Sitting in silence Jishin looked out toward all the many peasants that she had taken an oath to protect, people who didn't give a damn about her or any of her comrades. Often she wondered if there were any redeeming qualities in the people of Kumogakure, and more often than not she found that they had very little, yet still she went about her work choosing to ignore the fact that she was protecting ingrates. Sighing heavily she crossed her legs sitting back against the public bench which she was sitting on, observing the various businesses around her. Her mind then took an acute turn, she began to wonder why animals such as herself had been burdened with complex thought as it was obvious that the only thing that she was doing was squandering it.

She returned to reality, watching as the passing citizens of Kumogakure casually gazed toward her, most speaking in hushed tones as they did. More often that not they were conversing on the fact that she was a, 'Dākuchairudo' a cannibal. They all seemed to share the same mixture of contempt and fear, ushering children away in fear that she would spring up at any moment and make a feast of them. Their ignorance only fueled the young clanswoman's distaste for the peasants, their bias was simply unbearable some days.

The village of Kumogakure was probably not the best available option for Rui to reside in. Given the altitude and the weather, seeing the sun occurred way too many times for Rui to truly appreciate his new home. He was still unsure if he could give that label to this village, it just didn't feel like home. Then again, no place could truly feel like home after the events that occurred prior to his arrival. Luckily, for now, he was able to walk in the shade with only limited exposure to facing the sun. If only he'd been near Kirigakure when that event took place. But, he really wish that never occurred. He would still be able to relatively enjoy his life.

Life in the village hadn't changed much, except for the lift of probation and being able to re-access his chakra. Rui knew it would take time, maybe even never occur, for his self image to change. Really, he couldn't care much about it. What he wanted - needed - was becoming better than he was now, severely. Not so much for revenge, but rather being able to explore the reasons why. He new the Abe were looked down upon, but not many had chose to assassinate them. Sighing, Rui looked back down the path. What he saw was a female sitting on a bench, with a book in hand. He had heard bits and pieces of what people said about her - and her clan - though subjects quickly changed when Rui was in their vicinity. He was hesitant to approach, why would her reaction be any different than any other villagers in the village. So with that, he slowed down his pace and his path would eventually lead him to walk in front and past the bench she sat on.

Her left hand clasped at the book which she carried damn near everywhere she went, often she wondered why she did such a thing aside from the fact that it was a cultural norm within the clan to do so. In all actuality the more she read, the more she attempted to understand, the more she felt it to be conveying the wrong message, on one hand it brought the message of bigotry and superiority, on the other it stated that her people were of the same stock as the average man, and that the people should show a certain ambivalence to the people of Kumogakure. It was silly.

Lifting the book to eye level she spied at its leather bound cover, pursing her lips she put the book at her side once again. She was in no mood for reading. Instead she allowed her mind to wonder as she sat observing the passing bigots, one caught her gaze head on as he walked her way. He appeared to be but a child, a boy, who she thought couldn't be over the age of twelve or so. Upon further inspection, something seemed different about him, exactly what she couldn't quite figure. "Boy, come here." She stated in an authoritative tone, gesturing toward him she waited to see if he would comply with her demand.

Just as he was passing the bench, he heard a voice. "Boy, come here." Unsure if the comment was directed to him, Rui looked over his shoulder and spotted the girl with the book looking right at him, thus stopping in his tracks. Rui, hated, when people perceived him for being young. He was fifteen, not some ten year old wandering the streets. With a rather annoyed expression, and his pride somewhat taking over, he turned to face her. "And why should I?" He really wouldn't have chosen to reply like that, but given the build up of animosity over the past few years, it was inevitable for him to become cynical. Besides, it was also a legitimate question, given past interactions with other villagers. They didn't want to be near him and here was someone calling him over towards them.

It was rather unusual to her that someone would react in such a way as the boy did, rarely did anyone question her demands, "As I wish to discern what makes you different from the rest of the herd, here. Something strikes me as odd in you, would you happen to be a fellow Shinobi?" though he didn't seem to be Shinobi-esque in size in stature, perhaps there was something else she hadn't caught yet? Her eyes gave the boy another 'once over', breathing in his childlike features. He had a shag of blonde hair, and a set of strikingly orange irises; a color she hadn't seen in a set before. She felt the novelty in color matched that of her yellow sclera, there was a certain uniqueness about them. If anything, they certainly added to the mystery which abounded the boy for the moment.

