Reag rubbed his head as he slowly rose from his bed. Looking out the window, the Konoha wire user noted that there was still light streaming in from his closed blinds, indicating that he had woken far too early. Normally, the nocturnal shinobi wouldn’t be caught dead being seen awake before at least seven PM, but something about the arid climate of Suna had messed with his internal clock. With a barely contained sign, the leaf ninja looked to his right, spying his alarm clock. It was four in the afternoon, fair too early. It was too late to go back to sleep now. The young genin was left with no choice but to get up and start his day.

Being in a foreign village, the wire user didn’t think it prudent to leave his hotel room unarmed. At the same time, it would be equally foolish to walk around a foreign village visibly armed to the teeth. Reag would have to strike a compromise in order to move freely within Suna. Moving over to his bags, the Genin pulled out his wire gloves and hidden blade. Carefully, he attached his hidden dagger to his left wrist, just in case of emergency, while attaching his pepper spray to the right. He left his Kopis in the bag, as he had no way to carry it around without drawing significant attention. Random visitors didn’t normally walk around with large curved swords, and Reag wanted to avoid any undo notice from the people around him.

The Konoha shinobi continued to gear himself up for a short trip outside. He started with his reenforced wardrobe, just in case. More than once, his armored cloths had helped him out of a sticky situation. The young wire user honestly believed it to be one of his best purchases to date. Next up was his mask. Reag fondly thought back to when he won it at the most bizarre festival he had ever attended. There was something about it that he just really liked, and it had become part of his identity. Carefully, he positioned it to cover his neck, leaving most of his face exposed. Sure, he might look a little weird, but there was no reason to actually wear his trusty mask, unless something went horribly wrong.

Nodding to himself in the mirror, Reag walked to the hotel room door. With a casual grace not seen often in ninjas, he opened the door, and stepped out into the desert heat. Immediately, he regretted leaving his room with a bulky jacket on. Turning around, he moved back inside, took off his armored jacket, and returned to the outside. Now all he had on his torso was his long sleeve shirt, still covering his three hidden weapons. This was considerably more comfortable, though less durable. If the young shinobi was stabbed, it would now become a major problem. Still, the leaf ninja felt that the chances of any real combat happening where very minimal, so his hasty decision to travel light probably wouldn’t lead to any problems.

Making his way to the bizarre, Reag took in the sites around him. He felt like he had walked into one of the fantasy books he was fond of. All around him, stalls sold their products, hiring criers to try and attract the most customers. It was hell of an amusing to watch, if a bit loud. Momentarily, the young shinobi wished he had brought a camera, to capture the bizarre sites before him. He knew that the people back home wouldn't have believed that he walked right into 'One Thousand and One Sunisian Nights'. The only thing that was missing was the appearance of a djinn or two to complete the picture before him. Hell, one of the stalls was trying to pawn off fake golden lamps, claiming them to be genuine reproductions of the legendary one.

After an hour of wandering through the grand bazaar, Reag felt it was time for a break. Looking around, he spotted a local restaurant. As far as he could tell, not a single shinobi visited the establishment, testifying to its authenticity. Most places that catered to Shinobis tended to be very cosmopolitan, watering down the true ethnic flavors for safer varieties. Pushing the door open, Reag entered the coffee house, and took a seat. A considerable number of eyes watched him suspiciously, but all of them lacked hostility. Within the minute, a waitress placed a copper coffee pot on his table, along with a small glass. The Genin poured himself a glass of the pitch black drink before inspecting the table before him.

There was an unusual design etched into the table, resembling a board game, along with a felt lined slot filled with small white and brown disks. After a moment of mental searching, Reag came to the conclusion that it was a 'Sheshbesh' (Batgammon) table, a game often played while drinking coffee, smoking Shisha, and relaxing in the shade. Taking a sip of the black brew, the young Genin shuddered. He could taste the cinnamon and cardamon in the coffee fairly well, but those tastes where heavily overpowered by the strong bitterness of the brew. It was far stronger than anything he had ever drunk before.

It was at this point that one of the waitresses screamed. Quickly turning his head, he noted an old man threatening the hostess with a small dagger. Reag's mind races, going through several possibilities, till it eventually settled into assuming the knife wielding elder was robbing the place. In a flash, he channeled chakra into his wires, bringing them to life. He snaked one of his threads to the ceiling, making a pulley, before moving it back down towards the ground. Another pulley was made, before the wire curled around the old man's foot. With a pull, he knocked the bandit off his feat, sending his head crashing into the ground. Hard. The threat was neutralized. Reag recalled his wires, paid for his drink, and left. So much for not drawing attention to himself.

WC: 1018