eyes 'could such a profound feeling be found with the creature within the egg...?' Snapping back into reality away from her wondering thoughts as she watched the two her hands would come together, keeping her hands in loose fists she would place the thumb of her right hand just atop her left hands thumb pressing her the side of the tip of her right hands index finger against what little nail her thumb had, a somewhat child like action she hadn't done in years simply happily curious. Having often being seen as older she had almost forget the feeling of being small, such an odd moment having brought the feeling back. As she watched the hulk of a man pick the bear up with little effort she would take a step back more so to give them space than to actually move away as her lips parted slightly. As the male spoke up, his voice brimming with glee her miss matches hues would flicker from the bear back to the male again almost as though to ask if she would be aloud to pet the bear before looking back to the bear in his arms. Her shocked expression would quickly fade being quickly filled by the welling amount of curiosity that bubbled inside of her, her tongue would fold at her bottom lip grazing it in order to give a subtle shiny coat to it. She would take a tentative step closer before softly inclining her head as she spoke "Hello Debu" her accent would cling a little heavier to the bear's name drawing her miss matched hue's gaze back up.  

She would shift allowing her left hand to slowly raise up moving slowly yet surely towards Debu, not wanting to move at a quick pace pausing briefly to flicker her gaze to the male as though to make sure and give a fair time to stop her before continuing her hands movement. Her hand would first shift to Debu's muzzle half expecting the bear to take in her oddly sweet smelling scent hinted with a touch of copper. She would take a moment to carefully inhale taking in the combined scent of the two before carefully flexing out her left hands fingers to slowly graze them softly along  the bear's muzzle up to the top of his head taking in the texture of his fur against her worn  skin of her hand, slowly raising her palm shifting onto her tiptoes as she brought her hand around to softly scratch behind the bears ear shifting again only onto the very tip point of her toes like a ballerina her movements holding an odd grace as she held the position as she withdrew her hand taking a step back to give space once again. Her head would dip down again the joy evident on her face and in her voice as she spoke "Thank you" her head would raise again to beam up at both the male and Debu.


(Word count: 704)

Oki wasn’t much of the best with kids. And given the expression on this person, they were definitely younger than himself, although he himself was only seventeen. To most people, this could make it seem awkward, or embarrassing, since not knowing what to do or say can lead to socially undesirable situations. Fortunately for him, however, the bear chuunin has no sense of shame, and instead Oki would more view the young girl like a little animal, timid, and to be treated with respect, and care while in her presence, and then let her go do whatever thing she was doing before she went over to see the bear. What it was, or who she was, was none of Oki’s business. Besides, he was happy enough just to show off his best friend to someone else, and to find someone who was happy to see the animal rather than just grow unnerved by its presence, and want to stay away. Brown bears were, by some, deemed scary after all.

Oki watched the little girl go up closer to Debu and say hi, gazing with a curiosity and wondering just how young the small person was. Given her shyness, her size, and her eagerness to see Debu, he had a suspicion she wasn’t super old, and if she was a shinobi pretending to be young, she was doing a good enough job that he couldn’t really fault it. She seemed cautious and gentle as she moved her hand to the completely lazy and passive bear, Oki giving a nod at her unsure glance, wishing to assure the child that it was safe. Then he simply watched as the little person carefully began stroking Debu by the snout, and… Sniffing? It was odd to him, but, perhaps she was an animal specialist like himself, or had access to sensory such as himself? How peculiar. Regardless, Debu would probably smell of fish, and bear, and Oki would smell… Like lavender and strawberries? How odd.

