Go Pound Sand [Aroma Event]

[Kanade]

Kagayaki had been told that she should go and see the seashells by the seashore. She had protested, but nothing that she could do or say could sway her family from sending her to the beach. Unused to water of much quantity, she was more than surprised when she had first set eyes on the great cerulean beast that stretched from horizon to horizon and blotted out the ground as far as the eye could see. Water. So much water that it could have flooded Sunagakure a hundred times over, no, wait a thousand times over stretched out in front of her, rolled over itself spraying salty foam along the shore.

She stood agape for a good long while, just taking in the smells of salt, fish, and the western winds that brought the rolling waves crashing into the shore. Kagayaki found herself in the middle of a belly laugh. If only the Kazekage could see all of this water, she wondered whether or not he would have stood there agape as she had. The mental image had found her funny bone and tickled it sufficiently to make her wipe away remnants of mirthful tears from the corners of her eyes.

She was here to socialize, train, make connections, and learn about somewhere that wasn't Sunagakure no Sato. She found the ocean as bright as the sands of Suna, and so she opted for keeping her head wrapping tightly wound around her head, keeping her hair out of her face as she stretched on the beach. The damp sand clung to her thin white clothes as she took up a yoga pose, praise to the sun it was called, then bent forward to touch her toes. The sand beneath her toes was as hot as it was in Sunagakure, she was so used to walking around barefoot through the streets of Suna that her feet had been heat-calloused since she was a small sand-rat as her father had called her.

She dropped herself into another stretch, bending all the way forward in a front splits she closed her eyes and sighed as she felt the tension release from her inner thighs. She had worked herself up into a nervous fit of tension all the way there, and the exercise on her travel-weary body made her feel almost human again. Next, to the bystanders who were just there to soak up the sun, and to other onlookers, it would seem like she would start a deliberately slow and methodic dance. She moved with practiced slowness. It was called the dance of the sun, as her father had called it, but it was known by other names around the world. It helped with strengthening, breathing, and even endurance if practiced for long enough.

She glimpsed many different forehead protectors as she moved slowly through the next pose, her arms and legs shaking from the effort of the held positions. Gravity was the weight here, and the longer the poses were held, the slower the practitioner moved, the harder it was to move through the entire dance. She wondered, absently, how many villages were represented in this entire event, and whether she would be lost among the throng.

[500/500 words, endurance training.]

[Kao]

Setsuna wasn't sure if she liked this country. It was way warmer than what she was used to, and the sand between her toes wasn't exactly pleasant. She had considered herself decently well traveled before arriving in the paradise that was Aroma Country, but as soon as she saw its shores she realized she was woefully unprepared for the difference in climate. And as she struggled to adjust to the humid air, the chuunin realized that she was not, in fact, well traveled. She had only seen the ins and outs of Rock Country and a couple neighboring countries. The world was enormous, and she had only barely seen a corner of it.

With a sigh she meandered on the beach, her eyes seemingly glued to the churning waves. Her black two piece swimsuit clung to her skin, partially concealed by the flowing black cover-up that was long enough to nearly sweep the surface of the sand. The girl had felt almost naked when she left her hotel room: no weapons pouch, no swords hanging from her hip, no gentle clink clink of any weapon as she walked. It had been uncomfortable enough that after about an hour she had doubled back and grabbed her katana - the only weapon she had brought with her on the trip - and partially unsheathed it, almost as if to make sure it was still there. Still safe. Part of her wanted to carry it with her, but it would have been conspicuous and unnecessary at a resort. So instead she grabbed a parasol, the handle made to look and feel like a katana. It comforted her.

The redhead twirled the parasol as she walked along the beach, doing her best to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Gods forbid anyone try to chat her up when she wasn't exactly in the mood to socialize. Every so often she noticed people who were clearly shinobi, and she tried not to sneer whenever she came near those who weren't from either Iwa or Kiri. Setsuna wore no forehead protector, but the hem of her coverup was embroidered with golden symbols of Iwagakure. Subtle, but noticeable if anyone bothered to look.

"Watch out!"

Before she had time to react, a huge male body barreled her over, sending her sprawling onto her side in the sand. The girl screamed beside herself, though she luckily avoided getting a mouthful of sand. The guy fussed over her, asking repeatedly if she was okay. Setsuna pushed him away and snapped, "I'm fine!", but in doing so she shoved him directly onto someone else. The chuunin didn't realize how close she had been to falling on top of some girl who had been doing stretches on the beach. The guy started to check on the other girl, but Setsuna shooed him away. "It's fine it's fine, just go!"

With the guy finally gone Setsuna was able to stand up, and she struggled to wipe away the damp sand that had gotten all over her. She looked over to the girl, her blue-violet eyes shining with annoyance. "Sorry about that. Are you alright?"