For Want of Woodworking

[Tsedas]

The workshop was dimly light, the darkened atmosphere made it easier for the man within to focus on his work. To anyone aside from him, the humanoid looking limbs hanging from the ceiling on racks and from strewn about shelves and a workbench would be a bit unnerving but this was what the man did most days. Today however he was sculpting something else. His hands were busy at work using a chisel on a block of wood. Against the grains where clear markings of a pencil showing the outline of what he sought to create. From every angle it looked like he was making a wooden head of some kind.

Setting his wood chisel against the wood, Ryousei Genkaku raised a small hammer and started tapping away at the rounded end of the chisel's handle. Every tap carved away a piece of wood, leaving a curled flake to be cast off upon the workbench of floor. As he continued this process, time passed like it always does. When he released the breath he'd apparently been holding, Genkaku set the tools down and raised the wooden project up to examine his progress. His initial lines were no longer present but the general shape of the head was beginning to take hold. Giving a soft humph of satisfaction, he set the head in the making down and stood up to stretch his legs and back.

After grunting loudly from the tightness in his back finally relenting, he walked over to the far side of the workshop where a table and some kind of box sat. Opening it up, he pulled out a dried block of noodles and started getting the wood stove burning. As he let the heat build, he walked over and grabbed side of the curtains near the little table and stove set up, pulling it to one side and letting daylight in. He squinted hard against the harsh sunlight now breaking his dimly light mancave and unlocked the window. Sliding it open, he let some fresh air in and took a deep breath.

Glancing at the shelf next to the window, he saw a little wooden figure of a desert hare he'd completed a short while back and it made him think back to a trip he took into town. He recalled a young woman he'd met there and how he was planning to teach her wood working yet she hadn't swung by his shop. The memory made him smile as he recalled how bizarre it was to journey into the market and leave with more than he'd bargained for. Looking over to the stove, he could see his water was about to boil and started making his way over to it, not expecting that he might have company soon.

[Kabu]

Koyuki hadn't forgotten the promise that had been made that day in the market but a lot had happened of late. She had been growing used to her status as a Jinchuuriki and hadn't really had any time to herself. Today however was different, she finally had a moment to relax. Mei had gone back to Iwa for the day to visit her family, having finally felt it safe to leave her on her own. The woman had however made her promise to not strain herself and to keep her emotions in check... It was honestly a confusing request, doubly so as she had been rather insistent, but she had readily agreed nonetheless. Mei would after all know better than she did and she was more than happy for any excuse to take it easy and relax.

With that in mind there was one particular activity that would be more than safe. It was finally time for her to learn the fine art of woodcrafting. To that end she had looked up the man's address and headed out on her way.

Hmph, we have a break from that woman and this is what you choose to spend your time on. I could make anything much better than you could create with your own hands. And yet instead you waste your time on frivolity rather than making use of the powers that I so graciously granted. Janesisu complained from within her mind, the Jinchuuriki rolling her eyes in response. She wasn't sure why but the Genma had been in a foul mood all day.

If I want to have a chance of mastering your powers I need to learn the basics. Koyuki mentally responded, wrinkling her nose as she did. She had only recently learned how to communicate with the Genma like this and it never really felt any less weird than the first time.

Distracted as she was by the mental conversation she almost missed her destination, the girl stopping only as she caught sight of an open window, the man she was looking for on the other side.

"Hey... Gen! It took a while but I'm finally here to take you up on your offer!" she called out, leaning her head into the window as she did. She could only hope that he realized she had been talking to him... Both because he seemed rather busy and the fact that she had used a shortened version of his name. She had always been bad at remembering people's full names and things like this were her compromise.. Who knew though if he would actually notice her.

[Tsedas]

The sound of a voice made the man's back straighten and shoulder's stiffen as he dropped the dried block of noodles into the water with a bigger splash than he would have liked. Hissing from the contact of boiling water droplets against skin, he hopped away from the stove before shaking his hands. Turning his head, he looked to the interloper that had just poked their head in his window. As he turned, Koyuki would see the man sans his mask from last time. Darker skinned with hair styled up like before but his facial features were now there for her to behold. A chiseled jawline and beady green eyes stared back at her as he blew on his hands.

