The Sandsea

[PureWillPower]

Ken was sitting back at his favorite snack shop. He had finally gotten the table in the very back right by the door to the kitchen. The Sansea was like a bar for those not old enough to partake in alcohol yet. It had recently opened and already had a small following fo genin and chuunin. The table hid most of his hweelchair while the Suna Robe made the rest look like to was a regular chair. The shop was filled with few seats open. Most of it genin and Chuunin eams either getting ready for or celebrating a well done mission. Ken was alone in being alone in the shop.

Behind the counter three waitresses in a pink version of the Suna garb hustled preparing drinks and food. The soft scent of sweets and meats drifted from the back. This was why Ken wanted this seat. It was the only table in the shop that could catch the full aroma of the diligent work of the shop owner.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

In order to pass the time she had off, Rubi usually set about exploring the lesser known corners of Suna. So when saw an advertisement for a small cafe called the Sand Sea, she decided to check it out despite its cliche name.

She opened the doors and found it full of genin and chunin. She sighed and turned to leave, hoping to avoid this social disaster waiting to happen... until a most peculiar smell hit her nose. It was an earthy scent with just a hint of kick. "Something tells me I'm gonna regret this," she muttered as she turned back and took one of the few seats left, this one next to a young man around her age sporting a black t-shirt and jeans. She picked up a menu and started scanning through it; though she could certainly do without the potential for social catastrophe, a lot of the things on the menu appealed to her...

[PureWillPower]

Ken looked over at the cute girl who had just taken a seat near him. He grinned as he leaned forward to look at her and catch her attentiton. "First time here?" His smile was just as genuine as her beauty. His arms were folded underneath his chest as he had himself propped up. A glass was set on the table next to him filled with an ice cold fizzy drink. The coloration the same as the sand outside. He offered the waitress a smile as thanks before returning to the Sandsea virgin. "After one or two items on the menu, you have a favorite you just can't get enough of and just order it without looking. I know I do." He leaned back so he didn't make himself as imposing and let her be comfortable. "The Sand Witch. Its four different meats, three different cheses all produced in Sunagakure in a foot long sliced hogie. the Sweet Sauce they top it with makes it all the better."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

"Huh," Rubi exclaimed as she listened to the young man in the t-shirt shoot a barrage of questions and recommendations as soon as she sat down. "I'll say one thing: this place's naming scheme could use some work."

She scanned him out of the corner of her eye. He certainly didn't seem dangerous, and in the end he was just trying to be nice. "There was something with an earthy smell that had a little bit of kick," she responded. "That smelled pretty good. Do you know what dish it might be?"

[PureWillPower]

Ken took a sniff in the air and seemed to hone in on what she was talking about. "The Sandsea. Its their house special." He smiled as he looked back to her and then over to a waitress, raising his hand to get her attention. She gave a sign back she would be there in a moment. He just ndded and returned to her. "I'm Shioya Kenjiro. Most folks just call me Ken or Yu." He smiled and waited for the last part to sink in. "Kind of like 'Hey. Yu.' or 'Why Yu?' I'm a chuunin and Puppeteer."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

(OOC: The single apostrophes are thought bubbles. Just an FYI. She's not actually speaking this first part here.)

Rubi simply sighed as she heard the name for the dish that had tickled her nose. 'Once again, they really need to work on the naming scheme here,' she thought.

She didn't have much time to reside on the fact; the young man in the black t-shirt was trying his darnedest to get to know her... or maybe just get into her pants. She wasn't quite sure at the moment, but she certainly knew one thing: there was a really good chance he'd be walking away empty-handed either way.

Still, it didn't hurt to be polite. "Rubi. Ibara Rubi," she replied, nodding her head slightly while trying to forget his oh-so-corny joke. Hopefully that would be the only one; otherwise, this was gonna be a long night...