Still, Oki simply allowed the little girl to continue petting the bear. After seemingly finishing her time with the animal, the girl would step back, and Oki would simply nod, setting his bear companion down gently on the ground next to him, before offering a bow of his own. After doing so, however, the chuunin shook his head, smirking, before shrugging. “You don’t need to thank me! In fact! How could I forget my manners? I introduced my companion here, yet forgot to introduce myself!” he took a step back of his own, gesturing to the forehead protector of Iwagakure that hung around his neck before stating with no small degree of pride. “My name is Oki! I am a chuunin of the stone, a member of the Kuma clan, and a specialist at animals! Pleasure to meet you little one!” he declared, voice booming, before stroking at his goatee. “I’m a student of the Monolith Coecus, and hope to make it to the title myself one day! So, is there anything I can help you with little one? I’m assuming you didn’t just say hi to meet Debu, right? Unless you did, in which case that is totally okay!” he declared with a smile, crouching down to be level with the child and not looking down, and rubbing Debu gently on the head, ruffling up the fur of the animal, who stuck its tongue out in a somewhat silly expression, attempting to appear as friendly as possible, and clearly having the forehead protector in the same location as the larger Oki, wrapped around its neck like a collar.

600 + 1713 = 2313

Taeru's miss matched orbs would graze over the male as he placed the bear down, taking note of the size and muscle mass of him, right down to the way that he moved even as he stood back upright though she were quite taken back by the males gesture, a bow. 'he's bowing... to me?’ the tad bit of shock would only briefly pass over her features, yet quickly smoothing over. Listening intently to the male as he spoke, giving his name along with a few other pieces of information about him such as what position he wanted to achieve along with his specialty, that she would store away in her mind along with any and all information she could grasp about him.  Giving her a fair amount to ponder on at a later time, maybe even saving it to mull over when next training.

Watching him crouch down she would stifle a chuckle, it reminding her so much of what she did with the other children at the orphanage, seeing such an action reversed seemed somewhat odd yet almost welcomed, causing a sense of serendipity washed over her. It had been quite some time since she had been taken as a child and treated so delicately as children often were. She would dip low into another bow, showing such a lissom movement, before raising as she spoke, “ It's a pleasure to meet you both Oki Sir, Debu Sir.” She would pause only briefly before speaking again “ My name is Taeru, I live only a short time from here, I’m a genin.” She would tug part of her jacket to one side with her left hand as her right shifted to grasp at her shirt tugging it upwards drawing her Iwagakure head band into view attached to the front of her shirt, such also drawing into view the fact it must have been removed and reattached a fair few times, leaving holes just enough to show slightly, the tightly bound wrappings of her chest only to release both her top and jacket allowing them to fall back into place. Tipping her head a touch to one side causing her pastel lilac strands to graze over her cheekbone, she would continue to speak “ I am apart of squad one, under the Tsuchikage Sama. I can’t say that I’m as multifarious as you are though.” Her head would straighten up again allowing her hair to fall back beside her face framing it once more in a clearly choppy looking way, evidence that it hadn’t been cut professionally. “ speaking honestly Sir's, the children came running up to tell me that there were two bears walking about the living quarters, it isn’t the first time they’ve said that. They know I’ve seen bears before, but that was before I came here and not close up like some other animals I’ve seen, so I came to see. I’ve heard of the Kuma clan but you two are the first I’ve seen...” such being fact she hadn’t come across any other of the same consanguineous as the pair. pausing for the moment before continuing “ I am sorry for interrupting your... Shopping? I were curious” her words would then cease not wanting to bloviate and waste his and his companions time with her babbling.  

Her hands would clasp together to stop the itch of wanting to place them into her pockets where they would usually rest, instead her fingers would lace together nipping down on the soft pale pink flesh of her bottom lip allowing the flesh to peel from the grasp of her lip once again. Shifting her view from one to the other. There were a thousand and one questions that crossed through her mind in such a short time, from how did the male himself get so big to the bears age or how big he would become... a gallimaufry of sorts. Such curiosity were her vice though such could also get boiled down to a thirst for the knowledge she could gain from the acts of yielding to the curiosity, but most would simply take it as a trait of a young age and that she were such.



( Word count: 700.)

Oki began standing up as the child introduced herself as Taeru, a genin that lived not far from here. Oki thought to himself then about when he was that small, shaking his head slightly. That was a long time ago, given his natural height, but it still made him feel an emotional need to care. As she revealed her forehead protector’s location, and subsequently the attempts to put it where it was, Oki just nodded and stroked at his goatee. Perhaps, however, what was more fascinating was what she said next. She declared herself a student of the Tsuchikage of all people. The bear man cocked an eyebrow. Squad one did indeed sound like the squad the Tsuchikage would teach and lead, but he found himself wondering what it was that she could do that intrigued the Tsuchikage, or perhaps led to the Tsuchikage teaching her.