It took him a moment before shifting a hand and pointing a finger at her. "Koyuki, right? Here I was thinking the desire to learn woodworking was all talk." He started, an amused smile pulling at the corner of his mouth before his focused turned back to the pot on the stove. The noodles were bathed in bubbly hot water and would be fine for a moment. Shifting his focus back to Koyuki, he gestured to the direction of the door. "The door is unlocked if you'd like to use that instead of finishing the climb through the window. I was about to have some ramen for lunch if you wanna join me."

Turning back to the stove, Genkaku rolled his sleeves up before grabbing the knife that was present in his little kitchenette set up and taking the blade to some green onions. He was clearly prepping toppings for the ramen. As he focused on that, he waited to hear Koyuki stepping through his workshop before speaking again. "I would ask that you leave the puppet limbs alone if at all possible, they are loaded and primed for combat so there are things that could spring out if you aren't careful."

[Kabu]

Koyuki blinked as Genkaku turned his head, finally catching sight of the face beneath the mask. He didn't seem particularly disfigured or exceptionally attractive or even ugly. So why had he hidden his face when out in public? Maybe he just couldn't let his appearance be known in public? There were any number of conclusions she could have come to... Luckily before she could get too lost in her thoughts she heard the Genma scoff in her mind, breaking her out of it.

She walked in through the door she had been directed towards, marveling at the place as she entered. She hadn't gotten a good look from outside but now she could see that there were various parts and whatnot strewn about... It wasn't quite a mess as it was organized well enough but she wasn't sure of what else to call it. Did all puppeteers have a workspace like this? She couldn't quite imagine it as, despite appearances, she had always had been the cleanly sort. Everything had its proper place where it needed to be at all times... It was one of the few habits she had that Mei and even Janesisu applauded her on.

"Does this place always look like this? Is this how it is for all puppeteers?" she vocalized her thoughts, another thought coming to mind as she did. "And is it safe to be cooking in a place like this? There's so much flammable material and dangerous weaponry..." As she spoke she caught sight of the hare from the other day sitting on a shelf, smiling as she approached.

"Hello there again. You're just as cute as ever." she very quietly whispered, reaching out as if to pet the little wooden figure. It truly was quite adorable and she wanted nothing more than to be able to make him a friend. Of course she did have other reasons for wanting to learn about crafting but having a tangible goal had always helped to keep her focused on the task at hand.

[Tsedas]

Genkaku finished prepping his green onion before hearing the door open. Glancing back at the other person, he took a moment to watch them walk through his work shop. Koyuki marveled at his life's work and seemed to take it all in before asking if all puppeteers had places like this. "The workshop tends to be a bit darker actually. I block out all light save my work bench so I can separate myself from the world around me and focus. When I take breaks like I am now, I typically open the window and blinds so some light and fresh air can come in." Gesturing to the hanging puppet limbs, bodies, and prototypes, he examined his handiwork. "I tend to hang them like this so they don't clutter the floor, walls, or shelves as much. Also helps to categorize them a little bit. But that one," Genkaku pointed to a puppet hanging front and center, it's body shrouded by a maroon cloak but two large metal arms hung out from underneath of it. It's head holding a swept back style of black hair that was held back by a sash around it's head. The puppet itself had some semblance of human traits but hanging limply as if waiting to be called to task once more. "That is Sabimaru, my one true working puppet. Everything else here is a prototype leading up to him and his improvements I've made over the years. However I'm in the process of making a new type of puppet."

With that last statement made, he pointed over at the work bench where a sizeable head was being created from wood. Turning back to the kitchenette, Genkaku grabbed a pair of bowls before prepping them with seasonings that went with the ramen and pouring some hot water into them. Giving them a mix, he made the quick soup stock before dispensing the noodles between both bowls. Adding half a soft boiled egg that had been marinated in a sauce to give the egg white a dark color, some green onion, and lastly some niku miso(ground meat fried with a paste made of ginger, miso, soy sauce, and mirin). Taking up both bowls, he walked over to the table and set them down, one in front of the sole chair at the table and one on the other side where nothing to sit on was located.