[PureWillPower]

Ken just smiled, leaning back, placing his left hand over his heart and stretching his right hand forward in a dramatic theater style pose. At the same time one of the waitresses walked up to the table. "I have found a Rubi in the desert. There is no treasure as great as the one before me." this was met with a subsequent smack from the waitress's notepad to his arm and a giggle.

the waitress looked over to Rubi. "don't mind this guy. I beleive he is genuinly Sunagakure's Biggest. flirt. All bark and no bite though." She held up her notepad and took out a pen. "I'm Crystal what can I get for you today hun?"

From the other side of the tabel Ken went back into the dramatic pose. Only this time he got two towels thrown in his face from the bar. Amber and Jewel were staring at him with a smile.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

(OOC: Interesting naming scheme for the waitresses. Wonder where you got that from...? )

Rubi simply nodded her head at Crystal. "Indeed. His demeanor made that obvious enough," she noted, shaking her head in an attempt to hold back a grin that tried to form on her face. Kenjiro's second attempt with his pose ended with him being promoted to the position of towel rack.

She closed the menu and handed it to Crystal. "I guess I'll have the Sandsea," she answered. "And get me one of those fizzy drinks, please. They seem to be a pleasant change from tea; I've been drinking the stuff non-stop as of late."

Rubi pivoted herself in the chair to face him; she figured a conversation would keep her mind from counting the seconds it took for her meal to arrive. "So, what's your story?" she asked, leaning her head against her palm.

[PureWillPower]

Ken sat back in his chair and went into a meditative state as he pondered that question. What is his story? He knew precisly what she meant but it probably wasn't the best as an icebreaker. He was never one to make people feel sorry for him. He opened his eyes and looked at her. A long sigh came just before he smiled. "Well you could say my story is one of a handsome dashing warrior who faces countless perils. fighting the horrid sandworms of the Eastern Dunes, to the bandits of the Southern Shores, All in the grand quest to rescue the fair maiden from the villian's fortress." His entire form was without a hint of joking or posturing. It was a sincere feeling he had. The genuine article of a desire and life's goal blooming into a lotus of work, sweat and tears from his countless hours of study and practice.

While he sat there reflecting in his mind how cool that sounded, especially being honest and unprepared, Amber came over and sat down her drink. She whispered to the girl. "Thanks for keeping him quite. Meals on the house." she gave her a wink and hurried back behind the counter before Ken oppened his eyes to look at Rubi again.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

'A handsome dashing warrior? If he weren't being so serious, I'd think he was a douchebag,' she pondered. 'Still, it seems like he's hiding something; he probably wouldn't be speaking in riddles and limericks otherwise.'

Rubi was busy trying to determine the reasons behind his unusual response, so she didn't see Amber approach with her meal. She was also surprised to find that her meal was free; her eyes widened, not expecting such a gesture at all. "Um, yeah. Not a problem," she responded, unsure as to how to react. "And thank you."

She turned back to Kenjiro, dropping all facades. "So I see that life's given you a less than pleasant hand. It's not that I wanna burst your bubble, but the way you speak in riddles makes it easy to tell there's something you don't wanna talk about."

[PureWillPower]

Ken looked directly at her and raised an eyebrow. "Riddles? I'm being honest. One mission had me fighting a sandworm over in the Eastern Dunes. While collecting Saltwater for a puppetry experiment I was ambushed by some bandits." He then unfolded his arms resting them to his sides on the wheel chairarms. "The maiden in the fortress is a dream of mine though." As he looked down to his glass to grab it, he noticed the definitive puppet line across her elbow. He then looked back up to her. "Prostetic arm?"

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

She took a sip of the fizzy drink, not really knowing what to expect... and she pulled back, eyes widened in surprise. 'This is pretty good,' she thought, admitting that it surpassed her original expectations. 'I might need to come here more often.'

She took a look at her hand when Kenjiro mentioned her prosthetic. She slipped the white glove off, showing her wooden palm for a moment. "I was born without a left arm. Birth defect," she explained nonchalantly, hoping to shove off the customary unease she felt whenever people noticed her arm.

She slowly slipped the glove back on as she attempted to change the subject. "Sandworms, huh? I've heard about them; I've been told they're pretty fierce. How'd that work out for you?" she asked, cupping her hands around her drink as she looked right at him.

