The day had started like many before it, with no mission and no clear goal set for the day. This was never an obstacle for Akaneya, for she always knew what to do when nobody was asking anything of her. She bettered herself, however she could. It was a matter of both mind and body, fitness of both being required. Not just her muscles, but her jutsu, and not just her jutsu, but her spirit.

Standing in the open training field, having chosen by deliberate decision to use one that was quite empty of all types of people, she looked over the various exercises that lay ahead of her. Posts, ladders, rocks, a pond, and a whole lot of empty sand and dirt. It was time to begin.

Stepping onto the water, directing chakra to her feet for the sake of standing atop it, the first and simplest exercise was an easy balancing trick. Standing atop the wet field, she cautiously raised one leg back while leaning forward, her arms spread out. While not the most graceful technique per se, she'd known it to be a highly effective method of practicing balance. The added chakra to her feet to stand atop water increased the risk of failure and helped her focus on the flow of her chakra while balancing. It was, in essence, a two-fold exercise. In due time, she let her leg down and switched, lasting the same amount on the other leg. Indeed, it was a perfect balance of balancing.

Once this was finished, she stepped off the water and calmly made her way to the throwing range. Standing at the far end, she observed the wooden target ahead. Pulling her single kunai from her pouch, she lined up the shot and threw with a great ferocity. The knife found its mark with a loud thud as it bore itself into the wooden post. Blinking a couple of times, she corrected her stance and walked over to retrieve the kunai, before making the exact same throw to the exact same thud and the exact same retrieval. Fine, kunai training was done for now.

Next, the senbon. Throwing one needle to the wooden post ahead and hitting the target, she threw the next to a nearby tree, and the third to a further tree. Testing her capabilities, seeing if the hard-to-see needles had landed as planned, she cast her jutsu to make them all ring quite loudly. With the sound of wind chimes, it was easy to tell that each had independently hit its mark from the distortion of sound over distance.

It was a fairly routine exercise, but it was necessary to ensure continued success and capability. In due time, more physical exercises would begin. For now, though, it seemed to be all weapon play.

Taking out her flute and playing her melody, she sensed her surroundings. The faint distortions of the senbon nearby, and even the holes carved into the wooden posts, became as clear as if they had been seen. Ever honing her perception and her abilities in that field, this brief interlude between training types was fairly typical. It was rare that the fields were so quiet and empty, that they could be appreciated in such a manner. Might as well take advantage of the situation, as any good ninja must do on their missions.

When this was over, and all was said and done, she went around collecting the belled senbon from each place. After that, she began to test out various striking techniques on the wooden post. With kunai in hand, all means of stabbing, slashing, and hacking was commenced. It was time to get a little bit more physical.

Chiaki woke with a sound of the flute that permeated her dreams throughout the night. The lingering melody clouded her muddled mind, making for a foggy awakening, stretch, and languid movements towards the bathroom. She rubbed the back of her hands to her eyelids, feeling the grit of the night’s dreams crackle underneath the pressure and stuck out her tongue in disgust. It was time for a shower.

The lithe and languid movements turned to blunder as she scooted her feet across the floor of her one bedroom apartment, tidied before bed, she didn’t have a stitch of clothing out of place, a single spoon unwashed, nor a single leftover not already in the fridge. She had eaten with that same melody, and whether she wanted it or not, she had gone to bed with the flute playing through her mind, echoing in the cavernous darkness of her subconscious and winnowing away at her feeling until she was only left with the seeds of doubt, and a bit of her wanted to stop that self-doubt. It burned inside of her as she lifted her almost weightless nighty off of her small frame, and turned to a hot coal as she looked herself in the mirror, as she always did, with a critical eye.

She had not grown in size, at all, but her frame was more wiry than it was last time she had looked. The recent bout with the gorilla had put her in a good mood, as they had sustained no damage from the ape as they had leapt into battle. The searing spear and senbon doing their job to subdue the giant ape’s last defenses as-.

She turned on the water, and set about getting things ready for her shower by rinsing off with cold water and sudsing up. She had a regular, asian style, bathroom, and the water running would allow for the shared hot water heater to warm her water to a bearable temperature for her. As a fog rolled in from the hot water that was trapped by her bathroom door, so too did a fog on her mind start. Chiaki’s movements slowed as she closed her eyes and remembered Akaneya standing there, flute pressed to her puckered lips. Her eyes were on the ape, but had more emotion to them than she had seen out of the girl that entire day. She was determined, bold, direct.