He stayed quiet, allowing her to finish her story and explanation. He couldn’t help but chuckle gleefully at the mention of two bears in the living quarters. He wasn’t that scary was he? Still, Oki shook his head, and simply smiled, before speaking up. “Haha, it is quite alright! Yes, we are doing shopping. Groceries mostly, although we also decided to get ourselves a little treat while we were out. Debu here is a big fan of fish. But, I am sorry that me and Debu scared your friends! I can promise we will try to make ourselves look less threatening! Perhaps Debu can wear a dress!” he declared loudly, prompting the bear to growl lightly and shake its head. “Oh, right, my bad. He’s more of a skirt bear.”

Allowing his rather brash sense of humour to go through the air and hang for a moment, Oki then thought back to what she had told him. She was a shinobi like himself, and she worked under the lord Kage himself? He hummed to himself in thought, before shrugging. “So, you work under the Lord Kage himself? He’s a funny guy. Quite the serious type from what I’ve met of him. Still, to work beneath the man himself… I am impressed. From what I’ve gathered, he’s a fairly reasonable guy. Quite skilled as well. So, if you’re really with him in a squad, you’ve got some boots there to fill Taeru.” He laughed, shaking his head, before reaching into his pocket, taking out several coins and crouching down once more to hold them out to the smaller person. “I don’t know who the kids were, or how many of them were worried, but, buy them and yourself a little something with this and all, my treat. Consider it an apology for being scary waha!” he grinned, before standing back up, Debu having now flopped down on the ground in boredom at having to just wait around, wanting to get the shopping over and done with so that it could go back to bed. Hibernation season may be over, but that didn’t stop lazy bears.

500 + 2313 = 2813

Keeping the same composure and expression as she had when introducing herself she would watch the males brow arch, understanding any skepticism the male might have, she herself had at first and to an extent even now been skeptical of the position she had been placed in, quite a predicament really. She had only waited a few weeks after graduation to a genin before being placed into squad one, still severely unsure of those within the squad itself. It would, like most things take some time to get used to and adjust. She had been pondering on the predicament whilst training, weighing heavily on her mind along with mulling over what information she could grasp from each member of the squad, having met one previously in the most unexpected of ways.

The felicity of the initial meeting with the hulk of a male and his companion had faded just enough for her to gain some form of composure yet the ebullient air about her remained. Tucking her hands into her sleeves just enough for her fingers on both hands to show out the ends as she listened to the male, more out of an itch to move about still gripped at her insides causing her feet to itch. With the males joke the corners of her lips would tug upwards a touch more as she tilted her head down a touch allowing her front fringe to fan outwards overshadowing her miss matched hues as her hands rose to cover her lips as she stifled a chuckle, mainly for the bears reaction and the males correcting of his original suggestion. Her head would tilt towards its upright position slightly as her fingers curled away from her lips and down over the frayed cuff of her sleeve gripping it enough for her nails to be felt against her worn and somewhat callus palms through the material.

She would straighten up allowing her hands to fall away from her face once more as she male spoke nodding softly yet enough to cause her bangs to bounce lightly, her gaze intently with the male and his companion, waiting for them to finish before replying, "Squad one had our initial meeting though only a short meeting, yesterday Oki Sir, so as of yet I am still somewhat in the dark to his nature though with time I am sure I will find out." Her dull tone would keep a lightly up beat twist to it as her accent sat lightly with it.  

