Seconds to Midnight Blessings

[Zangy]

Tamotsu cuddled to his body to his chest to block out the chill of the winds. Kiri wasn't the coldest of places; that belonged to Snow Country, of course. Not one to dilly-daddle in the cold, the newly-promoted genin opened the door to the Bloodriver Bar, rushing inside to the warmth and promptly shut the door behind him, not letting any of the essence of warmth escape from the area. Not really wanting to come to the bar in the first place, Tamotsu quickly ordered a glass of water before retreating back into the corner of the bar, where the least amount of patrons resided.

His parents had told him to spend the day on his own and without doing anything for the shop, since clayworking at cold temperatures were never good for the health of the clay, leaving it brittle. Not having anywhere else to go, he had just went into Kiri's bar, hoping to spend the day by himself with no one to bother him.

So far, so good. Minutes upon minutes passed as Tamotsu stayed seated in his seat with no one bothering him, which was a perfect moment for the Kiri-nin. He was able to look at other people and hopefully catch a tid-bit or two of information, or just tune the cacophony out and concentrate on what to do tomorrow, or the day after that, or the day after that day, or sometimes else in the future.

Voices came and gone as a few hours passed with the glass of water long gone and Tamotsu in a state of daydreaming, thinking some newer creations to build, but not really trying to do so. Design that happened on the spot was much more amazing than designs that were planned years or months in advanced. Circles, squares, cubes, and various other shapes passed through his head as he took a second to close his eyes and turn his head upwards, in a state of simple daydreaming without much care of things around him.

[Mortalvis]

Put one down for team Ike. Another successful escape from the dastardly clutches of Evil Old Hag and her powers of Epic Boredom.

She hadn't even noticed Ike leave this time. The old woman was prone to falling asleep the moment she was comfortable, which he took full advantage of. Escaping wasn't fun, to say the least, because she made it all too easy for Ike to get out into the world. It was satisfying, though, to see his parents scold her like a child for letting him out of her poor eyesight. But no matter how easy it was, once that fresh air hit his face, he was pumped like a jackrabbit on steroids. He had made his way to the market, but after spending a bit of time in the Bloodriver Bar the previous day, and getting over his fear of such places, he decided he would stop by and get a lemonade.

Ike opened the door of the bar a smidgen and peeked inside. Okay, maybe he wasn't completely over his concern about bars, but upon swallowing back any doubt of going in alone, he went in and surveyed the patrons. His cheeks flushed slightly, but he recognized the friendly barkeep, and some of the people were people that he had seen before too. Regulars, maybe. But he saw a lone boy, sitting off on his own. He looked Ike's age, maybe older, maybe younger, but not by much if so. Not knowing anyone else in the bar, and his social awkwardness totally negating his desire for a lemonade, he shuffled toward Tamotsu. He looked shyly at the genin before mustering his voice.

"...Do you mind if I sit with you...?"

[Zangy]

Tamotsu was completely spaced out when the other genin asked. His attention snapped to, however, as he realized that someone was standing in his vicinity. He looked up from his sitting position, not entirely conscious of his actions. The other genin was much taller than himself, Tamotsu guess around a foot, but he was never good with things like that, so he was probably off by a few inches or so. "Oh... yeah, you can," his answer barely escaped his mouth, not entirely audible, but enough for those around him to hear, mainly the Aisu.

Bringing the glass to his lips, the potter finally realized that all of it was gone and probably had looked awkward from the point of view of the other nin, which caused Tamotsu to twitch his eye, hoping that his action wasn't noticed. He quickly got up and rushed to the barkeeper, who promptly filled his glass and he came back to the table, sitting down in the exact same spot that he had left. "Sorry about that... I can get forgetful at times..." he mumbled out. "What's your name?"

[Mortalvis]

Although Ike was not completely comfortable taking a seat with Tamotsu, once he was in place he didn't feel so strange amidst the bar's other occupants anymore. That didn't keep the sinking feeling that maybe he had picked someone who was withdrawn. The mumble and the soft declines in his voice made Ike worry that he would have trouble making conversation with this other boy. All that built up excitement and anxiety leaked from him, lost before he could make the most of it. But he could at least try to make conversation with Tamotsu...

"I'm Ike. Who're you?" With no adult-like salutations such as handshakes, he simply stared at the genin with a canted head. "Oh... and are you a genin?" he asked in addition, curiosity getting the better of him.

[Zangy]

Tamotsu was glad that someone was finally talking to him, but tried to keep his outer appearance cool and calm. "I am Tamotsu," he said firmly, "or just Taso for short." He took a sip of his water, freshly cooled with only a few ice cubes in it.