Chiaki’s mind woke to the sound of her breathing, becoming a bit more labored than she had any right to be as she felt a tug on her left pinky finger. She had almost dropped the soap, but it dangled there from the red thread that she had on the soap-holding net for this very purpose. Clearing her throat she turned the same color as the thread, though whether it was from her thoughts or the hot water, she couldn’t tell.

There was no reason to be acting this way. It was an impromptu mission, and more likely than not she wouldn’t even see that girl again. A lump in her throat rose as she thought about that possibility. Perhaps she wanted to see Akaneya again. Perhaps she wanted to have lunch with her. Perhaps… but she might not want to have lunch with Chiaki. These thoughts carried her into her routine shave, scrub, and rinse down before hopping in the tub and sighing. She looked up at the ceiling for support, trying to ask it the question that tugged at the corners of her mind, threatening to unveil a secret she was desperately trying to hide from herself.

Had she, in her mission, found someone who she wanted to spend more time with? She was alone, and young, and impressionable, she knew, but that seemed oddly out of place for her. She gulped and ran a hand over her body, looking for any impurities that might have missed the exfoliation part of her morning ritual. Finding none, she sighed and put her head below the water. There was something about water that she couldn’t put her finger to. It was like a rush of silence and the rhythmic heartbeat that she could hear pounding in her ears that was magnified by the water helped relax her. The thrumming thump of her heart, however, gave rise to the melody slowing down, becoming more sensual and less calming than before. The flute played in circles in her head before she emerged with a gasp and glared at the shower wall.

“This is silly.” She said aloud, her voice reverberating like the song in her small bathroom. But was it? Was it silly of her to want to have some companionship? Was it silly of her to feel the way that she did.

After only one meeting, was this how she was supposed to feel. She twisted it in her head as she got out, twirling it on her tongue and then, when she had tied the towel under her armpits, obstructing all of her indecent parts from the world, she strode into the kitchen and found a small scroll that was in her kitchen drawer.

“Enough is enough, just… just ask her to lunch.” She placed the pen to the paper, her hand shook. Taking a deep breath, she wrote:

“Dear Kotone-san,

I hope this letter finds you well. Would you like to have lunch with me today? If so, I would like to treat you to some Ichiraku Ramen as a celebratory lunch for yesterday’s mission.

Regards,

Guanyin Chiaki.”

She read it over, mumbled it aloud and wondered if it was too formal. Too informal? What would she do. She sighed and rolled it up. Going to her room, she decided that she would wear a sunny yellow dress, the warmth of the fabric and the brightness of the color danced in the morning light and begged to be worn. Alright, she could cope with that. Putting it on, she slipped into some underwear that matched and into some blue-striped sandals which were waiting in the closet. With a flapping noise, she made her way back to the counter where the note sat, coiled and ready to strike. Strike the message she wanted to send to Akaneya.

With a gulp, she opened a window and whistled at a raven passing by. “Do you know Kotone Akaneya?” She asked the bird. It tilted its head and made an affirmative croaking noise. “Good, this goes to her.” She scribbled the name on the note and attached it to the bird’s free leg, placing a ryo into its pouch on its other leg. The birds would give the Ryo to their master.. Whoever he was, and he would feed them. Or so her father had told her many years ago. And Crows, no matter how bad an omen, never forgot a face, could talk to one another and figure out who someone was, and even understand basic human speech.


WC: 1188

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Akaneya took a seat to engage in her meditation. The unusually ideal circumstances lent themselves well to mental training between bouts of physical. The environment around, now clear of her senbon and with holes much more pronounced, a great many slashes on posts and disturbances in the stand from footwork, the scene came together nicely. With the blowing breeze whipping against the leaves and grass, seemingly undisturbed by the wintry plague that stalked beyond the village walls, a bird soared above. The proud raven dove with determination, and Akaneya opened her eyes to see the bird perched just beside her. It held a message on its leg, and so she took it and read.

Interesting. Well, it was a fairly common custom in these parts to eat a meal together after a successful mission. As much as Akaneya loathed most degrees of social interaction and cared little for the values so many in the Leaf held to their heart, she knew that there was an obligation in a sense. She was expected to come, and so she would accept. Noticing the bird still stood nearby, she couldn't quite understand why it would not yet leave. "I got it," she told the creature quite plainly. It did not budge. Akaneya saw that the raven had a second pouch and, and at that point understood. Taking a small coin from her own pouch, she gave the bird its tip and it flew into the wild blue yonder.