Standing in the same spot, choosing not to budge an inch until he knew the girl's purpose for calling him out, he couldn't help but be speculative. While he had been in the village for three years, so far, he hadn't really met many people - mostly having to be by himself; including the person calling him out. While his life outside the village seemed more isolated, he in fact wasn't as he still had his parents. Being able to see others around, with their parents still alive, spurred a minor jealousy, one which had no concrete reason to be there. From what he could tell, based of appearances, she was clearly older than himself - not based on his own physical appearance, but biological age.

After hearing her speak, he was had to reprocess her words. She wanted to know his story, or rather why he was different. He really wasn't different. He was human. He was a shinobi. "I'm no different than anybody else. I breath, I'm human." He had no reason to state anything further. About his family. About his home; his real home. How he ended up here. The only person who knew of his background in detail were that of the Raikage, and he supposed a few other high ranking members of the village. The Raikage definitely knew, others he didn't know what or how much they knew of him. So why should he tell a random stranger about himself.

Further pursing her lips she listened as the boy as he avoided her question, or seemed to from her viewpoint, stating that he was as human as any other sodd "Breathing isn't exclusive to humans.", her retort was simple enough pushing as if to attempt to say he was in fact different despite his opinion and the fact that she had only just met him. His response had only served to further the intrigue that she felt surrounded the lamb she was speaking with.

Uncrossing her legs the gaze which she held still fixated upon the boy, she would pick at him for information if need be "So I'm going to assume you're Shinobi then, and with that assumption comes a certain question, a question which I'm sure you're familiar with," she paused wondering how to word her question as to gain the best results deciding to open with a statement, "I am of the Dākuchairudo stock, thieves of children in the night, warring savages, and so forth. Now what breed are you of, boy?" while she had little intent of coming off as presumptuous, her tonality and body-language lead her in such a direction regardless of her original intent.

For a moment she wondered if she should have opened up with her first name, thinking that most normal people would have done such a thing. Introductions and all, but she wasn't exactly your average seventeen year old lass. Besides, by that time it would have been a bit strange to simply blurt out her private name.

This girl talked funny. That was the first thing that came to Rui's mind as she spoke. What kind of person uses breed when referring to a clan. Though Rui knew exactly what she meant. If she truly did not know of his ancestry, he did not show the shock. After all, most of the village already knew. So deciding to answer the Dākuchairudo's question, as it was something everyone else already knew, "I am of the Abe breed." It wasn't that difficult to measure the tone in Rui's voice. Clearly, he wouldn't mock her, but here it seemed as if someone were to finally talk to him - something he could use as an outlet for his pent up negative emotions, for now. It wouldn't be long before she became like the rest of them.

An Abe? How interesting. She thought to herself as a slight grin found its way onto her face, it was a rarity to find a fellow outcast in her native lands, let alone one who didn't share her ancestry. Looking over the boy further he did seem to have a few telltale signs, the eyes, pale skin, and so forth. The Abe name instantly conjured thoughts of Demons, and the corruption that now followed the clan, superstitious nonsense she thought. Giving a curt clap to show her excitement which was quite the rarity as she was quite reserved, "A fellow outcast, and one not of my clan. Quite the rarity in these lands. I've never met someone corrupted, as they say your people are, you see." the citizenry of Kumogakure had continued with their day throughout the two's conversation, ignoring the two to the best of their ability.

Standing from her bench, with book in hand, she moved closer to the boy, those moving throughout the street purposely changing their direction to avoid physical contact with her. Extending her free hand she awaited the boy to shake her hand; something about the fact that he was, most likely, found distasteful by others put her at ease. She stood looming over him, making the height differentiation quite evident "Perhaps we could chat on our experiences with the common herd; perhaps food is in order?" it would be quite nice to eat with someone, she rarely had the chance to do such a thing.

Apparently, Rui was completely off about the girl. Though he knew bits and pieces of her clan, he did not know much of their standing within the village of Kumogakure no Sato. Thus, her speech, made Rui feel a bit wary of what was being offered. The hand; most likely for a hand shake and the invitation. Though what made him more confused was her way of talking, which he found to be completely different than what he was used to hearing. Formal speech and informal speech, he heard them both, but this manner of speaking was different than both.

He wasn't intimidated much by the height difference, nor what seemed to be a subtle change in approach. Shaking her hand seemed tempting, though he was cautious of doing anything else. Her words of talking of experiences was something he really did not want to get in to. As much as it would be nice to let it out, nothing would ever come of it. He decided to speak before making a choice in whether to accept her invitation or not. He did need a bit more before he would accept. "Going to have a meal with a complete stranger? Give me at least two good reasons to accept your invitation." Even though he wanted to accept; to make a potential friend, this was one aspect that he would remain wary of. Who knew what she could be planning, or anyone else for that matter. Rui knew he was alone in this world, so why should he place himself in a situation where there could be no good coming out of it.