Looking over to Koyuki, he saw he admiring the rabbit on the shelf next to the window. He took a moment to look her over as he walked around to the other side of the table, his head turning to look at Sabimaru. He pondered using the puppet but opted against his favorite being treated in such a fashion. Shifting a hand out, his finger tips glowed with chakra as visible glowing threads weaved through the air. As they extended out, they touch a puppet that lacked only it's head. The construct jittered for a moment before it was freed from it's holster and dropped to the ground, landing on it's feet. Making the puppet walk over, he made it get down on hands and knees before stepping over it and taking a seat at the table. Looking to Koyuki, he motioned to the chair opposite him. "Please, sit. Join me for a bite and we can talk to figure out where you wanted to go with your time here."

Reaching out, Genkaku pulled a pair of chopsticks from a container resting on the middle of the table and picked up his bowl of ramen.

[Kabu]

As Genkaku spoke she could only be impressed by the sights around her. Now that she had had a chance to take a better look, it was a little messy but she was glad to know that he knew how to keep an organized work space. "I admit, I had been mentally prepared for the place to be more of a mess. Despite appearances I can be something of a neat freak and had been ready for the worst." Koyuki admitted as she turned to join Genkaku at the table.

"I haven't really put a lot of thought into what exactly I want to learn. I'm honestly not really sure what all there is to learn." She made her second admittance of the day as she took her seat, looking towards the headless puppet all the while. It was a tad bit unsettling to see something without a head moving around but she had seen stranger things in her time... She herself was one of those stranger things. It honestly made her feel a bit guilty about keeping secrets from everyone she knew but the dangers of carelessly revealing her status had been made very clear to her.

WIth that said she reached for her bowl, her lips pursed thoughtfully as she looked around the room. She did very much want to learn woodworking, that was true, but where to start? She wished that she had thought more about this on the way here but her mind had been preoccupied by... other things.

It was then that her gaze once more landed on the wooden rabbit. "How difficult would it be to learn to make something like that rabbit?" she suddenly spoke, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

[Tsedas]

Koyuki's words about the shop and it's current state surpassing her expectations and her own inclination to keep things neat and orderly almost had the man stop dipping his chopsticks into his bowl of ramen as he blinked. Looking back over the shop, he knew it was a little dusty and the hanging puppet frames gave a sense of disorganization to the untrained eye, but he'd been in his fair share of puppeteer workshops and this was probably one of the neatest ones in Suna by his recollection. Still, he resigned himself to take her words as a compliment as he dipped his chopsticks into the bowl of ramen and pulled out a bundle of noodles.

As she joined him, Genkaku blew on the noodles he brought up to his mouth before putting them past his lips. Giving a soft slurp, he sucked the noodles away as he listened to her while chewing. Her facial expression as she took up the bowl almost had him worried he'd made a mistake in the preparation of the ramen or perhaps she wasn't a fan of meat? But when her eyes turned back to the carving of the wild desert hare, he glanced over at it and realized it wasn't about the ramen but her own indecisiveness. Swallowing his noodles as she asked her question. Genkaku set the bowl down before placing the chopsticks across the top of the bowl. Shifting a few fingers, he locked the puppets joints in place before the strings danced through the air and attached to the hare.

Pulling it through the air, it practically pranced over to the table before landing with a soft thunk upon the wooden surface. "Examine the rabbit, tell me what you think might be required to convey such detail, both in terms of tools and technique. A discerning eye is a remarkable skill for shinobi and craftsman alike." He gave a coy little smile before taking up his bowl and chopsticks once more. Plucking up his half of that marinated egg before depositing it into his mouth and chewing. The soft, springy texture of the egg, the savory umami of the soy sauce, and creamy flavor all mingling perfectly in his mouth with the after taste of the broth from the noodles he'd finished chewing a moment ago. He let himself enjoy the morsel in his mouth for a bit as he waited to see what Koyuki could glean from the carving.