Gathering her belongings, what few she had brought, Akaneya considered the offer. Well, she knew of the obligation, but was it to occur right then? She was still in the middle of training, after all. Then again, when wouldn't she be? The young woman spent all day working herself to her limit to constantly better herself, and at some level she knew she had to accept that she simply needed to eat at some point. Chiaki had also offered to pay for the meal, at one certain Ichiraku Ramen. Was that the same place that Zhi of the Mist had brought her to? Well, she noted that she would not be made a fool of again. She knew how to eat ramen this time, that cursed noodle soup; there was no more confusion to be had!

Fine. She would go.

Standing up from her seat, having sufficiently collected her various trinkets, she began the walk. The day was a little cold, but the lanterns, insulated structures, and layout of Konoha kept the city warm enough through the winter season. How fitting that the Land of Fire would refuse to be cold. All the same, she somewhat regretted her decision to not bring her jacket - had she known this interruption might've happened, that she'd have time to cool down instead of keeping herself warm through work, she might've chosen to bring it. Of course, one can deliberate all day with 'might's and 'should's, it was pointless in the end.

Entering into the town proper, now having abandoned the training field, she smell of various restaurants immediately assaulted her. Barbecue and ramen and pastries galore, but none of them were what she had in store as she made her way deeper into the heart of Konohagakure. There, it came into sight. The big sign, 'World Famous' it said, letting her know she was at the right place. How many times had she walked by this place, ignoring it, not knowing what it was truly like inside?

This was it. In she went.

Chiaki decided to blow dry her hair and took the back of her hand, pressing it against the window to check the temperature. She would need a coat, she decided, but wanted to still look pretty for Kotone-san. She blinked and kicked off the flip-flops, as it wasn’t summer anymore. Grumbling she found some white polka dotted blue flats and put them over a pair of warm ankle high socks. She looked at herself in the mirror, before shaking her head and then went to the closet, took out some thigh-high socks with blue bows sewn to the outsides of them and put those on. She smiled and looked at herself again as she put on her shoes. That was the look she was going for.

She put on a light layer of make up, just mascara and eyeliner, along with some lip balm and rushed into the other room to grab some other things essential to her whole repertoire.

Tying her hair up into a bun, she placed two ornamental senbon in it with bells attached to hold it in place and grabbed her bag. It was a medium sized one, which she stuffed with all of the feminine essentials for touch ups, a couple of combat senbon, don’t know when you’re going to have to use them, and a good handful of Ryo bills. She counted and nodded to herself. Enough to buy four bowls of ramen and drinks besides. Good. She should have enough. Checking herself in another mirror for light, she nodded to herself once again, reassuring herself that this was just the jitters and put on a long faux fur coat. It was faux, but still quite warm and cascaded down to her kneecaps.

Checking to make sure she had turned out the lights, she got to the door, slid it open, slinked out and shut it behind her. The wind kicked up the outdoor stairwell and blew up her dress, instantly giving her goosebumps and making her shiver a bit. Well. That wasn’t expected, she noted, but hardly her fault. She didn’t want to make a bad first - or rather second - impression. Chiaki bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time and sped towards Ichiraku’s Ramen at a brisk half jog. Her raven would have already made it to Akaneya-san and she didn’t want to be late for their first date.

Now now, she scolded herself, not a date, just… just lunch between two shinobi who shared a mission together. A debriefing. A- She rounded a corner and walked right into a man who had collected his shopping and was heading back home. She stammered an apology, and stooping low, she helped him with collecting his errant groceries.

Chiaki, having finally recollected herself, the groceries, and a bit of her dignity, smiled and bowed her head in apology and deference to the man who she had nearly knocked over and set out once again.

She arrived just behind Akaneya, but didn’t want to call out to her, better to get closer and make it a conversational tone than shout out like a giddy schoolgirl. Now, if only she could get her face to stop feeling so hot, her heart to start beating at a normal pace. Perhaps it was the walking that had led to the elevated heart-rate or perhaps it was just the feeling that she was going to be in the same room as Akaneya that kept the darn thing from slowing. As soon as she was within polite conversational distance she called out, “Kotone-san!” She smiled and gave a little half-wave, her arm reaching up halfway and a smile blooming on her face.