Remaining fixated upon the boy she had yet to realize that she had spoken in a way that mixed the pedantic and the informal, a habit which showed itself when she was overly excited in speaking to someone, an excitement that her overall tone didn't display. Her gesture remained steadfast, he was obviously hesitant to shake her hand, most likely unsure of her less than demure nature. Not to mention that her people had a less than savory reputation when it came to socializing with those outside of the clan itself. A reputation that was by and large correct; however, her intentions at that time were purely benign.

His hesitance was then made more clear as he asked her why he should in fact have a midday meal with her. She interpreted the question interpreted as a bit rude, but she had developed a thick skin over the years taking little offense, "Firstly, I suppose I would pay for your meal. As to the next reason, well I've yet to formulate one, but I can assure you there will be no funny business on my behalf." she never was a fan of funny business, if she had willed to harm the boy she would have already done so by that point. Still she could understand why he was so reluctant to her proposal, it was likely that he had seen a good bit of bigotry in the Land of Thunder.

The hand was still there, being offered to him. Still, he was reluctant to accept the offer. The temptation was more than enough to sway Rui's one man, self deciding vote. However, before accepting the handshake, and the offer, Rui couldn't help but add in a small comment. "You know, keeping your hand still hanging there makes you look like an idiot." He wasn't sure if she would take offense to the comment, but Rui knew there was nothing for him to really lose - everything would just remain the same. Ever so slowly, or at least that's how it felt to Rui when in actuality it was faster, he accepted the offered appendage. "There has to be more than just wanting to discuss experiences with the herd." Rui attempted to use the female's, whose name he had yet to know, matter of speaking, though it came out awkwardly. "And a name would also be nice, unless you just want me to call you girl." Surely it felt awkward calling someone taller than him, and probably older as well, in such a manner, but he didn't find too many other words appropriate for the situation.

The boy quipped that her gesture was making her seem idiotic, which it was, little offense was found in the comment as he then accepted the gesture shaking her hand, she of course made sure to squeeze a bit harder than the boy in the exchange, "Well, the tactic seemed to work. You did shake, after all." her smile brightened slightly further, exposing her rather magnificent canines, before fading to a more insipid smirk. The Abe then implied that she wished for more than just conversation about the 'herd', which was relatively true, she of course wished to discuss trivial matters such as the weather and to act as though she was of an average descent, "Can't say there is." her reply disguised the fact that she was absolutely dying for small talk, which was quite the rarity for her. The only person she had really chatted with of late was about Nagare, and he was absolutely no fun. Far too analytical for chat, but then again she wasn't exactly an expert either.

"Jishin, and you are?" It seemed that for the time being that her social dysfunction was effecting the conversation minimally, for her things were going swimmingly.

As the girl put more force behind the handshake, Rui couldn't help but grin. It seemed as though he might make his first friend, though the doubt within was still lingering. From what he could tell so far, she seemed genuine, and her comments about the handshake seemed to lighten his internal doubts. Rui truly still couldn't analyze what this was about, as past occassions surely influenced how he thought, thus concern about his current situation would continue to arise.

As he learned her name, Jishin, he remembered to keep it in mind. He wouldn't know if this was just a one time meeting or not, but the prospect of at least knowing one person in this village was more than enough for him to pursue a path that was not offered by others. "The names Rui. So, where are we going?" Three years within the village and he only had a basic internal map of the village, the only place he could remember the exact location of was his apartment.

Rui, the boy's name, had several interpretations two of which were more prominent than others. The first was "Shining Gem", the other "Keen intellect" she wondered which of the two, if either he was named after, was the meaning of his personal name. Her train of thought was interrupted as he then asked where the two were going to eat, Sashimi sounded ideal to her at that particular moment, immediately a bistro popped into her mind " There's a little place a few blocks from here, the 'Lycaste Bistro', they do Sashimi.", hopefully he liked seafood, as that was the only thing the bistro served. Without further conversation she turned from the boy, quickly grabbing her book, and then began to walk toward aforementioned bistro. As she made her way, the peasants made sure to avoid physical contact with her circling away with an amalgamation of misguided fear and distaste.

"I worked for the owners a while ago, they're a bit less bigoted than most." She stated, attempting at small talk whilst keeping her brisk pace, she was never on to dawdle in the middle of a crowd.

Soon the two had made their way to the small bistro, the outside of which was fairly humble, s single story gray bricked building. Atop of the building sat a rather large billboard depicting a young Asian woman laying upon her stomach in summer dress, clasping a three petaled orchid between her hands, circling around the flower were the words 'The Lycaste Bistro', they were obviously in the correct place.

