Gooooood morning, folks. It’s currently eight in the morning here in our beautiful village of Konoh---, slam went her hand on the alarm clock after the pink haired female had been startled awake by the sound of the radio blaring: she had totally thought she had set it to beep when it went off, not to suddenly be blaring some strangers voice in her ear. Her breathing was fast and her heart pounding so hard and fast she could hear the blood rushing through her ears. Even though she knew it was the alarm clock that had done the talking and not someone actually in her hotel room itself she couldn’t help but look around in decreasing alarm at the moderately furnished and definitely devoid of other humans room. ”Son of a bitch..., she muttered beneath her breath as she gave her head a shake before rubbing at her face. Any thought of returning to sleep were gone from her mind, even the wonderful dream she had been having was too far from her grasp now after being woken up in such a manner.

Instead she shifted sideways and tossed the blankets off of herself before standing up, ignoring the sudden cold sensation of her feet on the cool, highly polished wooden floor. She fixed the bed, adjusting the pillows and sheets and blankets until it looked as perfect as it had when she had arrived – she was a stickler for not making the maids job harder who would come by to clean later on – and then headed towards her dresser where her outfit was laid out for the day: she had picked it out the night before to save time since she didn’t know how long the hotels breakfast lasted. She brought her outfit into the bathroom with her, closing and locking the bathroom door behind herself – it was a ‘safety’ habit of hers and nothing more: something drilled into her by her father and siblings since she was going to be traveling alone. Her shower was enjoyable but uneventful: the water just the right temperature of hot, the room just the right amount of steamy and foggy for her liking. It woke her up in ways that coffee or tea or blaring alarm clocks couldn’t so that by the time she stepped out and began to dry herself off courtesy of one of the hotels provided towels she was more than awake and definitely ready to start her day.

Once dry she dressed with care, her attire more befitting of the artist she aspired to be rather than the shinobi she was by profession: a semi-loose fitting black and white horizontally striped shirt with sleeves that went right to her elbows the neckline of which hung off of her shoulders slightly and the bottom of which which ended roughly past her buttocks, a pair of all black leggings, and black comfortable fur boots that went halfway up her calves. Her pink hair, once dried and brushed thoroughly, was pulled up into a ponytail at the top-back of her head revealing her ears which were both pierced with a variety of studs and hoops in several places. She grabbed up her pink-tinted glasses and put them on before giving her appearance a quick once over in the mirror, adjusting a strand of hair behind her ear which wasn’t quite long enough to make it into her ponytail, and then adjusting her shirt to sit right on her form before being finally satisfied with her appearance.

After hanging up her towel to dry she unlocked the bathroom door and headed out into the rest of her hotel room, a puff of steam announcing her showers end as she did so. She picked up her jean-material shoulder bag which was filled with her sketchbook and various art supplies before giving the room a once over to make sure there was nothing left behind she wouldn’t want the maid to see. Her ryo was pocketed and a light black hoodie slung over her bag just in case she would need it later on before she finally grabbed up the key-card to the room and pocketed it. She exited without fanfare, closing the door softly behind herself encase anyone else in the hotel around her was still asleep. Making her way down the steps and into the lobby she paused to look into the little breakfast area only to find that it was already being cleaned up by various maids and members of the kitchen staff. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was already nine. With a change of plans on where she was going to have breakfast at the forefront of her mind she waved goodbye to the receptionist and headed outside. She had a relatively good feel of where everything was from her early arrival to the village the day prior so she already had a general idea of which cafe she wished to have breakfast – and a nice hot cup of coffee – at.

It was a tad bit chillier than she thought, but not enough to warrant the hoodie she had brought – at least not yet – while she made her way down the street. She stepped around various people, and objects in her way, as she made her way slowly but surely towards her destination. It didn’t take more than five or so minutes for the little cafe to come into sight, and upon arrival she was greeted by one of many of the waitresses she could see busy at work. “Hello and welcome. Would you like to dine inside or out, miss?”