She hoped that she had not overdressed, but was prone to doing so. Her smile was wide, her eyes were bright, and her heart wouldn’t stop the rapid rushing of the tempo, the flute music pervading her thoughts as she walked up to the Akaneya, that smile hiding her nervousness. Or perhaps, it was displaying it for all the world to see.

WC: 1880

There she stood, the girl who had been her partner, waving with a grin as if she had been dumbstruck. It was far beyond Akaneya to try to guess what it meant, and ultimately she figured it did not matter. She looked the other up and down for just a brief moment, scanning her as if in an enemy or as if a battlefield, trying to notice small details that simply weren't there in the blink of an eye. One thing she did notice, however, was the thick coat that her companion for this meal had decided to wear. Perhaps the right idea for dressing in the style of the season, and it certainly but Akaneya's humble jacket, which she had left at home, to shame.

"Chiaki," she nodded as a sort of greeting, then inquired "this is the place?" After receiving her answer, she would enter through the curtain and take her seat, as one did at such an establishment to her understanding. She took a moment to consider what bowl to get, before realizing that she didn't actually know what any of them were called, or what was in them. Zhi had ordered last time, and she'd scarce paid any actual attention to any of it. That lack of knowledge might indeed be a problem. Perhaps, then, it might be apt to just let Chiaki order for the both of them? Or perhaps to copy whatever the other said?

As Akaneya pulled the gloves off her hands, the snug fit meaning she had to fidget just a bit to wiggle out, she took a moment to look over Chiaki again. There was an air of confidence exuded by her essence in the moment, a knowledge of what would come soon and perhaps even an enjoyment of the situation. She'd never thought about it before, but could simply going out to eat actually lead to such feelings? To Akaneya, all that eating out meant was a convenient meal between her efforts, or an obligation thrust upon her. That Chiaki had such a sure and steady aura in this situation was an intriguing thought indeed.

Eventually, the time came to order. Well, it was more than likely just a very brief time after they had sat down, but with her mind on every little thing it had seemed as if an eternity. It then struck her once more that she quite simply did not have an answer, and when the time came, looked to her dining companion. "You...can order for me," she said quite bluntly, never breaking her famous monotone. Without letting on too much about the reasons why, this would alleviate just about all of the problems she might face here.

“Indeed it is the place.” She said, her mood fitting her dress in brightness. She opened her coat, a billow of heat washing out from it as she smiled. She nodded into the curtain herself. Ichiraku’s was a thing to get when you were celebrating, or something of the like. And Chiaki was celebrating making a new friend. A cute one at that, and one that she had interest in. She sighed into a seat, finding it warm enough she placed her coat on the hook under the bar, made specially for this.

She watched as Akaneya pulled her hands out of her gloves, a smile on her face, “Those are some nice gloves. We should get you a coat to match! Especially given the weather.” She was perhaps pushing it too far by saying that, but she had no idea, “I can help you with picking one out today, if you’d like?” She smiled, looking at the menu, a treat for her in its own right, she had brought enough to buy more than enough food for them both. She was going to get the Shoyu ramen, she looked between her menu, and the girl sitting next to her. Still she wore the smile, not showing any teeth, but genuinely enjoying herself.

Since when did she genuinely enjoy herself though? She looked inwards for a moment with incredulity, before She was faced with a task. Ordering for the person next to her. Ah, but what to go with?

“I, er… Do you like more of a salty broth, a ham broth, or perhaps something tangy? I enjoy Shoyu ramen the most, it is made from soy sauce, different meats, egg, and onion.” She nodded, then turned back to the menu, “Just wondering since… you know, I haven’t treated you to a meal yet.”

The waiter came over and Chiaki held up a finger. He passed them by with a smile, “Then there’s the question of how big you want your bowl. They have small, regular, large, and super-bowls.” She explained, pointing at the different sized bowls, the small being roughly 10cm and the largest being upwards of 40. The bowls weren’t very deep, but they could hold a lot of food, be it meat or otherwise. Chiaki turned to Akaneya with a bright smile. Seemingly, she had left the choice, again, in Akaneya’s hands, but she also was helping, by ordering something she would like, but giving her agency too.