Rui began to follow Jishin, unaware of the exact location of the location she was speaking of. He hadn't heard of Lycaste Bistro, but then again, Rui wasn't aware of many locations within the walls of Kumogakure no Sato. So with a bit of hesitance on his part, he began to follow Jishin. He hadn't really minded eating seafood on prior occasions, though he certainly had his preferences over it. He lingered about half a step behind her, in case the sun would obstruct his vision and he would have to rely on following her presence towards the chosen location.

To say he was glad about her statement about the owners being less bigoted certainly placed Rui in a bit of ease, though the apprehension was still there. Not adding anything on, he kept following her in silence until they reached the location of the restaurant.

Jishin casually looked back toward Rui as to check that he was still there, people had the terrible habit of bailing on her. Gesturing toward him she moved through the open door, via doorstop, of the bistro inhaling the wondrous smell of raw protein and checking to see if the decor had changed any from the last she had been there, it had not. Looking about she immediately saw one of the two owners, the primary chef, a short and stocky man dressed in chef's coat, white pants, light blue apron, and square hat sitting atop of his head. The chef was occupied by cigarette and newspaper, sitting at one of the two only tables, aside from the bar which encompassed the majority of the bistro, he appeared to be fairly oblivious that the two had entered the restaurant.

Clearing her throat she drew the attention of the chef who immediately put his cigarette out in the ashtray upon his table, folded his newspaper and sprung up addressing the two, "Hello! Hello! What can I --" his vocalization was cut off as he noticed he knew one of the two customers, a larger smile than before spread across his face "Ah, Mrs. Jishin, you've brought us a new customer?", he was of course referring to Rui "That I have, Shukutsu. A Mr. Rui.", it seemed that he was quite happy that she had brought another customer, it was apparent that they didn't get much business.

As he stepped in to the bistro, the smell of seafood was the first thing that he could take in, after all he was told this place specialized in seafood. The man, whom Rui automatically assumed was the chef, looked rather intimidating at first, then again, for a male to be his height at his age anything would look intimidating at first, but he was a shinobi, so being intimidated wasn't an option. Besides, Rui preferred being in smoke free environments. However, his impression was quick to change after the man started to speak.

Not much of a people person, Rui hesitated before he introduced himself to the man. He had nothing to worry about, or at least that was the message he got from Jishin before they arrived here. "Hello, nice to meet you" Taking a small bow, mostly for formality, Rui looked around the place. He wasn't one to eat out much, he didn't particularly want take out as he didn't know what they could have done to his food, so he often chose to make simple foods at home, mostly things that he could heat up quickly.

Shukutsu bowed a bit deeper than Rui, the quaint smile still sat on his face as he spoke, "Please, take a seat." gesturing to the bar area, Jishin followed his directive taking a seat upon one of the set of stools that sat in front of the area. "So, the usual then?" the question was of course directed at Jishin who nodded in reply, "Hamachi, Tako, Ebi, and maybe a bit of Saba, that is if it's fresh." she ate quite heavily, necessary to maintain her physique. Shukutsu answered her question, "Bought it at the market this morning, fresh as you can get in the mountains." It did seem to have fresh fish in such an area, but she wasn't about to question it. Everything tasted as if it were fresh, good enough for her.

The stocky chef's attention then turned to Rui, "So, interested in anything in particular? Everything's good, if I do say so." he was quite proud of the way his food tasted, and it certainly showed through as a great confidence showed through his tone and body language. "Like most of it." Jishin couldn't help but stroke the man's ego a bit, he was certainly deserving of it.

Following Shukutsu gesture and Jishin's lead, Rui slowly trailed behind as he took a seat on the bar stool to Jishin's right. As the chef was taking Jishin's order, Rui's mind began to wonder what he should order and what would be the first thing Jishin would bring up, since he was not going to be the one to initiate such talks at this stage. Deciding that the more vital matter would be ordering, Rui had a slight idea of what he wished to have.

Upon Jishin concluding her order and the chef's words about it being fresh, which he doubted it was, he turned slightly in his seat to face the hulking man. "I'd like to have some Suzuki, Ebi and Ikura." The man certainly seemed confident in his cooking, though Rui probably felt it would be better than anything he ate as of late. Shifting his eyes over to Jishin quickly, then back at the chef, he then proceeded to tilt his head downward, in case their were any bright lights that would hit his eyes.

