He almost didn't recognize the woman as she walked out. Truthfully it hadn't been that long since he had last seen Nova. Watching her on the screens, and later in person, at the Chuunin Exams barely seemed like they counted though. He could have recognized her spider puppet from a mile away at this point, but seeing her face again made him pause. In a way, it confirmed his previous suspicious. This was a place of elegance, and Chigetsu was an intruder. The mansion itself at the very least made him realize that hurdle when he had previously been ignorant of it. The science of aesthetics was something he would have to study in the future and learn how to appreciate. Or perhaps elegance was something more than just the manner in which one looked? With so little experience he was unable to tell and asking Nova advice on how to look pretty wasn't exactly something he wanted to do.  

He couldn't help but grimace. To so suddenly make that facial expression right when noticing her probably wouldn't seem the best, but he couldn't help but remember back to their first meeting. When he had been so overwhelmed by the screaming of silverware. To be defeated by common utensils (not even special chakra fighting utensils or something?) was too embarrassing, and remembering it so suddenly made him want to curl up into a ball and die. The silence in his mind only made the thoughts worse. Normally his kunai would speak up with some sort of nonsense around this point in time, but ever since arriving on this island his weaponry had all been silent. It left him feeling uncomfortably empty inside as if he hadn't eaten for days.  

"Nova!" So, he would erase that frown, turning it upside down. What weighed on him was temporarily ignored, thrown aside as he greeted the woman. His 'conversation' with this other girl who hadn't even introduced herself was quickly abandoned. As much as he might have liked pudding, that could wait. Nova commanded much more attention. "It's good to see you again! You're here too?" Chigetsu would spout that off without thinking all too hard, mostly just desperate to fill the void in his mind. Perhps he should have thought for a moment though, because very soon he found himself tripping over his words. "I mean, I guess it only makes sense that you would be. You were so amazing in the Chunin Exams, I would figure you'd be the first choice they'd have when having a training opportunity like this... Isn't it amazing though?" As she walked by, Chi would follow after her without being prompted. Alone in a strange new land, she was the first recognizable face for him. Even if their last encounter hadn't been the smoothest, being in an uncomfortable situation was better than dying alone.

"Congratulations on the exams too! I was watching and cheering for you.  You were really amazing. You're probably like a celebrity now back in Kirigakure, I feel like I should be asking for your autograph or something..." He would pause, silent for a moment. This would be about the time that his kunai would make some sort of quip towards him.  After so many years of it, he had been expecting something, and the absence of noise caught him off guard. Even with how uncomfortable he was with the silence in his head it didn't result in anything different than what he normally was in social situations. Still strange and choppy, looking as if he had just remembered he left the oven on after finishing every other sentence.  

"But, uh. This camp though. I'm really glad to see you here, but at the same time... Do you think we're all going to die here, or something?" As if to illustrate what he meant, Chigetsu would gesture around to the rest of the island behind him. "This island is a bit... Well, you'll probably be fine. You're really strong." A little bit of it was him speaking to himself, rambling with an open stream of consciousness.

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[703]

“Chi! How are you? It's been a while” The offer for a hug caught him off guard. He froze as she opened her arms up. Although he had hesitated very clearly, Chigetsu would cautiously move forward to reciprocate. Such a warm response wasn't something he had expected. It calmed his nerves a good deal.  “I actually stumbled upon the mansion by accident when I was out exploring the area around Kiri, I met the Lord of the mansion face to face and somehow managed to convince him to take me as a student. I live here-most of the time at least.” It was a good thing that Nova had paused. In that sentence alone Chigetsu's jaw was about to drop off. He stood there now, staring up at Nova in stunned amazement. “Though I'll be honest I forgot that there was a training even being planned. Or maybe nobody told me, the house staff are not very communicative. Either way I'm excited at any chance to train under him.”

What Nova had just said was a lot to take in. That she had been taken in as a student from the Lord of this manor was breathtaking in itself. Perhaps it should have been something he expected. Winning the Chunin Exams was sure to draw this sort of attention. It obviously meant that Nova had incredible potential. That she had just 'stumped upon the mansion by accident' was in itself a bit terrifying though. This island they were on was terrifying. He had to take another glance around his surroundings he processed her saying that. Changing the subject so quickly back to the Chunin Exams was the only way his poor mind could continue.  

...

“I don't think we have a chance of dying... but Lord Osada is a very... intense person. If he chose to we would all die, he is certainly strong enough but I don't think he would be that kind of man. I am very interested in how he intends to train us though, all as a group or something... What do you hope to gain from this training Chi? I'm not sure if I know what I want myself from this.” Chigetsu couldn't help but turn his eyes to the crowd that was forming as Nova did. There were a few faces that he recognized now. It felt a bit better that he was somewhat familiar with some of the others. "What do I want to get from this? Well... It's the same reason I joined the academy." A kunai would be removed from his belt pouch, and Chigetsu would mindlessly fumble with it in his hands. "I want to be useful to somebody. It's easier to do that if you're strong, I think. Right now, I just feel like a burden." A deep exhale came out of him after that. "I've always wanted to meet somebody like Lord Osada too... Being able to speak with one of the Seven at all would be like a dream come true. Even if there's a chance to die, I would take it for the chance to train under him. Even for just a day. If he killed me, I think I'd be okay with dying." There was a strong danger of him beginning to ramble now that the topic had been brought up, especially once he learned that she was training personally under Lord Osada and allowed the luxury of living in his manor. There were so many questions he wanted to ask now. He had to catch himself, before he went too far off.  

"I'm glad you don't think we're going to die, though. I, uh. Lord Osada." He would pause, sorting his thoughts out for a second. "The mansion, does it... I hope he trains us as a group too." Even though she had just said it a few moments ago, he now couldn't remember if Nova had said she wanted to train as a group or not. Evident confusion on his face, Chigetsu would rub up at his forehead with his free hand. "Sorry, uh, if what I said doesn't make sense. This is a little bit overwhelming, and I'm not very good at thinking. There's too much to think about now. Maybe you'll know since you met him before, but why is Lord Osada doing this? Offering this training camp at all. I can understand why he'd want to train you, but I'm not special at all. I don't really understand." He would fidget further. The serrated edge of his kunai would be gripped tight in his hand now, clear water dripping from his fingers where he squeezed into it. The words came out of Chigetsu in a small whisper, with less energy each moment.

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[803]