”Outside, please.”, Destiny would respond politely, glancing to make sure as she did so that there was an empty table: there were several in fact. The waitress nodded, leading her to an empty spot not far from where she had been standing with a little umbrella that was open sticking up through the table, providing an adequate bit of shade from the early morning sun. Destiny removed her bag from her shoulder, placing it on the table before sitting down in one of the plush, comfortable chairs.

A menu was handed to her before the waitress pulled out a pad and pen, giving Destiny several seconds to open the menu and glance through it before asking “What can I get you to drink?”

”A cup of cappuccino please, caramel flavored with extra whipped cream.”, Destiny would respond, glancing over the rest of the menu but catching her waitresses nod out of the corner of her eye.

“One caramel cappuccino with extra whipped cream coming right up.”, the waitress would respond before disappearing off inside of the cafe. Destiny meanwhile continued to glance at the menu, picking what she wanted to seat after several seconds before setting the menu aside. She reached for her bag, pulling out a sketchbook and pencil and flipping it open to a fresh and clean page. With her head resting on her left hand she glanced about with silver eyes for her next subject matter, finding it fast enough in the form of an elderly couple sitting only a few tables from her, holding hands and looking as if they had had one of those very long and very happily successful marriages. With a light smile on her face she began to draw, starting with basic shapes and going from there…

Word Count: 1,233

The sound of a door being slammed, followed by profanity, jousted the young Uchiha from her slumber. With a blink and yawn, Jinx mutter under her breath from being so rudely awoken from her slumber. Sitting up in the bed, the linen secured around her to keep conceal her modesty from prying eyes, not like there were any considering current living conditions, she rubbed her eyes to displace and dislodge any rheum from them. Getting her bearing straight, well as straight as they could be with her abruptly awakening, she glanced at a small clock on a nightstand and reading the time: 8:00 am. Groaning, she flopped backward on the bed, muttering "Too early.", out loud. Being the only one living in the apartment, she knew no one would answer her back. She tossed and turned, seeking the comfortable position of prior, eventually managing to find it, and with that, she closed her eyes wanting to revisit dreamland.

Try as she might, dreamland expertly eluded her, and as the seconds tick by Jinx became increasingly frustrated. The boiling point of her anger came with her neighbors once again slamming doors and throwing profanity at one another. "For Kami sake, shut the **** up!", she exclaimed with a huff, the covers having been completely thrown off of her body as she shot up. Ignoring the cooling sensation across her rapidly rising and falling chest, she waited and waited for any one of them to say anything: minutes passed and there was nothing but silence. With that taken care of, Jinx shifted sideways, her feet slipping into the pair of black fuzzy slippers with an Uchiha emblem on top of each of them. With one part of her body warm, she sought the same thing for the rest of her.

Gathering the necessary clothes, she laid out her outfit for today then made her way to the bathroom for a quick shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, now semi-dressed and dry, Jinx began the process of putting on her outfit - starting with black leggings. They were followed by a black pleated mini-skirt which fell comfortably a few inches above her knee. Eying the shirt she had picked out prior, she decided against it. Instead, going with a semi-form fitting gray shirt with the sleeves stopping just past her elbow. "Something is missing.", she mutter, taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror - something was missing. Rummaging through her closet, she pulled out a black jacket with pepper colored fur outlining it. Adding that to her attire, along with a black studded belt, she took another glance at her attire. Knowing exactly what was missing, she grabbed a silver bracelet with a few trinkets dangling from it and slipped it on her right wrist. "Footwear. Footwear. Footwear.", going through the piles of shoes, something she indulged in after moving from underneath her parent's rule, she eventually found what she was looking for; a pair black, knee-high, boots with a two-inch heel. Slipping and tying the shoes on, she walked up to the mirror once again. "This will do.", her hands moving to rub out any wrinkles in her skirt from sitting down.

Grabbing a small black purse which held her money and needed identification, from a locked dresser drawer. Clutching the item in hand, she left the bedroom, walking down the hallway, and exited the apartment - locking the door behind her as she did so. Slipping the keys into a small pocket on her skirt, Jinx made her way towards the market district. It was not surprising the Market District was packed with people. It was one of the Konoha's most heavily trafficked areas, and for good reasons with the number of businesses aligning the streets. While some caught her attention, places she will definitively stop at, later on, she had to deal with something far more important than clothing and book shopping, and that is finding food. Knowing exactly where she wanted to go, Jinx made her way to a cafe she had begun fancying after coming to it a few times.