WC: 2298

Blushing perhaps slightly at the remark of finding her a coat, Akaneya felt almost guilty for her own lack of foresight. She should've brought her jacket, though it was not a full coat, just to show that she had one. In fairness, it was a recent purchase - sort of a gift from Zhi - and she hadn't really considered insulating layers before that. Perhaps more full clothing, but scarce adding layers. Thinking about all that was said, there certainly were a lot of options to take into consideration; ones that she had hoped she needn't consider. Indeed, Chiaki had just reintroduced a bothersome burden to Akaneya, she hadn't quite rolled with the flow and just did as was said. It was, perhaps, an interesting choice in that regard - to choose an active explanation compromise instead of simply ordering as Zhi had. With the new slew of information, however, Akaneya began to consider her needs. What would her body ask of her that day, so as to best ensure betterment and growth?

Well, the first thing she would need was protein. It wasn't always easy to train day in and day out, and protein helped to thoroughly aid the body in all its needs as she did so. It built muscle, it healed injuries, it was like a miracle ingredient. Thus, a ramen being high in protein would be the most preferable to help her with the rest of her day. The ramen should also be filling, since Akaneya had no guarantee of when, exactly, her next meal would be. She might not eat until late at night, or until just a regular time for dinner, but in either case would not want hunger holding her training back. Ultimately, flavor was a secondary concern, the lesser factor in the sum of its parts. She'd survived for years eating things without much flavor or substance, maybe a bowl of rice to fill her efficiently without any of the showmanship that such restaurants as this displayed. Not a culinary art, just filler to be consumed. That's how it used to be. That's what made going to places like this, with bountiful options, so troublesome.

Akaneya recalled the ingredients she had been told. Soy sauce, meats, egg, that was all quite in line with what she was looking for. The onions, not so much, but they were certainly quite dense in other nutrients. For all practical purposes, it would seem that Chiaki's favorite bowl would be a near-ideal choice for stacking the benefits of a meal. So it would be. She spoke - "I'll...just try the Shoyu," taking a moment to remember that there was a size option as well, and noting that she would need to be filled but not full or even overstuffed, she finished, "I guess the medium bowl will do."

So it was.

Chiaki took the moments that Akaneya was looking at the menu to take in the scene that she was currently in. Ichiraku ramen was a bustling place usually, but they had come during one of its lulls where people had either already eaten, or didn’t want to eat. She had planned it well then, although there was more chance than careful planning that went into that particular decision. She loved that she had picked this venue for Akaneya, as it seemed like she hadn’t been raised here. It was hard, as the village hidden in the leaves was absolutely gigantic. She had no idea whether this girl had been raised by the village.

A lilting tune came back into her mind before it was interrupted by Akaneya making a decision. She smiled and nodded, “The Shoyu is a good one, and I am going to probably get Beef, so I’ll order you beef then.” She smiled and held up her index finger and the waiter bustled over to her. “We’ll have two medium Beef Shoyu Ramen with extra egg and meat?” A question at the end of the sentence aimed at Akaneya. She would wait for Akaneya to give an affirmative or a negative response, and as the waiter got their order he would trundle back to the kitchen where the cook was making the ramen now.

She smiled to Akaneya after successfully ordering the food for them and settled into her stool more. “So what were you up to today?” She tried to make polite conversation, “I was just enjoying the morning and was going to start training soon, but thought… well… that you might want to grab a bite with me.” She hadn’t received a response, but was happy nonetheless that she had a partner. “I was a bit concerned that you would not meet me here, or perhaps that errant raven didn’t get your response.” She grinned and giggled a bit.


WC: 2628

The place was appreciably empty. That was good. It was a lot more calm than it usually was around this particular part of town, though truly it was anyone's guess as to why. Perhaps there was an aspect of timing, perhaps it was the unfavorable weather. It did not matter, all that mattered was the end result - a relatively peaceful and quiet lunch the likes of which she only thought might be possible later on as when Zhi had offered. It was, suffice to say, a pleasant surprise. In pretty much no time, having let her mind drift for only a moment, she found that her input was being asked in relation to the order. Running over what had been said in her head, she simply and bluntly stated: "Yes, alright." The inflection was flat, as it always was, giving a thoroughly neutral and oddly passive tone to the whole affair.