"Yeah, I am a Genin. Pretty new being one though. I haven't really had much time to do any missions and I am set up to do another one soon." Feeling a lot more comfortable, his voice gained a bit more confidence, not mumbling at all any longer. "What about you?"

[Mortalvis]

Ike was keen on emotion. It governed his own mood, his confidence, and the amount of control he had over himself in a situation. This was much better. He felt like he wasn't alone in this bar anymore. In turn, it brought a sure smile to his face and he was able to keep his eyes located on Tamotsu. "Oh, well hi, Taso!" he spouted in sudden cheerfulness. Ike was always nicer when he had a smile on his face... it suited him.

Nodding intently at this other boy, Ike listened with enthusiasm. "A new genin, huh? You and me both... well, I've been out of the academy for a few weeks, but nothing much has been going on. I haven't been on any missions yet... I'm kind of scared to do one. You never know what you're gonna get..."

He bit his lip in worry, but his countenance rapidly lightened into a soft smile. "I'm not sure why I haven't seen you around... keep to yourself? Oh, wait, that's because my parents keep me locked inside..." he trailed off with a furrowed brow, confused with himself. "Uh, so whatcha doing here all alone, Taso?"

[Zangy]

Tamotsu nodded. "Yeah, I hope I get an easy mission or one that I can do. Not really putting too much into it, of course, since don't really want to be disappointed or anything." His eyebrow raised at the comment about being locked inside his house. "I am taking a break today before my mission. Normally I am helping out my parents with clay workings, since that is what my parents do for a living. I am going to be helping them while also becoming a better ninja, or at least I hope to become a better ninja." Trying to go back to the other nin's weird-out-Tamotsu-statement, he asked, "Your parents keep you locked inside? That would be so horrible..."

[Mortalvis]

"My parents are overprotective is all... but this old hag babysits me when my mom is at her friends' houses, which is a lot, and dad is at work, and she's always falling asleep, so it's easy to get out," Ike explained, waving a dismissive hand at the part about it being horrible. He shrugged and looked down at the table."It's not horrible, but I've only recently realized how much I just want to be out doing things. When I was at the Academy, I could do whatever I wanted if I kept up with my work, but after I graduated, things died."

His eyes averted back toward Tamotsu, and he canted his head at the boy. "Your mom and dad work with clay? My mom used to give me clay to make stuff with... I'd make snakes and stuff, but I never thought that there were professions with it." Ike seemed more in a pleasant awe opposed to condemning it. He made a 'huh' sound to himself, nodding a few times. "Do you like clay too? Sometimes kids follow after their parents... hopefully that won't happen to me," he laughed nervously.

[Zangy]

"Oh, you made it sound a lot worse than that," Tamotsu said, laughing to himself, seemingly overreacting to what he had viewed the situation as. "Yeah. Potters are always good, since they are able to easily create different things that are needed for all sorts of stuff, from tiles to pots. Of course, it isn't limited to that, but it only goes till the imagination of the potter runs out." Nodding afterwards, he continued, "Yeah, I love clay. I have helped my parents with their shop and sometimes my art sells, not as much as theirs, but they are professionals. I try to make my ninjutsu abilities show my love of clay." He stopped for a second then asked, "What do you do?"

[Mortalvis]

Ike looked at Tamotsu with wide eyes, so surprised that he did art that would sell for money of all things. It wasn't that he didn't think the genin was capable, it was more that he was so very jealous that such a success had been reached, even if it was small compared to that of his parents. "Oh, wow, that's so awesome!" he exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm. "Oh, now you're gonna definitely have to show me some of your stuff sometime. That's just so great..."

He left his jealously and most of his excitement to dangle in the trailing of his words, and he slouched a little more deeply in his seat. "...Me? Hum... I spend most of my time thinking up jutsu, since I spend so much time in the house. Lately I've been out more with someone who I've met recently, and that's going well, but I'm still in the house a lot, so that usually takes up my time."

Ike looked hesitant to continue, his gaze shifting to some other focal point that wasn't Taso. "Clay for your ninjutsu, huh...? I use ice..." The last words of his sentence were barely audible, and he rubbed the back of his head nervously, daring to glance at Tamotsu. Truth be told, after all the huff his parents built up around him having a 'bad life' because of his clan name, he had started to become ashamed. It was all in his head, seeing as though there was little to be ashamed of, especially at this generation, but he was always hesitant telling new people if the topic came onto it.

[Zangy]

"Wow? Really?" he perked up, not really knowing anything about the different clans in the village of Kiri, since he didn't ever pay attention to any history or anything that sort. "I've never heard of anyone using that. You could probably make some cool stuff with ice," he blurted, before he realized that he was getting a bit too excited over someone else that used a different medium and calmed himself down. "Clay ninjutsu is based off of Doton, which has run through my family. Ice is probably based off of Suiton, right? Does that run in your family?" he asked, completely oblivious to the true answer.