"Seems like this place is quickly becoming your favorite, Uchiha-san.", a female waitress said, grabbing Jinx's attention, with a smile adorning her face. Jinx returned the smile and nodded, "Kasumi, what have I told you about calling me Uchiha-san? That just makes me feel older or like one of those stuck up pricks." The now identified Kasumi chuckled at her friend's comment, "You told me not to, but that still hasn't stopped me, hasn't it?", she was rewarded by Jinx huffing lightly in indignation. "So mean." peaking behind her friend, Jinx frowned at the amount of people in the cafe. "Hey Kasumi, is my table free?", she inquired, hoping no one had taking her table, she having designated it as such, on the outside of the cafe. "Unfortunately, a customer is already sitting at said table.", Jinx's eyes followed Kasumi's finger to the direction where her table was, and of the woman sitting at it.

"Cute.", she mutters absentmindedly. The woman sitting at the table, apparently drawing on a notepad, was indeed very cute. She did not recognize her, having not seen her around the village, which meant little considering how big Konoha was, there would be people she never saw before. "Did not know you were into women. Should I be worried?", Kasumi jested, only for Jinx to shrug her shoulders. "Maybe? Who knows. Anyway, can I get the table beside her?" she inquired receiving an affirmative from her friend.

Reaching the assigned table, she paused, glancing over at the woman drawing. "You have talent.", she spoke, after having eyed the pencil drawing of an elderly couple sitting together. "Better than my own illustrator", she muttered underneath her breath. The man could not draw to save his life! Shaking the thoughts away, Jinx positioned herself to be out of the unknown woman's light. "Oh, my name is Uchiha, Jinx.", plucking a menu from the waiter, Kasumi, hands without looking, "And who might you be?"

---

1023

The couple whom she was drawing were still well on their way with their meal, meaning she had far more time than had she chosen another subject matter. It worked well in her favor, and she was quite pleased with herself. She didn’t glance up so much in the beginning at them: basic shapes were easy enough to get down after all, even if they were slightly awkwardly shaped due to the position the pair were sitting in as they held hands across the table from each other. However, as she moved into the more finer details, turning the lumps and odd shapes into something more resembling of two humans, she began to glance up far more frequently. At one of these moments the newest arrival, a Uchiha from the sound of the conversation that was carrying towards her, caught her attention and held it. The female looked to be around her age and in Destiny’s opinion – there really was no denying it as she was upfront and honest with herself – the other woman was hot. It wasn’t every day Destiny considered someone as such: she had long ago labeled herself as demisexual due to her complete and utter lack of attraction towards anything and anyone she hadn’t already formed a bond with. But in this case she was apparently breaking her mold – this woman was just… different. Different enough to catch and hold Destiny’s attention at least.

Realizing she had been staring for a good five seconds or so she glanced back down at her drawing, playing it off as if she were attempting to see greater detail of the couple across the way and returning to adding finer details to the couples limbs and general shapes of their attire. Even as she worked though she could see out the corner of her eye as the Uchiha made her way towards her own table. Wondering if she were about to be told off for staring – something which Destiny had to brace for due to her explosive temper and the fact that she didn’t want kicked out of the Cafe’s courtyard before she had a chance to eat – she couldn’t help but to pause as the woman stopped nearby her. Instead of being told off, however, she was complimented instead: eyebrows raising in honest response before she could stop herself and compose her expression – which would thankfully (hopefully) be missed due to her having her head down.