So off went the staff to prepare the meal. After Chiaki had finished her quite brief description of her day thus far, even sounding as if she'd woken up not too long ago, Akaneya paused to reflect on her choice of words and then spake, "I was in the process of training when the raven approached me. I had done practice with throwing tools, sensing my environment, and was working on the use of the kunai in melee. Stances, strikes, and fluid movements. When I received your message, I took a moment to consider. I would have to break for a meal at some point regardless, and it is customary here to celebrate a successful mission through food, so I decided that this was in my best interest."

Her way of speaking, so matter-of-factly, so carefully, so flatly, all would seem perhaps a bit impersonal. Having event spent the one mission together, Chiaki might've at least already known that this might not be the intended effect - it was simply the way she talked. Then again, a single mission isn't too much exposure, so perhaps there might be confusion? In either case, it would not matter, as Akaneya offered herself to speak once more: "You did well on the mission. Your technique was impressive, effective, and efficient. That is all that a kunoichi can aspire to be."

The flat tone threw Chiaki off a bit, and her cheeks reddened, she wondered if she had made the right choice.

She watched as Akaneya spoke, she was almost methodical in her description, it was uncanny how poised she was. The more she watched and listened, the more she was impressed by the Kunoichi, and her blush intensified. "Well you- you didn't have to come if you didn't want to. I know it's customary but it doesn't need to be with us. I just... This isn't supposed to be a c-." She gulped, bringing her fingers together and working them nervously under the table. She sighed and cleared her head in a quick exhale.

"As for my technique, you yourself did well in our mission, I didn't think that we would make it out of there as quickly as we did, and our thinking on the fly worked to our advantage. I can't wait to do another mission with you. Or perhaps just have another dinner with you."

Another gulp and she reached for her water for something to do, her hand trembled a bit. She had a bit of a flutter there, what if Akaneya said no? What if she ran off before they had ordered? What would happen if she faltered under that even, yet enticing stare. She didn't know what it was, perhaps it was the thrill of not being able to see what the other person was thinking, but it made her temperature rise. Akaneya would make an apt interrogator, and Chiaki, by comparison a weak prisoner.

Bound by that stare, finally broken by a respite for a drink of her water, Chiaki found herself a little more calm as the cold liquid descended into her, bringing about a bit of inner peace. Perhaps she would survive this encounter after all, and not make too much a fool of herself that she couldn't dig herself back out again when they - if they - went on another mission.

WC:
2967

Did she hear right? Truly? This Chiaki had been excited to interact again? To even invite? Another dinner? It had most certainly caught Akaneya off-guard, to say the least. That serenity with which she conducted herself began to turn to a bit of confusion, she tapped her fingers on the counter a couple of times, held her breath for a moment, and closed her eyes. Hearing Chiaki take a sip of water, but otherwise feeling a fair peace around her, she began to calm down once more. Time to think about this, for realsies.

Well, how should she go about it? What was the tactical, the strategic choice to make here? Well, of course she absolutely should accept - teambuilding is potentially vital if two people are to be put into a mission together. At the very least, the ability to cooperate and to operate in relative comfort among one another was a highly useful and beneficial trait. If she could boost her ability to work alongside Chiaki in the future, it would provide great benefit to them both, as well as to the Leaf. Allowing their missions to move smoothly and efficiently was all the justification Akaneya needed to make that decision, even if such public meetings often made her feel the least bit anxious.

It was all the justification she needed, but was it all the justification she had? In this time, Akaneya couldn't help but notice that she didn't feel nearly as awkward as she often did. Everything had been quite amicable to her sensibilities, no loud outbursts or boisterous celebrations. Just a quiet lunch, in a quiet place, at a quiet time of day. It was hardly even public, and Akaneya began to notice she hadn't felt surrounded or crowded or watched in the least for the whole time. Perhaps, just perhaps, if there was anyone that she might feel comfortable sharing a public meal with again, it might just be this Chiaki - whose own preferences in subtlety seemed to align well enough with her own.

Opening her mouth to speak, she hesitated for a moment, finding the right words. "I would," she stated quite bluntly, "I would accept meeting with you again, Chiaki. You seem..." she paused, "sensible." Akaneya sighed, releasing the words she held in her heart, "I loathe the company of others. But not you. Perhaps we could walk in the forest after this meal." Her tone of voice was flat as ever, but for once she dared to look Chiaki in the eyes, even if only out of the sides of her own - "Perhaps after you find me a coat."