[Kabu]

"Hmm?" Koyuki tilted her head as she looked over the rabbit, question marks practically floating around her. What exactly was she supposed to be looking for? "Honestly, I don't know what kind of answer I'm supposed to give. It definitely seems like it requires a steady hand and an eye for precision but that seems like such an obvious answer." she honestly spoke, turning her attention towards her rapidly sogging noodles. She did wish that she could have given a proper answer but she truly had no idea where to even begin.

For a moment she ate in silence, savoring each bite. It wasn't often that she ate food like this but in a way having someone else prepare food for her was almost nostalgic... Which brought some other things to mind...

"I remember when I was younger Dad told me that craftsmen had to be nimble with their fingers and able to keep a cool head over mistakes. I had just begun to learn to cook at the time and he told me that the skillsets required would actually be quite similar in a lot of ways." she suddenly spoke, recalling a childhood memory. "He crafted my bo staff by hand. It was a miracle watching him work, he seemed so cool " She couldn't help but smile frondly as she recalled the moment. It wasn't really fully relevant to the current situation but the atmosphere had brought those memories to the forefront of her mind.

[Tsedas]

The rabbit stared at Koyuki with it's big eyes when she examined it. Lines of muscles carved careful in parts of it's body where skin pulled tight. Small marks peppered across the statuette to show detail of individual hair upon the creature. Careful lines and meticulus carving went into the shaping of the tiny thing before she turned to her noodles. Genkaku tended to his own noodles as he gave her a moment to eat before things became too soggy to properly enjoy. As he chewed, he formulated his next words and before he could swallow to speak there were words gracing his ears once more.

Swallowing his mouthful, he listened to her recant the tale of her father, a smile gracing her features. Setting his bowl down again, chopsticks laid across the rim, his hand reached out and took up the figure of the desert hare. Looking it over, he examined his own handiwork. Like many people indulging in the creative process, he was his biggest critic and could see flaws within the carving, even his own mistakes from the creation process. Untrained eyes might miss these things, but that was not the concern in that moment. Looking at it, he held the statuette between them before his other hand reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "It's also important not to overthink it sometimes." As he said this, Genkaku held up a simple pencil with the statue. "Sometimes all it takes to see the beauty in a block of wood is imagination and a pencil. I started with little more than a simple knife and a pencil when I was a boy, everything I learned was learned through doing."

Setting the pencil and hare down before Koyuki on the table, Genkaku picked up his bowl and slurped some of the broth before lowering it down. "But you are right. A steady hand and eye for precision are what were used in the creation of the rabbit. The pencil marked out the framework of the rabbit on the block of wood and a chisel was used to remove larger sections carefully while also whittling it down with a knife. Your first goal should be the shape of the thing you wish to carve. Once you have the shape then you can sweat the details." As he stated this, Genkaku took a moment to eat more of his noodles and their toppings before only broth was left in his bowl.

"But I will say this, your Father is right. It just took me longer to realize those things when I was younger because of how much of a stubborn idiot I was." His piece said, Genkaku raised the bowl and finished his brother before standing up and taking his bowl to the kitchenette like area. "What do you want to do Koyuki? Do you wish to fill your downtime with busywork for your hands? Do you wish to create things that people will cherish? Or do you merely wish to see if you possess the talent to bring imagination to life?" Rinsing his bowl, Genkaku looked back over at his guest. "There is no wrong answer, art and craft go hand in hand with the heart. If you heart isn't in it, then it will show in your work. The best way to figure out what you want out of this is to simply be honest with yourself. If you make a mistake, you can try again. If you lose passion for a project, set it aside until inspiration strikes again."

Walking over to the table Genkaku stood beside Koyuki as she was seated, his hand reaching out to pick up the rabbit figure once more. "I made this for someone else as a commission. They'll never be able to collect it now... so I want you to have it. This hare can serve as an example."