Once her face was composed she would look up at the woman in question, quite glad that she wasn’t being told off for staring, with a gentle and genuine smile upon her face. ”Thank you.”, she’d respond politely to the compliment about having talent – though she didn’t believe in that so much as hard work and dedication to her passion: of course, she wasn’t about to grill some stranger about that as it would be rude. Her attention shifted back to her drawing, pencil lifting once more to add a bit more detail. As the female introduced herself however as ‘Uchiha, Jinx’ a spark of recognition passed across her face – one which she wiped away just as quickly. Despite not being from Konohagakure no Sato the Uchiha clan was nonetheless well known to her: everything from their history – what was known to the public at least – to their strange Dojutsu eyes: including rumors of how they got more powerful. It made her wonder just how powerful this woman at the table beside her own was: something which didn’t often bother crossing the forefront of her mind. ”King, Destiny.”, she responded automatically as the woman inquired as to whom she was, not really thinking that anyone would catch on to the last name or the fact that her father – King, Maximillian – had long ago been the Kage of Kusagakure no Sato back before it had been burned down. ”It’s nice to meet you.”, she tacked on, wanting to be polite while also secretly wanting to make a good impression.

It seemed she was definitely breaking her mold here and stepping out of her comfort zone. Before she could let any dark thoughts cross her mind, before she could think about what she was about to do in too much heavy detail, she spoke once more, ”If you’re not expecting company you could always join me… I’m quite new to the village, and it’s always nice to make a new friend.” Destiny thanked her lucky stars, or perhaps the rigorous training her father and siblings had put her through, that her face did not in fact light up like a firecracker and burn beat red from embarrassment – instead it remained completely calm and composed looking, without the smallest tinge of blush to ruin the facade.

Internally however she was mentally cursing herself for stepping ‘out of line’ of her norm and being so bold. ”Honestly, how could you ask such a thing like that?! Maybe she’ll just join me to be nice and I won’t feel like a complete and utter ass. She probably is waiting for a friend. Hell, she’s probably waiting for a boyfriend as hot as she is. She’s definitely going to laugh at you now. Might as well just move on to another village tonight, you’ll probably be the laughing stock of the whole place by this time tomorrow.” Her inner roast-feast continued on until the sudden appearance of her own waitress whom placed her caramel cappuccino with extra whipped cream in front of her, holding her pen and pad once more and looking expectantly at the artist whose menu had long ago been pushed off to the side. “What can I get for you to eat, hun?”

”A gun...”, she thought to herself before responding with, ”The bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich on a flatbread, please. Extra mayonnaise and could you toast that for me? Instead of chips on the side I’d like to substitute a small salad if possible with a light dressing – whatever kind you have is fine.” To save herself from having to look at Jinx for a moment longer – her embarrassment still fresh in her mind from being so bold – she picked up her menu up from where she had placed it on the table and handed it to the waitress whom took it once she had finished writing down Destiny’s order. However, she didn’t move away immediately as instead she focused her attention onto Jinx, looking to see what decision she had made about her table placement.

Word Count: 1,085 | 2,318

"Definitely - very cute.", Jinx inner monologued to herself, reinstating her the opinion she had on the woman. Earlier, when standing in the doorway of the cafe, she could not get a good look at the woman. Said woman had been busy drawing in her notebook at the time, preventing Jinx from getting a good look at her face. What she had commented on back then was the woman's attire, and the figure she could see from the distance. However, now she closer, and getting a better look at the woman, appearing to be the same age as her, she might have to change her initial thoughts. "I changed my mind. She is hot.", she mused to herself when brown hues met silver ones. A little unknown fact about her was, asides from red, silver had to be the next favorite color. And the fact this woman had silver colored eyes? Mama likes a lot.

With practiced ease, she fought back the blush which threatens to color her face in dusty pink. There was no time for that right now. What would the woman think if Jinx, a stranger, started blushing for no apparent reason? She probably would think the other female was a pervert, something Jinx was not. "No problem.", she returned the smile with one of her own. If it wasn't this mysterious lady's silver hues, beautiful and mesmerizing, it was the smile of hers which nearly made Jinx weak to her knees. Despite her comments with Kasumi, she did not truly know if she was into women. Sure, she had seen a few that looked good. Hell, she had even made out with a couple, yet, she never met someone with this stranger's appearance. There was something different about the woman before her, and it had caught Jinx's attention.