A small sound of 'doki doki' could be heard, if one was trained enough to hear a heartbeat as Chiaki's heart skipped a beat or two at the sound of Akaneya's reply. Sensible was a bit of an off way to describe a person, but seemed to be a compliment coming from Akaneya and she couldn't escape the coming request even if she had wanted to.

A small and bashful nod was the first response that Akaneya got and a small almost girlish giggle bubbled up at the request for a coat. She carefully gathered her words in front of her, almost as if she were gathering cards from a 52 card pickup and shuffled them together to try to convey how she felt, but also keep a little hidden.

"Well, I am sure we are going to find you something cute to walk in the forest in." She smiled and as she did, the ramen was set in front of them with a, "eat up!" from the waitress who then trundled out of the room, to tend to more customers. Ramen was a favorite of the hidden leaf, and Chiaki took their disposable chopsticks, broke them apart and put her hands together over the food in the traditional fashion with an 'itadakimasu!' before continuing.

"As for the walk in the forest." She said, swirling her ramen around to stir the ingredients together and then took out half of a hard-boiled egg. The broth dripped from it and she blew once before continuing, "I would very much love to do that." A quick and almost fox-like smile came from her before she took a bite of her ramen, and whether it was the steam of the ramen, or the steam that came from her heart, her face turned beet red.

Akaneya had actually asked her to prolong the date! Oh my gosh! What a score! The inner Chiaki was celebrating and she couldn't have been happier. Her confidence was back and she wanted to hold onto that confidence for dear life, so as to show Akaneya that she was at least a little worthy of her attention. But not too hasty now. Enough!

She mentally snapped back to the kitchen at ichiraku's and cleared her throat, "What do you want out of a coat, besides warmth?" She shrugged and smiled, it would be a good food-topic for them both. "Because what I usually look for is lots of pockets and whether or not I can slip out of it if I need to on a mission." She nodded, "but some people look for skin-tight coats so that they don't have to if they get in a sticky situation, they're not too warm though and..." She trailed off, clearing her throat. Best not to frontload the question too much. She waited for Akaneya's response, but also was enjoying the Ramen in front of her.

WC: 3477

Akaneya never understood that whole show that people do before dinner. In her earlier years, when you got food, you just ate it. There wasn't really anyone to thank, the food was never really a treat or a grace, it was just a bowl that you'd eat and that's that. Worse yet, if you didn't eat fast enough, someone might steal it from you. Taking the time for such graces would endanger your meal for the day. The only thing that kept her from slobbering down the bowl in front of her was that she still wasn't quite used to ramen on any level. Zhi had, at the very least, taught her how to eat it - she broke the sticks apart and dipped them in the bowl, but certainly hesitated as she looked into the broth. Some kind of weird noodle soup lay before her, and her hesitation spoke louder than any words. At last, she grabbed some of it, lifted it carefully, and fed it into her mouth: eating as she had been instructed earlier.

All the same, the picture came clearer. Word by word, Chiaki had seemed all too eager to keep their contact going. That's good, right? It meant that she had, against all odds, enjoyed her time with Akaneya - that she had no grudge to bear and was not offput by her very direct attitude. In any case, it meant that they'd be able to cooperate much more effectively in the future. Cooperation isn't really something that she considered at the top of her list in any given scenario, but it was rare to find someone that took any interest at all; it would be best to cement a positive feeling since the opportunity was indeed present. Their complementary skillsets also meant it might be likely they'd be paired together again, especially in situations like that which they had already faced.

Plus, finding someone that wasn't offput was a true rarity. Someone that wasn't in turn offputting even moreso.

Then came the question, one Akaneya didn't really have all that direct an answer to. Actually specifying a sort of coat at all, rather than just in a sense window-shopping as she'd done with Zhi. Akaneya, of course, had little experience in the world of fashion. She stated quite simply: "I usually just wear what I find is most comfortable and allows me to be effective accordingly." Taking the moment to glance at the brown leather gloves she'd put aside, this put her into thought, "You said a coat to match the gloves, so I suppose that's somewhere to start."

She popped an egg into her mouth, and it slid down her throat without warning. She didn't even really get a chance to chew. Her eyes widened and she coughed a bit, but it was down. She could practically feel it plop in her stomach. Unpleasant. However, it was time to consider a bit more - "I have no idea what sort of coat would be comfortable for me. We did not use such things in the Land of Rice. It was pointless, the humidity rendered any attempt null. Such a thing also had no allowance in uniform. My style..." she said that word with a strong air of unease, "as it is now, it is just a cheap reproduction of that uniform. It is what I find comfortable. Perhaps I had gotten used to slit dresses and cinched waists, covered shins, though I have traded wrist-guards for gloves I suppose."