As the male crouched down once more in front of her offering the coins as he spoke a light dusty rose pink hue would envelop the bridge of her nose spreading briefly along her cheekbones, as shock seeped into her features, her hands would raise, lightly shaking her head almost as though she were going to back away from arching forwards into a bow strapping her arms to her sides "I apologies Oki sir, Debu Sir, but I can not accept that. I don’t think they were scared, maybe nervous but I think more so with excitement. I am like a sibling of sorts to them now and they know of some animals I have saw, so they know what catches my attention... I think they didn't want me to miss an opportunity." speaking with some degree of urgency her accent would lay thicker in the dull tone of her voice, her blush would become diaphanous as it faded almost to her skins original shade, remaining in the bow she would bite down on the soft pale pink flesh of her bottom lip closing her eyes silently cursing her previous wording as she ran it through her mind again, knowing it could have been worded far better than it had been, could it have been the thrill of the moment or simply a lack or lapse of competence.  


(Word count: 645)

Oki listened to her, before grinning and shaking his head and hands, waiting for her to finish before interjecting. “Ah, little Taeru, you don’t need to call me sir! As far as I’m concerned, we are both members of the stone, and to this degree, we are both equals.” He declared with a nod, before chiming in with a “Yeah, he is a pretty… Mysterious person. Good luck cracking that egg shell!”

As she declined the money, Oki stood back up again, putting it back away with a smile. As far as Oki was concerned, there was no harm in offering, and also no harm in the girl not wanting to take any. The news that the kids weren’t scared of the duo, just curious, was pleasant to hear. So, she was told to go check out the two bears because supposedly, this girl liked animals? The fact brought a smile upon the bear man’s face. Perhaps he should talk to the girl about animals somewhat?

“So, you’re a fan of animals are you? I happen to be a specialist on the subject, a part of my clan’s nature I suppose, but, well, what can you do?” once more, he gave a hearty chuckle, feeling quite happy that he had someone to talk to about animals and nature, a topic that was most at heart to the chuunin. “Although, I suppose that much is obvious considering I have my friend here walk around with me and keep me company. If you ever have any questions about nature, animal specialists are the ones to ask. For example, there is a woodland to the west of Tsuchi no Kuni! It is expansive, and also weaves in and out from among the mountainous regions as one would perhaps expect. The common creatures that can be found there are your common forest creatures, such as snakes, lizards, frogs, and insects, as well as bears, deer, and tropical birds that primarily feed upon berries and nuts.” He smiled, pointing to his chest with his thumb. “As for plants, the most common type of tree you can find in there is the pine tree, and the fir tree, as well as several birch types and a few smatterings of oak. The bushes are a bit thick, and the canopies are one of the most sparsely spread in the shinobi world, as the trees require more nutrients than they do light, and so are separated from each other in order to best grow and absorb their food from the soil!” he spoke with pride, a large toothy grin plastered on his face as he nodded, crossing his arms and quickly finishing the snack he had gotten for himself which had now grown cold. “So, Taeru, do you have any information about animals that you know yourself? Any facts or finds that you just find wonderful or exciting? I’m an enthusiast for that kind of stuff!” he declared, looking down to the child and simply waiting to hear her reply.

502 + 2813 = 3315

Raising from her low bow, Taeru's head would tilt just a touch to one side causing her pastel lilac strands to scrape along her cheek, brushing past her ear as the other side fanned out away from her features. A somewhat crooked smile would tug the corners of her lips back up as she listened to the male speak before doing so herself "I'm quite sure, that with time I'll find out..." Her words would fade off as she caught herself just in time before calling the male sir again, not wanting to displease him in any way.

She did however, find it quite interesting the way different individuals reacted to things such as bowing and honorifics, each reaction even down to the slightest difference in detail allowed her to see a little more of who and what each person were. To the point it could be considered watching for it, like studying animals for the simple search of knowledge.