After introducing herself, she barely caught the glimpse of realization flickering across the woman's face. Jinx did not comment on it though. She did not know rather it was her surname which got recognized or her first name. Though she had a feeling it was her surname. There was no way anyone, outside from fellow genins and maybe higher-ups, knew who she was. She hadn't done anything worthy, being only a Genin, to gain recognition. Therefore, it had to be her surname, considering all those of notoriety who was produced by the clan.

Internally, Jinx paused when the mysterious woman introduced herself as King, Destiny. She had briefly read about Kusagakure latest kage before it got to destroy, the surname was King. For the life of her, she could not remember the first name of said Kusakage. Could Destiny be related to former Kusagakure, or was there another King family about? She did not dare to ask because it wasn't her concern at all. Plus, how would it look a stranger asking someone, who they hardly know, about by their past? That would just be rude.

"Nice to meet you too.", she spoke, her words being light and friendly. Pondering on what to do now. Starting a conversation was easy for her, but maintaining one? Now that is difficult. She did not know where to go after introduction. Without knowing anything about Destiny, asides from her apparent talent for drawing, she did not know what else to talk about. Sure, she can talk about herself, but that would just be selfish. And, ending the conversation did not sit well with her. She did not want to end it here. She wanted to talk to Destiny and find out more about her. For whatever reason, she had caught Jinx's attention, and the Uchiha wanted to find out why.

Her inner monologue would be broken by the woman who she was fetting over. "Hmmm?", shaking her head to clear her thoughts, "Oh no, I am not expecting anyone. Asides from family and some friends, there is no one of importance in my life.". Why. Why did she add the last part? She didn't need to mention not having anyone of importance in her life: she just, in a roundabout way, admitted not having a lover. "I lo - -", catching her slip up, she corrected herself, mentally berating for acting like a schoolgirl, and hoping her slip up was not noticed or at the least commented on "I would not mind that. Sometimes it is nice eating with someone else." Placing the small black purse on the far side of the table, but close enough it could be reached, Jinx sat across from Destiny.

The waiter, fortunately enough not Kasumi, for obvious reasons, showed up seconds after Jinx sat down. Having come to the establishment a few times, there were only a few things on the menu she would eat. . . for breakfast anyway. It did not take her long to settle on her order, but, she lingered looking through the menu for a few more moments. And it seemed like she was not the only one taking time to look at the menu or using it for other means, as Destiny was also.

"An Uchiha-san, would you be getting the usual?", after a moment of hesitation, wondering how this waitress knew about her 'usual' Jinx nodded in affirmative, handing her menu to the waitress. Either she had been here one too many times or Kasumi has been telling everyone what she likes. No matter though, if others knew what she liked that it made it easier for her. With the waitress gone, Jinx focused her attention on Destiny. Pondering on how to restart the conversation, Jinx remembers Destiny mentioned now being from around here. "You mentioned that you were new to the village. Are you from outside of Konoha or Fire Country?", she inquired. No matter the answer giving, Jinx glanced at the notepad, noticing the drawing, "You seriously have talent. How long have you been drawing? And are you looking for work?", Jinx being semi-serious about potentially hiring the woman to do the illustrations for her books.

---

1008[2031]

It seemed as if Destiny’s question had pulled the other young woman out of her train of thoughts with the soft sound she made and Destiny couldn’t help but wonder what exactly those thoughts had been. Her own mind was still whirling with a bunch of darkness she had no intentions of giving further notice to, and yet the doubt was still there that the woman would join her all the same. This seemed to be so much so in fact that as the young woman shook her head Destiny felt her heart drop, thinking she was about to be denied: all while wondering exactly why it mattered so much to her all of a sudden that this nearly complete stranger might deny her her company. However, not a mere second later it seemed that her assumption was wrong, the other female’s next words confirming something she had wondered and then some: she wasn’t expecting anyone, and on top of that besides a few friends and family there weren’t any other significant people in her life. Destiny’s brain instantly translated that into the other woman being single but she was far from bold enough to double check – at least not yet anyway. Instead she focused on the elated feeling soaring through her being while trying to control the grin of pure glee that wanted to crack wide across her face: managing just barely to keep her polite smile in place – though it did become a bit more happier looking than prior.