Chiaki, when seeing Akaneya hesitate, wondered if she had ordered the right thing and her own pace of eating slowed, then stopped as she watched Akaneya pick up the chopsticks, break them apart and then, rather clumsily, eat her Ramen. She didn't really want to say, but Ichiraku did have forks that people could use, should they wish it. She just found that working the noodles with chop sticks actually helped her with her manual dexterity, and moreover was more fun to eat with. Perhaps she would eat the next thing at ichiraku's with a fork or perhaps...

She was interrupted by the coat conversation again as she had almost forgotten her previous question. Oh right, the coat, duh, "I think that is not only reasonable, but how I picked out my coat as well. The reason I picked out my coat was it is functional and that I liked the way it looked with what I have in my closet. Well, most things that is." She shrugged, "And fashion is really what you make of it." She watched as Akaneya gulped down an entire egg and was mostly impressed, until she saw that it was unintentional and looked away at her own food to avoid saying anything.

Mercifully, she was interrupted in the looking away by Akaneya coming back into that conversation again and telling her what her kind of fashion was. Well, perhaps she could find a coat that matched that sort of style?

"Well, if you're looking for something warm, you might want a longer coat than you're used to, but if you want functionality, you can go with a shorter coat and perhaps some leggings to keep you warm, after all, it is a little bit chilly here." She smiled sweetly, and drank some of the water provided to them. The waitress came by and she looked up from the meal a bit, remembering what she had thought of before, "Can I get a fork for some of the bigger things?" She asked politely, "It's just a bit hard to pick up some of the tofu pieces with my chopsticks."

The waitress nodded and waited to see if the couple needed anything else.

WC: 3849

Leggings, huh? That's something Akaneya had truly never really considered before. She not only had not thought them necessarily as being in her style, but indeed never gave them a thought at all. What did she mean by 'shorter' though? How short would it be? How much warmth might be sacrificed for the sake of being slightly more functional? There didn't seem to be any formula to decode or special pattern to resolve, it was perhaps too simple of a question and response for her to be able to answer as easily as she did most things. Is this what people meant when they spoke of 'overthinking'? If ever there were a time to smirk, this would've been in - though in truth her expression remained as stoic as ever.

However, the coat conversation had cut off. It had been supplanted, if briefly, by Chiaki's request for a fork. Were the bigger things truly that troublesome? Akaneya imagined stabbing them through, impaling them with a chopstick as if they were a screaming enemy. The waitress also seemed to hover over them, and Akaneya looked up to realize that she was waiting on her own input. Fixing her posture, she simply stated, "I'm fine." before turning her gaze back to Chiaki much more directly that she had done before. Not out of the corner of her eye, but an actual and direct look at her companion.

"It is chilly, but I have survived my whole life without a coat, and my homeland does not make such things practical to begin with. To this end, I suppose I have no other choice but to trust your judgement when we go searching. I..." she dragged this out for a moment, then paused to consider her wording, "I submit to your judgement, I suppose. I will trust you on your choices for me."

exit.

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Chiaki was brought a fork by the waitress in the time that Akaneya was talking and gratefully stabbed into some of the bigger pieces that were harder to handle with her chopsticks. Taking a bite, she set the fork on the bowl and chewed while thinking of a response to that overwhelming sense of... duty? put on her.

"Well, you don't have to defer to my judgement, I mean, you can always say no, but let's get you something cute and see if you like it first. We can work our way all around the shoppe too, as I don't have anything going on after this, and then a nice relaxing stroll through the forest will suit me just fine." She would eat her ramen quicker now, with a goal in mind: to find Akaneya something cute to wear, and to impress her with her fashionista flair.

It was something of a hobby for Chiaki, and she hoped that she would be able to please Akaneya with her talent.

WC: 4021

|exit thread|

Using 2000 words to train Ninjutsu up to B rank

Saving 2021 words from this to train ninjutsu to A rank
+ 750 from this thread: http://www.narutosaga.com/t29727-kill-or-capture-the-gorrilla-akaneya-private#234381
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