[PureWillPower]

Ken smiled when she showed her prostetic arm without the glove. It was actually nice to know that the Ruby had an imperfection. When she brought the sandworms back up, he slipped his cloak off the back of his chair and rolled back a bit to give a pinpoint 360 degree turn to show off the wheels. "They are Nasty, but when you leave tracks like the, have a strong armor, and fire cannon's at them relentlessly, almost anything will die." Landing his front wheels back down he rolled up to the table again and repositioned the arms just under the lip, he furled his cape behind him letting the wall help him drape it back over.

Just about that time, Crystal brought thier orders out. The footlong sandwhich was cut in half and stuffed to the gills with meat and melted cheese, The hearty tomato sauce peeking from underneath the toasted roll made it all the more delectable. Her order had arrived as well. [Your choice]

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi's eyes widened in surprise as Kenjiro swept his coat aside and revealed the wheels on his chair. 'A wheelchair...' she realized, a bit shocked even though her face didn't show it. 'So he knows what it's like too...'

She nodded in thanks as Crystal placed a large sandwich filled with spiced beef and a heavy onion sauce was placed before her. "You know all the women here by name," Rubi noted as she picked up the sandwich with her hands, taking off her glove before dining. "You must come here a lot, huh?"

She experienced the second biggest shock that day as she bit down. 'This... is really good...' she admitted mentally.

[PureWillPower]

Ken picked up half of his and took a bite at the same time she did. After ken swallowed he grinned. "I'm here about every other day, usually stuck at the window. This table is the most popular and I had to camp out to get this one. The others sat at other tables because they came with groups of four." He wiped a bit of the tomato sauce from the side of his lips. "Beautiful women, the best food in the world. They only thing better would be if they were in cosplay."

His smile and eyes were almost child like talking about this place. It was like a kid with a new toy. Or watching his favorite hero on stage. his eyes then went back to Rubi and smiled. "I know. how about you and me come back on a date?"

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi bit into her meal with a bit more gusto; needless to say she was enjoying herself. When the mention of a date came up, she stopped midchew. Her eyes widened as she blushed slightly in embarrasment. 'A date? With me?' she realized, unsure of how to react.

After a few moments of silence, she placed her sandwich down and wiped her lips with a napkin. Trying to register what just happened, she simply turned to him and said "Really?"

In reality, there was no other manner in which to express her surprise...

[PureWillPower]

Ken nodded. "yeah I would love to take a beautiful woman like you out. And at least I know that you like the food here."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

For a moment, Rubi locked eyes with Kenjiro. 'This has to be a trick,' she thougt cautiously. 'I may not have the best social aptitude, but people don't ask me to do things with them unless they want something else. Look for his tell, Rubi; it's there somewhere...'

Rubi searched for the answer in his eyes. Though it took but a moment, those few seconds seemed to stretch on. She looked and looked... and found nothing. Absolutely nothing. She finally turned back to her meal. "If you want to... I guess I could join you," she answered.

The back of her mind was still working furiously. 'Keep your guard up,' she reminded herself, attempting to regain her composure. 'Wait for him to show if he's being real.'

[PureWillPower]

Ken smiled as he picked his sand witch back up and took a bite. He took a few bites while trying to think of when and where to meet up. After swallowing and licking a bit of tomato sauce from his lip, he smiled to her. "How about Saturday about 1500? They have this new movie in the theater and afterward we can have dinner here."

This was his first date to be honest and he was even a little nervous because he wanted to make sure it was perfect but he knew somehow he would mess it up.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

(OOC: If you haven't figured this out by now, Rubi is really paranoid about stuff like this. There will be undertones of her suspicions for awhile.)

'Dinner and a movie, huh?' she thought. 'I'll give him some credit; he certainly keeps things simple.'

After thinking about it for a minute, she finally nodded her head. "I don't see why that won't work," she answered, still feeling a bit awkward about the whole situation. She kept her wits about her, hoping to see through what farce might present itself...

[PureWillPower]

He smiled as he finished half of the sandwich. Drinking the fizzy drink he sat back and patted his stomach lightly. "I will let you know though, it's my first date so you'll probably have the upper hand on decisions." His fingers using kugutsu to grab some of the chips lining the basket and popping on in his mouth. despite ordering a foot long sandwich, he needed to attack this thing with a bit of strategy.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi couldn't help but laugh at the mention of his lack of dating history. "Really? A smooth talker like you? With the way that the waitresses here have been eying you, I figured you've had plenty of practice," she goaded jokingly.

She leaned back as she finished her sandwich and started munching on some fries. "Still, don't be too hard on yourself. So long as you do your best, you shouldn't worry about what other people think," she passively encouraged, still chewing on some deliciously roasted spuds.

[PureWillPower]

ken just smiled seeing her laugh for the first time. "One would think. I actually recently got over a crush so you were the first girl I asked out."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi's eyes widened in curiosity. "Really?" she asked, obviously intrigued as she popped another fry into her mouth. "Is it something you're willing to talk about or is it still too sensitive a subject?"

Rubi wiped her hand with a napkin before placing her hands upon her lap. If she was lucky, she'd get an interesting story out of this encounter.

[PureWillPower]

Ken leaned forward. "Well this girl, she's three years older then me and a nurse at the Clinic. Back when i was in the academy, she saved my life the day I lost the ability to walk. And just recently I found out she was bat crazy." he lowered his eyes and picked up a chip. "took a little bit of time but I've moved on. Talking with my parents helped with that." A smile came across his face. genuinely happy despite talking about such things.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi was right; it had been an interesting story... but the mention of parents left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. "Parents... can't say mine have helped me much," she recounted, a slight overtone of bitterness resonating in her voice as she took another sip of her drink.

Just the mention of family triggered a hardening phase; her eyes had a new edge to them, the way she sat in her chair seemed more defensive, and she cupped her hands around her cup. Needless to say, it wasn't her preferred topic of discussion.

[PureWillPower]

Ken looked to her and started on the second half. She seemed to duck back into her shell again. Swallowing, he placed his hands on his lap like he was trying to keep something down or back. However his hands went into their hand signs and the kugutsu stirings formed. They snaked thier way under the table and went to each side of her. They went to the middle of her ribs on the side, attached to her shirt, and started to wave back and forth quickly in a tickling fashion.

from the other side of the table he smiled to her hoping the tickle worked to make her laugh and she would understand the surprise's intention.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi's mental retreat was halted by a rather... tingly feeling around her hips. The sudden shock forced a quiet squeak and modest giggling from the kunoichi as she clenched her sides to stop her shirt from moving. As she looked down, she noticed the kugutsu chakra strings extending from her shirt. Still blushing a bit solely from the blood rushing to her head, she straigtened the sides of her shirt out. Eying him curiously, she sighed. "All right, all right... you win," she relented, allowing herself to be a bit more cheery.

After another breath she continued. "Let's just say that my parents weren't around very much when I was a kid. You know, with work and all," she said, waving her hand almost as to dismiss the importance of what she had said.

[PureWillPower]

Ken nodded in complete understanding. The kugutsu string snapped the moment she tugged her shirt. "I know how that is. Parents were Jounin who died in service to the village in another land. Their bodies still haven't been recovered." He took a bit of his sandwhich. The way he spoke of it was an indication that he didn't know much on the matter. Hell he barely remembered their faces. they died when he was six. Not exactly the best time to gain and have memories.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Kenjiro was entirely capable of comprehending Rubi's viewpoint... and yet Rubi couldn't quite say the same for herself. For all of the times that her parents had gone on missions, risking their lives for their village all the while leaving her by her lonesome, she had at least had them (even if they never had much time to spend with her). 'That's rough,' she admitted mentally.

A question burned within her like lava in her bones, refusing to cool unless it was released. "Does it bother you... not having known your parents?" she asked carefully, desperately hoping she hadn't hit a soft spot.

[PureWillPower]

Ken shook his head. "Not really. Though it does effect me when I watch the parents play with their kids." Finishing the sandwich, he wiped his lips with a smile. "I try not to let my difficulties get in the way of my dream." He looks out the window behind her, seeing the Kazekage's building. "I hope to one day make a great family."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

At his response, Rubi looked at her wooden hand, deep in thought. For a while, she was silent as she stared at the prosthetic. "I was always... uncertain about starting a family of my own," she admitted, finally breaking the silence after several long moments.

Slowly flexing and relaxing her hand, she paused for a bit. "Like this, for instance," she explained. "I know that many of our citizens have prosthetics and other things of the like. We're fortunate enough to have such access to these materials and the open mind needed to live along side such things in Sunagakure. But our lives aren't just what's within these walls; there's a whole other world outside of our country... and many of its denizens aren't so understanding of things so much different from them.""

Rubi paused, her mouth open and ready to continue. Yet, she hesitated for a second, closing her lips as if the words she sought were escaping her. "In the end, there's about a fifty-fifty chance that my children will be born with the same defect that I have," she continued. "I just always wondered if I really wanted to subject my children to such a life, one that would potentially be filled with mocking eyes and the hushed whispers of the ignorant."

She downed the rest of her drink, speaking no more on the matter for the moment.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

(Please delete this post. My con flaked out and posted twice.)

[PureWillPower]

Ken looked to her a little puzzled though he completly understood what she meant and felt. "Honey. The total package is broken at the moment so I don't think I'll be siring any kids in this lifetime. I was talking about becoming the Kazekage."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi blinked in realization as Kenjiro explained what he had actually been referring to. "Oh..." she muttered, blushing out of embarrassment as she rubbed her face with her hand out of frustration.

She remained silent for a little bit. What else could she do? She had gone off on another one of her rants as usual only to find that the topic of reference was something else entirely. 'Great, Rubi,' she rebuked herself. 'You probably just scared another poor bastard away. Fan-freaking-tastic.'

Hoping she could salvage the conversation. "What made you want to become Kazekage?" she asked leaning back in her chair after finishing what she could only define as the best sandwich she had ever had.

[PureWillPower]

Ken drank the last of his drink and signaled for a refill when one of them got a chance. "Well I only really decided recently at one of my old friend's graves. She lost her family in the final days of the academy and ended up killing herself. I never want anyone to go through that much depression and sadness. I would like to become the Kazekage to end our isolation and xenophobia so we can move on and work towards peace in this world. Then no one else in Sunagakure will have to loose thier parents needlessly."

Thinking back to Yumi, Ken lowered his head a bit and said a small prayer for her. He tilted his head back up and smiled to her. A smile that held so much but felt no weight. "How about you? What's your dream?"

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

The question caught Rubi off guard. "My dream?" she repeated to herself.

She sat and thought for a while... then continued to ponder... then thought some more as Amber brought her a refill. Finally, she came to a conclusion. "This is gonna sound stupid... but I don't think I really have one. Or at least I don't have one that readily comes to mind," she admitted, unsure of how much different that made her from her companions.

[PureWillPower]

Ken leaned forward as Rubi sat his glass down as well. "How about a dream of one night sleeping with me?" Amber gave him a swat on the back of the head for that one.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi inhaled sharply as Kenjiro shot his question to Rubi. She almost started coughing, which would have helped hide the fact that her cheeks had become a most deep shade of red. Putting the glass down, she attempted to regain her composure; it was easy enough to tell that she was flustered by his comment. "Well... a-aren't we the ballsy one..." she stammered, averting her eyes in an attempt to preserve her dignity. "Is this how you like to extend all of your dates?"

Despite her somewhat harsh response, some dark part of her mind entertained the possibility...

[PureWillPower]

Ken just smiled as he noticed the blush she was exhibiting and trying to hide. the most effective genjutsu is not even a Genjutsu."There we go. Completly out of your shell." Ken placed his money in the check book with the bill and rolled back. he rolled around and gave her a small hug across her shoulders while she marinated on what he said and worked to get her own blush down. "See you later for our date."

Rolling down the alleyway he placed the check book by th register and rolled out the door.