The woman seemed to begin to say something else – perhaps correcting herself as Destiny herself would have had she been so blatantly honest herself - before cutting herself off and starting over again. She agreed to join her and took a seat across from her own after placing a small bag down: the bag making Destiny a tad bit amused since something so small would have never worked with her – then again anything considered a ‘purse’ tended to be too small for her since she always brought her art supplies with her no matter where she went.

She remained silence while listening to the Uchiha order, wondering what exactly her ‘usual’ was but not asking – she’d find out soon enough anyway. Instead she waited until the conversation was started up again – something which thankfully the other female did because Destiny herself couldn’t think of anything to ask that wouldn’t come out sounding overly personal for a first meeting. The questions asked of her were simply enough and yet some of them sparked emotions and feelings she hadn’t bothered focusing on in many years, all of which she expertly hit behind her genuine smile. ”I was born in a little village not far from here called Kusagakure no Sato – it was burned down a long time ago, though.” How many years ago had it burned? Ten? It was so long ago and yet it was a sting that hurt all the same – perhaps because she had lost a good majority of her family in that fire. Family she had been lucky enough to have to begin with. Not wanting to dwell on those dark thoughts though she continued on, ”I’ve been traveling around since the place was destroyed… don’t really stick in one place for too long – haven’t really had a reason to, yet.” Of course, now she was beginning to think maybe she had found one? Such a strange thought for her – she barely knew this female – yet she couldn’t help it all the same. She was definitely stepping into strange and foreign waters here.

Figuring it was likely safer – for her anyway – to talk about other things she decided to focus on the remaining questions she had been asked. ”I’ve been drawing since I was three or so. I guess I got pretty lucky… once I was adopted my new dad was pretty cool with me exploring my own talents. ‘Artist first, shinobi second!’ he used to say.” And cue the awkward pause: when was the last time she had told anyone she was adopted? When was the last time she spoke about her parents or family at all? Goodness gracious she was losing her mind! Moving on quickly as to not draw attention to that subject matter in particular she focused on the last question the woman had asked of her, ”I never really thought about using my art for work, actually… I suppose I could. No idea how I’d go about that, or what I’d even draw. I mean, people have asked from time to time if they could buy something they saw me draw but that’s about it.” The thought was definitely an intriguing one. She always had used her skills as a shinobi to make ends meet: or rather to provide her with enough of an income to fuel her traveling expenses: lodging and eating. A bit more after that for pocket money to spend on whatever she wanted to buy or whatever art supplies she needed. No, a few random missions here and there in each village was all she had ever really done. Using her art work though to make a legitimate income? Making money off of something she loved and enjoyed doing?! Where the hell did she sign up?

As if suddenly remembering that she had been working on a drawing – something she had paused in doing since the woman sat down – she focused back on her art, the pencil moving swiftly once more. A quick glance over showed that the couple were still deep in conversation with their dishes pushed off to the side of the table and stacked neatly and their cups of what she assumed to be coffee in front of them with steam still rising out of the pristine white mugs. They were still holding hands and staring at each other as if they had tuned the world out around them and saw only each other. It was sweet and heartwarming at the same time, while also acting as reminder of just how lonely she herself was.

Word Count: 1,012 | 3,330


Perception E → E1: 3,330 – 60 = 3,270
Perception E1 → E2: 3,270 – 120 = 3,150
Perception E2 → E3: 3,150 – 180 = 2,970
Perception E3 → D: 2,970 – 240 = 2,730

Speed E → E1: 2,730 – 60 = 2,670
Speed E1 → E2: 2,670 – 120 = 2,550
Speed E2 → E3: 2,550 – 180 = 2,370
Speed E3 → D: 2,370 – 240 = 2,130

Reaction Time: D → D1: 2,130 – 260 = 1,870
Reaction Time D1 → D2: 1,870 – 320 = 1,550
Reaction Time D2 → D3: 1,550 – 360 = 1,190

Strength D → D1: 1,190 – 260 = 930
Strength D1 → D2: 930 – 320 = 610
Strength D2 → D3: 610 – 360 = 250

Discarding: 250

Placing the purse on the table, Jinx noticed the look of amusement which crossed the other woman’s face who looked at the rather small accessory. “What?”, Sitting down across from her, Jinx felt the need to justify the sizes of her purse, “I did not feel like lugging around one of those big purses you see some other women do. Asides from it being a weapon against potential attackers, there is nothing to gain from carrying such thing around. Plus,”, she added on, “None of the ones I have would work with this outfit.” Even if some of them did work with the said outfit, Jinx wouldn’t choose it over the numerous small purses she had; the woman just loved the small compatibility the smaller purses have over the bulky ones.

