From World Wide

[King of Cats]

The day had finally come for the families big journey. Shiroyasha would be attending an important meeting in Hiruwatu, a small town in Fire Country. The Awai clan had invested in a local fireworks maker and they had picked Hiruwatu as their base. The clan expected Mikoto, Shiroyasha's mother, to go to the shop that was being built and assess the owners business. Mikoto wasn't any professional and the Awai clan was strictly doing it as a formality so that meant the mixed family would be going on vacation. Shikayasha, Shiroyasha's dad, worked with his wife on a ninja team so he was free but their son Shiro had to take some time off for the venture.

Happy to be traveling with his mother and father instead of chasing cats out of trees Shiroyasha left the village with his parents Shika and Mikoto. They had a three day's journey and were expecting to arrive in Hiruwatu before night time. The first day went smoothly like it always does. With dry, clean clothes Shiroyasha was comfortable and breezed through Fire Countries forests with his mother and father at the lead. The second day wasn't so smooth. It rained and the family had to take shelter in a make shift hut. Shiroyasha was officially not having fun, but the rest of the journey went smooth for him and with a little hard work the gang arrived on time.

Their first day in the town of Hiruwatu was spent looking over the Awai clan members shop. It had an apartment above it and wel built quite nicely. While Shiroyasha stood with his father his mother talked to the shopkeep about his plans to sell fireworks. The two of them were really talking it up and Shiro was just standing there in silence with his father. Shikayasha was typically quiet so the silence was nothing new between the father and son. As Shiroyasha stood by the sidewalk with his dad he looked over his dads shoulder and saw the visage of someone walking through the town. Curious Shiroyasha lifted his hand to his brow to cover the sunlight and squinted his eyes. He was peering off into the distance trying to see just who he was looking at.

[Arantima]

Bastian had gotten through the borders of fire country by luck more than guile or skill... He was stopped by a patrol and questioned about his lone traveling. A Lone traveler with no equipment and no seeming means of defending himself was suspicious enough in this world of Ninja... But the markings on his arms and abnormally colored eyes were what had gotten him detained. It had taken him some time to explain why he traveled alone and that he was from the land of runes. He likewise explained that he was coming to the land of Fire to try and become a Smith for hire or even maybe one day open his own shop. The proof was when he helped repair one of the guards' spears, the head of which had become loose in his last conflict.

He had since made his way from small village to small village, buying lodging and meals by providing basic repairs and smithing services to the local village folk who needed the help but either couldn't normally afford it or did not have a smith readily available to them. The way he was making was not the most pleasant, but he had endured much worse. He had come upon a town by the name of Hiruwatu, it was a bit larger than the smaller places he had been thus far and found some actual places of business where he might offer his skills for longer-term employment and he was likewise surprised to find that it was bustling enough that he might hide here among the crowds, at least in the more active areas of the town.

He had been asking around at the more traditional places where his smithing experience might help, Farriers and Barrel makers that needed iron bands by the cart full, none had accepted his help as his being foreign was screaming off of his appearance even before he spoke and they were not willing to extend their business to a foreigner who they had literally just met, which to Bastian made sense so he just nodded kindly and moved from one place to the next. He had heard that there was a Fireworks merchant in the town and he thought that he might be able to provide his metallurgy experience to them to help make mortars for the launching and for his heat control experience for helping create the Potassium compound needed for the gunpowder.

The street he was walking down was not very busy but it was shaded enough that he kept to the shadows, He stopped about 30 feet away from the Fireworks store as he saw some people out front of it conversing. He started to move slowly towards the people out front, hefting his small traveling bag over his shoulder before he stopped again, his bright turquiose eyes fell on the boy who seemed to be looking right at him. He stopped mid-stride and stared at Shiroyasha for far longer than would be comfortable which may only be 10 or so seconds but still longer than anyone should.. But it wasn't his face that Bastian was staring at it was the Ninja headband he had hanging from his waist that Bastian was glued to as he shuffled a foot along the floor backwards.. Not quite able to take a full step back it seemed.