"You want it, you got it." Shukutsu replied as the two stated what they would be having, the man then proceeded to turn and pull two small cups out, filling them with a clear liquid which he then quickly explained, "Coconut water...My partner is insistent that we serve it with all meals..." obviously agitated with his business partner's decision that the customers should be forced to drink something, regardless he turned putting the two clear glasses on the other side of the bar. Jishin quickly picked up the drink taking a small sip, she personally liked it, certainly an acquired taste, extremely sweet.

The stocky man then went on with his job, slicing the various seafood(s), leaving Jishin and Rui to be about their business. Jishin glanced over to her conversational mate and began to open conversation, "I take it you're not from here?", she assumed as she hadn't really seen much of the boy, and for the most part she knew of most of her fellow Shinobi.

Coconut water. He hated it. Staring at the glass in hopes that maybe it would be scared off, Rui continued to stare at it. He could never really stand the taste of coconut water. Having drank it once or twice before, he swore to stay off of it by any means possible. Since the glass didn't seem to be vanishing, a hopeless effort on Rui's part, he decided to ignore it instead of speaking.

Once he was alone with Jishin, as the chef had disappeared to the kitchen to prepare the meal for the two, it wasn't long before Jishin spoke up. "You're correct. I arrived in Kumogakure no Sato about 3 years ago, I think." That much information would easily be found out through talks with other villagers. Most knew when his appearance came about, though the clan name he had was the force the drove them away. Deciding there was no harm in disclosing more information, he decided to tell Jishin about his origins, something only a few high ranking people in Kumo knew of. "I was born in a small village in Hi no Kuni."

Jishin listened intently as Rui divulged information about himself, how he had recently found himself in Kumogakure, and more interestingly how he had been born in Fire country..."Fire country, hm. Must be difficult to be away from your people, but then again they are known to be rather nomadic." She wondered how someone could live away from their people, the very thought of such a thing was horrifying to her, to have that safety net taken away. Taking another sip of the rather abstruse beverage she vocalized her thoughts, "I certainly wouldn't be able to cope without my people, having those who at least attempt to understand your being." it hadn't really occurred to her that he could have moved to the Land of Lightning with his parents, such a thing was so unlikely that it wasn't really worth asking if he did. Chances were, he had not.

Sitting quietly she thought of asking why he had moved from his previous home, never one for prancing about a question she directly dove into the subject, "So, what brought you here?" she cared little if her question seemed intrusive, it was the way she was. Probably wasn't going to change anytime soon. As far as the question's answer she felt as if she already knew why; the townsfolk of his 'small village' probably got a superstitious hair up their ass and forced his people out, or something like that. Still, she hoped to be pleasantly surprised by why the boy had left.

The wait for the food, especially with hunger, seemed longer than it would normally be, though Rui knew he'd have to wait before he could calm his stomach. As he listened to Jishin talk he tried to surpress his thoughts about his family, the one he once had. Now, it was just him in a place where it should be home, but it would never take that place. Growing up in a shinonbi village may have been a better alternative for his parents, but the glares would still be there. There would be nothing that could change that.

When she had asked about why he was here in Kumogakure the answer was simple. Simple, yet at the same time difficult to say out loud. It was his choice if he wanted to delve further in to the matter, but seeing as how he had just recently met Jishin, he could not bring himself to disclose why he was here. Besides, there would be nothing that would come out of it even if he were to tell her. "Let's just say it was the best option available at the time." The tone of his voice certainly stated how he felt about the matter. Besides, what he had said was the truth, just not the entirety of it.

It seemed obvious that Rui didn't wish to expound upon why he had left other than to say that he made the best decision he could have at the time "Fair enough." she stated, wrapping both hands around her glass. Thinking of her next question she was pleasantly surprised to see Shukutsu returning with the various slices of protein, shrimp, sea-bass, salmon, octopus, Amberjack, along with a bit of mackerel. Each of the individual foods had been arranged into different patterns, the Amberjack had been shaped to a rose, the salmon into the shop's signature Lycaste orchid. They were all absolutely beautiful, was almost a shame that they were going to be eaten. Shukutsu placed the various plates, each of which housed an individual, gleaming with pride "Beautiful to all the senses." he proclaimed awaiting for the two to begin eating.

Jishin immediately went for the Ebi, which was as per usual quite delicious, "Amazingly well done." she declared to Shukutsu's great joy. His eyes then moved to Rui, hoping the newcomer would appreciate the meal as much as Jishin did. Jishin was far too busy consuming a mass amount of Ebi to realize that Shukutsu had said anything else. Between shoveling food and drink into her gullet she managed to ask Rui another question, "People around here haven't been treating you too badly? -- They mostly avoid my kind out of fear now, we don't really get fucked with anymore." her eyes yet to move away from the delicious meal she was taking in.