Taeru would nod along as the male continued to speak after putting his money away, allowing the tight sensation within the center of her chest that had been building like a knot to relax, just stopping herself from giving a sight of relief out loud. Taking in all of what the male had to say, making a mental note of his offer to answer any questions she had about nature and animals, knowing that at some point she would in-fact indulge in his offer. As the male listed through the different animals and plant life within Tsuchi no Kuni, she would pick out at some of both the animals and the plants that she knew of or had even seen in her travels with her family before... And then her time after, on her way here. Waiting for him to finish on a note she hadn't expected her head would straighten off once more allowing her fingers to flex causing her hands to recede further into the sleeves before curling her fingers up loosely against her palms just enough to graze her finger tips along the callus skin of her plam's before reaching down to reveals her hands once again. Inhaling deeply as she did so before speaking "hmm, Well something I recently found out and have … witnessed, would be that despite what a lot of people think about snake's not having a parental instinct, a rock python that lays a clutch of eggs will remain within a certain radius of her clutch of eggs, almost as though she is patrolling, protecting them... killing to do so if needed. Even when her egg's hatch she remains to continue for a time to protect them even keeping them warm in her coils when the time comes to sleep." Pausing her eyes would flicker to the ground as a thought flicked through her mind before speaking up again "Rock python egg's need humidity to survive." She would pause again only to take a shorting breath slightly rocking from the balls of her feet to her heels continuing "wolf packs have an alpha, if the alpha is wounded, killed or retreats, the pack will more often than not retreat too. Squids have beaks... like birds.. That surprised me when I first found out and octopus eat themselves when they become too stressed. Hmmm... plant wise a lot of fungus is okay to eat if it grows above the average hip height, tree sap though sticky is good for you... you can get water from some trees if you penetrate them with something hollow, deep enough and the dry bark that peels away on silver birch trees makes good kindling." Her lips would move to continue enjoying the recounting of things revolving around nature only to come to an end, as though waiting to see if she should list more tilting her head back just a tad to look up at the male, as there were many things about nature that she enjoyed and had even found inspiration in.



(Word count: 666)

Oki listened with great and keen interest as the girl stated what she knew about animals. It brought a smile to his face to hear the enthusiasm in her voice. The information regarding the Rock Python and the motherly instinct to protect its young. He felt like perhaps mentioning that a large majority of reptiles are this way, and some even go a step further, like crocodiles, and protect their young by carrying them with them everywhere. Furthermore, serpents are not always predatory, and many prey snakes rely entirely upon protecting their young to keep the species alive. Rock pythons were, in this regard, no different.

Next, she stated the facts she knew about wolves. A rather common one, and could perhaps be seen as a misconception. While it is true that wolves often have an alpha complex, it is not always the case, as before being an alpha dominated species, they are pack animals, working and hunting in groups. It was less like an alpha, but, more akin to a relationship, where the pack deemed that animal in high respect. Fleeing or fighting was natural for any animal, even humans, when their loved one is killed. Or, the third reaction, freezing, which was less common. Still, she had a basic knowledge here that was nice to see.

The few facts about marine life however, Oki himself didn’t know. He wasn’t too knowledgeable when it came to matters about those that dwelled in the water. The fact that squids had beaks was interesting. It explained the positioning of their tentacles however. If he had to guess, it was likely the creatures used the tentacles to funnel food towards their beak, where they crushed them for consumption. The Octopi thing was also interesting, and he couldn’t understand at all. Was it to make itself smaller? Or just a stress related thing, like a coping mechanism? It was intriguing. Perhaps at some point the bear man should visit the land of water, investigate nature there. It could be a good study.

The plant facts was also interesting. Oki smiled, letting her finish what she said. The fungi fact was handy, as were the multiple facts about trees. Still, Oki felt it would be rude to not add a little input and knowledge of his own. As she finished, Oki would begin clapping, nodding in approval as he spoke. “Very nice! Knowledge about the world around is the first step to understanding, plus is just generally really fun!” he declared, grinning a toothy grin before speaking up further. “As a little note however, fungi are not technically plants. Fungus and Algae are both separate classifications of their own, on a different tree than the rest of the plants… Tree… Haha, oh, that joke was an accident. But yes, the reason there is the common association of mushroom type organisms as plants likely derives from the fact that fungus and algae were both in the original classification of botanical study, and still are.” Finishing his statement, Oki began stroking at his goatee as one would imagine a wise old sage would upon spewing sagely wisdom.