While waiting for the waitress to return with their food, Jinx started up the conversation with Destiny. Surprising, considering just moments priors she did not know exactly what to talk about the other woman. Figuring there was no right way to start a conversation, and if there was one she would love to see it, she asked something she perceived was simple enough: where Destiny was originally from. ”Simple. Nothing is ever simple.”, her inner monologue said with Jinx felt like she had entered a field full of landmines by asking that single question. And, it would seem her analogy was correct with Destiny mentioned living in Kusagakure no Sato. Jinx did not need to be told what had happened. The newer history books mention exactly what occurred to the hidden village not far from Fire Country. Still, despite knowing the fate of the village, Jinx listened to the woman’s words.

”Unimaginable. I could not fathom having to go through that.”, she thought to herself and unknowingly said out loud,  wondering how it would feel to be displaced from all you knew by an unexpected disaster. And, if she assumes correctly, traveling the hostile Elemental Nations alone without any family or friends. Sadness could not help but creep into her eyes as her thoughts placed herself in the shoes of the woman before her. Excluding her mother, may that bitch be tormented by Yomi for all eternity, she was closed to the rest of her family, and she could not see herself being able to live without any of them in her life. She would freely admit being lost if her family was suddenly taken from her. The respect for Destiny had gone up a notch.

It did not escape her that there was a good chance Destiny was related to the former Kusakage. The King family, according to what she had heard and read, was one of prominent families within Kusagakure no Sato. Therefore, the likelihood she was related to the Kusakage was extremely high. She dares not to ask though. Not want to get any more personally than she involuntarily had. “I - -”, she stopped herself from apologizing for bringing up bad memories when Destiny changed the subject, and went on to answer the other question asked.

A smile appeared on Jinx’s face as she listened to Destiny talk speak about how long she had been drawing. “That’s cool. I have been writing or trying to write, since the age of three. It was not until recently, roughly two years ago, that I started publishing my works. My father was similar in idea, but, I always felt somewhat pressured to follow in my father and the rest of my family footsteps - that being the shinobi path.” she said breaking the silence. Now that was a first. Even with her family, Jinx never admitted to feeling pressured into becoming a shinobi and following that particular path. Why did she feel the need to let slip a secret to someone she hardly knew!? It was an honest mistake on her part - she got caught up in the moment.

Pleasantly surprised, Jinx was when Destiny mentioned not taking advantage of her talent, and something she clearly loves doing, to make money. It seemed so simple to the Uchiha. Glancing down at the incomplete drawing of an elderly couple, Jinx pondered for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Destiny. “Would you be possibly interested in getting paid for your work?”, she inquired. “Like I mentioned earlier, my current illustrator is terrible, despite being the best," air quotation was used when she mentioned ‘best’, “within Konoha. Even from the incomplete drawing, I can see you have more talent than he does. You don’t have to agree or anything. Just, if you want to make some money while here, I wouldn’t mind paying you for your services. And maybe gives you a reason to stay longer.”, the last part being said under her breath, hopefully not being heard by Destiny, else blushing would surely occur. Before any more could be said, the waitress would come back with their respective foods.

Jinx raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but to chuckle at the plates before her. “Seems like we have similar taste in food.”, she jested, taking a sip from her cup of cappuccino. Indeed it seems like both of them had similar tastes for their plates were identical to one another. Jinx should have realized what Destiny ordered sounded familiar, but she was too distracted to make the connection. Nevertheless, she found it to be pretty funny both of their meals were alike.

---