[King of Cats]

As the man came into focus it appeared he was carrying a small traveling band. What was most curious of course the mans bright turquoise colored eyes. They seemed to glow and Shiroyasha quickly found himself looking at the man right in the eyes. Shiroyasha was no judge but it seemed to him that the man was of the adventuring sort. He looked like he had been some places, seen some things though those turquoise eyes. Shiroyasha wondered what his story was and as he stared at him for just a moment longer than normal he waved the man over to him and his dad.

Shikayasha said to his son as he turned around and recognized what was going on. "You plan on making friends with a weary traveler or somethin'?" Shika wasn't a people person and walked away. He planned on going to the Awai clan house in Hiruwatu and waiting for his wife. He didn't have any business in the village but enjoying the peace and quiet was right up his alley. Shikyasha walked off.

Standing there Shiroyasha was waiting for the man to get within talking distance. He had noticed the man was looking at his ninja headband, a formal tradition of ninja. Shiroyasha wondered if the man was a ninja.

[Arantima]

Bastian watched as the Taller man went inside the building and stopped his shuffle backwards away from Shiro. He was still wide eyed but lowered his bag to hang lightly at his side instead of over his shoulder. Bastian rolled his shoulders nervously, which would seem strange that a teenaged boy would be able to intimidate a full grown adult, but Shiro had a ninja band.. and Bastian knew that meant this boy was trained in strange skills.

"Hello there boy.. Am I in.. No, this couldnt be a Hidden village for me to have stumbled on it. What brings a Shinobi so far out? There isnt any trouble in the area is there?" His tone was level and calm but it was easy to tell that by the way he was tensing his shoulders and had tried shuffling back away a moment ago that Bastian was nervous about something.

Bastian looked back towards the building and then back at Shiro and inclined his head towards the building in a simple gesture. "I am Bastian.. A smith of small skill looking for work, and was told that this is a Fireworks shop.. Do you know if they would be looking to hire someone skilled with making gunpowder or making mortar tubes for launching?" There was nothing too strange about the asking of that but it was strange that Bastians eyes had never once left the band that hung from Shros belt, as if he was afraid it would explode or leap out to try and eat him at any moment.

As he stared at Shiro his posture changed a bit and the sunlight finally hit one of the rune tatoos visible on his arms.. and it shone a different way than a regular tattoo, the glint was hinted with a slight turquiose tint to it which on a black background was quite stark of a reflection color and couldnt be made with any regular ink.

[King of Cats]

Watching Bastion roll his shoulders back Shiroyasha noted that he was in fine physical shape. He was much bulkier than Shiroyasha was and wore less clothing too. Shiroyasha was a bit jealous, he always wished to be growing into a thick, burly, muscular body but that just wasn't the case. Shiroyasha was more lanky and toned, not at all big. In fact his toning was mostly superficial from years of excercising his body with ninjutsu. Shiroyasha was in fact not built for close quarters combat, though he was envious of those who were.

Speaking to Bastion Shiroyasha stared him in the eyes despite Bastion's attention directed to the headband he wore on the front of his belt. It was tied tightly to his black slacks near where his package was. Shiroyasha couldn't help but smile when he thought how it might seem to someone watching the conversation, Bastion just staring at his crotch area. It was interesting and for Shiroyasha it was new but he wasn't offended. As a shinobi of Konoha he was taught that travelers saw ninja from Hidden Villages differently than typical civillians or even military members. There was a certain respect for those who properly trained to uphold the shinobi arts, and it seemed this was Bastion's first time meeting someone from Konoha. Shiroyasha found his naivety amusing.

"This is Hiruwatu. A small town not far from Konohagakure. No worries bro, we're just tending to some clan business." Shiroyasha pointed at the shop behind him with his thumb. "The fireworks vendor is an Awai. Hey-" Shiroyasha seemed to cut himself off as he was suddenly overcome with curiosity. "You wanna take a look at it?" Shiroyasha reached down and untied his forehead protector. He was holding it in his hand and extending it out to Bastion.