Letting out a light sigh, Oki looked down at his small conversation partner once more. She was a good enough kid, and seemed pretty smart too. It was good to know there were people like that in the new generation of shinobi. Nodding to himself, Oki stretched out slightly. “Well, it’s been a pleasure to meet you Taeru. You’re a good kid. I’m sure you’re going to do good things, so, I’ll see you around. Me and Debu should probably get on with the groceries before the shops all shut!” he declared, voice as loud as ever as he gave one more chuckle. “I wish you safe travels, and I hope that you can tell your friends about the stuff you’ve learned, and about the animal you saw! Stay safe!” he said, before turning and beginning to walk off, at a slow enough pace that if she tried to, the girl could stop him. Just in case she had anything else she had to say before he resumed his shopping.

691 + 3315 = 4006

With each word that litter the air from her lips, her miss matches hues would rest on the male and his companion, watching him as she had been throughout their encounter. Her smile remaining spread along her lips, only tilting her head upright once more causing her pastel lilac strands to flow back into place to frame her face slightly grazing along her jaw and traps muscles it its movement as she watched the male smile. 'He seems so … jolly... so pleasant and warm...' Leaning a tad closer as her thoughts gripped at her 'I wonder...' Her mind would drift for a short moment returning quite suddenly causing her to lean back once more resuming her previous position looking up at the male as he clapped.
 
Observing that he seemed to get louder the more he enjoyed something almost brought a gleeful chuckle into her throat, only for her to swallow it down. Feeling her smile spread into more of a grin as his did, the action being very absentmindedly as though the males smile were... infectious. As he continued to speak she would nod along, each nod causing her lopsided fringe to bob grazing the bridge of her nose in the process as he corrected her, grateful for the knowledge he gave and the correction, often finding that most wouldn’t correct her especially if they perceived her as being young. But the passion she could see within this male had for nature, it could only be expected maybe.  

'Is stroking his goatee a habit? Such seems to be.' She would lightly nip down on a slither of the inner soft flesh of her bottom lip, allowing her smile to draw slowly back from the grin it had become as the male sighed. Leaning back to give the large male space as he stretched out allowing her miss matched hues gaze to shift to the bear beside him before returning to him as he began to speak. Nodding again with the same outcome as he spoke before stepping back drawing her frame to attention, only for her to lean down into a deep bow, displaying an odd amount of flexibility in the somewhat smooth movement as she spoke, keeping her dull toned voice loud and clear as she did "Thank you Oki, Debu! I apologies for disturbing your shopping trip." Pausing she would inhale, continuing smoothly "Thank you for not only your time but your patients and the information and time you have given. It is appreciated. I will tell the children of you both." Her stomach would tense as she drew her somewhat masculine seeming frame back up. Dipping her head a touch to one side allowing her crooked smile to seem somewhat straight before lifting her head again "I will try my best to stay safe, I do hope you will do the same. It would be lovely to see you around again sometime." drawing her right foot back she would dip into another bow this time only briefly raising to watch the male turn away. Remaining for just a short while longer she would pause watching him allowing her the time to file thoughts in what order she would ponder them. 'I wonder how they co-ordinate their attacks when in combat... how big will Debu become, are all members of the Kuma clan so large, will Mr Oki grow more? I wonder how they fight, the mentality of there mind set when in such a state... would they lose such a jolly exterior?'

Her left foot would scrape along the ground allowing the grinding of the smaller stones against the surface of the ground as they lay squashed between her foot and the ground, to raise into the air as they ground down a little smaller. She would turn on her heels before pressing down against the ground darting back off the way she had come from the thin alleyway. Her head would tip back looking up at the ledge she had dropped from, inhaling deeply before bending her legs giving a single jump upwards, reaching to grasp the ledge before pulling herself upwards. Repeating the movement to reach the roof she would step over the to the other side in hopes to catch another glimpse of the two as she lowered into a crouch. 'hn' she would take a moment there before turning to leave, her aim to return to her place of residence she would mutter under her breath to herself "Oki and Debu... of the Kuma clan. I see."  


(Word count: 756)
(Total word count: 5089)

[Exit thread]

(Training Bukijutsu from C rank to A rank: 5000/5000)
(Word count left over: 89)

Then Oki walked off, to go do Oki things.

[EXIT]

9 + 4006 = 4015

Training: