Among the Naegi Tea Leaves

[Willoria]

The only thing Hanzo wanted to do for the day was finish it out with tea and meditation. But of course his personal stock was low. That meant going to see a friend of his foster mother's. The man kept a stock of dry tea leaves that he always let Hanzo take the best pick of. As always he kept his hood and mask in place, though the moisture of the Naegi greenhouse made both relatively uncomfortable. If he weren't used to sweating often, he'd worry about the black makeup around his eyes running down his face beneath. But he'd learned some time ago how to apply it properly to compensate for moisture and sweat.

Sadly Sensei Masaki didn't seem to be in his usual office, which left Hanzo to wander around the Greenhouse, trying to find the man so he could ask him about the tea leaves.

"Inconvenient..." Hanzo muttered, sighing heavily as he ran two fingers down the front of the skull that served as his mask. He closed his pale eyes for a moment as he drew in a deep breath and looked around.

[TyDie]

While many might see working with the Naegi to tend to the greenhouses of Sunagakure as a chore, or work, to Emi it was the closest thing she got to relaxation. The vegetables and fruit trees never asked much of her, just some water and attention. The muggy heat was tiring sure, but it was a small price to pay to enjoy some alone time amongst the plants of the Naegi clan. Plus, she was still helping her village, her family, and herself with food and medicinal herb production. Truly the best kind of work, relaxing and still beneficial. The girl was currently knelt over a patch of dirt with some young seedlings just barely sprouting out of the ground, a watering can in one hand as she gently rained water down on the plants.

The girl wore a simple light gray T shirt, stained slightly with dirt, and a pair of shorts that ended about slightly above mid thigh. She wore black knee high socks underneath a pair of black boots, and she wore white work gloves that were deeply stained brown by dirt - clearly they had been used many times for gardening. Her black hair was pulled back into a pony tail, numerous hair pins helping to keep her sweaty bangs out of her face while she worked. There were slight splotches of dirt on her face and arms, making clear she had likely been at this a while. She still wore a black collar around her neck, she rarely went anywhere without it, and the only thing on her person that looked fancy at all was the ornate looking hilt that dangled from her hip, attached to the loop of her belt by a leather cord.

"There... nice and watered. Our village depends on you little ones. Grow big and strong for us." A small smile grew across Emi's face as she wiped sweat from her brow and heaved lightly. She went to move towards the next patch of dirt when a sudden sound of footsteps approaching her caught her attention. With a puzzled look she turned to see who was coming to here - Was Masaki-san coming to send her home already?

No, it was some young... person? With the baggy clothing and the mask she could hardly tell gender... That mask really caught her attention though, who on earth wore a skull around the village like it was a fashion statement? With a raised eyebrow of confusion, Emi stood and dusted off her shorts with her gloves before taking the gloves off and setting them on a nearby stool. "Um, can I help you?" She would've ordinarily made some snarky comment about the person's mask being out of season, but she was representing the Naegi family while she worked. She didn't want to be reprimanded for attitude by the people who were teaching her the horticulture she so loved.

[Willoria]

He'd noticed the girl long before she noticed him. Hanzo just hadn't cared enough to say a word. As she took notice of him however he couldn't help a bit of a frown. He wasn't looking to interact with a stranger today, it certainly wasn't on his list of favorite activities. As she addressed him he let out a long breath from his nose in a sigh and shook his head slowly, wishing he could ignore her. Sadly, Sensei Masaki was proving difficult to find and this girl was the only person in sight.

He tilted his head and turned to look at her curiously, pale light blue eyes in stark contrast to the black painted around his eyes behind the mask as he regarded her. "I was looking for Sensei Masaki." he said, his voice quiet though his tones low for his age. His vocal chords had already begun their shifts early, perhaps a trait inherited from his father though it wasn't something he could be sure of, and certainly something he'd ever be able to ask someone at this point. "Perhaps you've seen him?" he asked.

[TyDie]

The boy, who she now clearly realized was a boy based on his deep voice, seemed to be seeking out Masaki-san. Unforunately, Emi shook her head slightly, confirming what the boy probably already expected. "Sorry to say, but Masaki-san isn't going to be back for a few hours. He and another Naegi left to discuss adding new fruit trees to a nearby greenhouse, and left me here to tend to the remaining herbs and vegetables." Emi crossed her arms as she responded, cocking her hip to one side with a touch of sass as she gave the boy his answer. "If you'd like, I can tell him you stopped by. I'm Emi, I tend the greenhouses often with the Naegi family. What was your name?"

She couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy around this boy, her stance guarded and alert as she tried to make nice with him. Something about that mask, the way he obscured his visage, just had her on edge... why hide your face among allies? "I could also maybe help with whatever it is you came here for... I'm by no means an expert, but Masaki-san has taught me a lot." Emi still tried to remain helpful in spite of her unease, if only to preserve her reputation with those teaching her, but she was eyeing the boy rather suspiciously all the same.

[Willoria]

As Emi offered to let Sensei Masaki know that he'd been by, Hanzo merely shook his head slowly, his mask and hood together making a very quiet sound together that was almost inaudible. "I will wait." he stated simply. She asked for his name and he tilted his head slightly, his light eyes staring at her through the darkness of his mask before he finally nodded politely. "Hanzo." he told her in answer. He could have said more, he knew it might have been the proper thing to do to even express that it was nice to meet Emi. But he didn't see the point of it, even if it was considered polite. After all, he didn't know her yet, how did he know it would be nice to meet her yet?

He noticed her body language and kept his face as stoic as possible, though the urge to smirk was there. Instead his head tilted slightly again to fight that urge, a simple sign of his curiosity. "Oh... um..." Her offering to help him surprised him, and he couldn't help reaching into his hood to rub the back of his neck a moment. It wasn't common for many to understand why he was so fixated on his teas as part of his meditations, he didn't speak of it much except to Sensei Masaki. Clearing his throat and finally dropping his hand to his side again he nodded. "Well... he keeps a stock tea leaves and... lets me take my pick when my personal stock is running low..." he found himself trying to explain. "My stock is low so..."

[TyDie]

Emi noted the boy's name with a mild nod, forcing a little bit of a smile to her face as she tried to remain polite in spite of her distrust. "Nice to meet you." The girl stated, a hint of her callousness betraying her in the words as she made little effort to mask her suspicions of Hanzo. As he answered her question however, a bit of nervousness revealed itself to Emi in the boy's body language. Rubbing his neck, clearing his throat, it was almost like she had shocked him or something by simply asking if she could help. Perhaps he wasn't so suspicious after all? Maybe I shouldn't judge him too harshly... he might be hiding a scar or something for all I know. These conflicts between villages have me so on edge, I'm seeing enemies even amongst my people. What's wrong with me?

The thoughts crossing her mind left Emi to stare off distantly for a few moments, as if in a trance. However, she quickly snapped back as the boy made his request clear, blinking a few times as if to help stabilize herself again. "Right, I'm sorry about that. Tea leaves... Well, I do believe Masaki's office is open. I don't think he'd mind us taking a quick look around for his tea leaves." She smiled at the boy again, this time a much more genuine effort to see Hanzo as an ally, rather than a suspicious person. "Follow me, we'll go check together." Emi said with a lilt of happiness to her tone. She'd then turn away from Hanzo and walk down a small path to her left. The path lead into a separate room, then down one more small path lined with flowers and vines to a glass door.

Opening the door, Emi would step into the Naegi's office, letting Hanzo enter behind her and shut the door. "Here we are. Take a look around, let me know if you see what you need."