[Mortalvis]

This oblivion of knowledge over the matter caused Ike's brow to raise incredulously. "It's Suiton and Fuuton... creating the element Hyouton, the ice element, which is a skill passed down through the Aisu bloodline..." he explained quietly. It somehow softened his discontent that Tamotsu was unaware--maybe not anymore, he would need a reply to see--of the truth, but he felt even more at unease having to explain it. However, he tried to keep a somewhat soft smile curled at the corners of his mouth, and then he shrugged.

"Sure, I can make things out of ice... lots of things."

[Zangy]

Tamotsu's eyes widened at the mention of bloodline. "Oh, wow. That's cool. I don't really pay much attention to the history of Kiri or much else for that matter... so I don't know much of anything about any of the clans here, besides that most tend to stick with themselves and stuff." His eyes returned to normal as he continued. "It would be kinda cool to be from a clan, I think, since then making things would be so much easier."

"What all can you make out of ice," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

[Mortalvis]

With little more than a shrug, Ike dismissed Tamotsu's thoughts of clan life being cool. It wasn't that he didn't agree to some extent... but he frowned inwardly at the part about things being made easier. He didn't return to the subject, and moved on to answer the following question. "Nothing that I can really show you here, but if I wanted to, I could make a block of ice and sculpt something with it. Is that not what you do with clay?" Hesitantly, he reached out, placing a finger against Tamotsu's glass of water. Although it was without permission, his intentions were good, and the water inside the glass froze solid. Immediately following, Ike removed his chakra from certain places in the glass, until all but a small goldfish-like ice cube floated near the top and the rest reverted to water.

"It's kinda like this, you see... I'm not an artist though, even my fish looks kinda funny... and dead." Ike stifled a nervous laugh. "Um, what can you make out of clay?" He felt bothersome to ask, but he shared the same genuine curiosity over Tamotsu's medium as the other genin did over his own.

SpoilerShow

~Hyouton • Hyouketsu [Ice Element • Freeze]

Hyouketsu is a technique which simply requires the user to touch a nearby water source, using his/her special chakra to freeze it. The chakra needed depends of the size of the water source. In some cases it could also be used to make the air colder, partially transforming the water moisture into ice, or even, while in mid air, create an ice block, which the user could use to jump higher, or change direction while in mid air.

Hyouton • Tou Riba-su [Ice Element • Reverse Freeze]

This simple technique utilizing the ice element can be activated on any ice creation the user has made. By removing the Hyouton element from them, they can revert the creation back to water. If it was formed from moisture in the air, it will still revert back to water. This takes more control the bigger the ice formation is.

[Zangy]

"Woah," the Kiri genin stuttered out as he looked fish. "It is kinda the same, but just the reverse. With clay, you add stuff on until you think it looks good and shape it. However, with ice, it looks like you just take away what is there and then work with it. I guess that the end results can be the same, but instead they use different means of doing it," he said smiling a bit and becoming comfortable with in the situation.

"I usually make simple pots and such right now, since that is what usually sells. I have made some other things, but they tend to all have purpose to them, like a pipe that carries water to another place, but depending on the speed of the water going through, it makes different sounds and other things like that."

[Mortalvis]

A cant of his head was made as Ike inquisitively pondered about clay, and ice, and the other various keywords used throughout the conversation... of course he knew he could make things with ice, but an artist was something that Ike was not. It eluded him. The observation to form and composition. How lighting and movement affected how something is perceived. Angles, as well as realism escaped at the very edge of his grasping wonderment, and he continuously failed to have any sort of ability to identify such things. But there he had it. The one thing he liked about art. It was the meaning behind it, not how it was conceived, that intrigued him the most.

"Wow! Compared to the silly stuff I used to use clay for, that's really great..." Ike suppressed his slight jealousy. "...Do you promise that you'll show me these things some day? That this isn't the only time we'll meet?" He was comfortable asking, just nervous about the answer. Ike wanted friends... he wanted to take all opportunities to have them to their fullest, even if he was afraid of rejection of any kind. A hopeful smile bloomed as he looked expectantly at Tamotsu.

[Zangy]

Tamotsu shrugged his shoulders. "I can't make any definites, since things could always happen, especially since we are both ninja. But nothing wrong will probably happen, so sure. You can always come down to my parent's shop. Unless I am on a mission I am there," he explained, happy that he had made something good out of this day that was meant to be wasted and amount to nothing. "My work is mostly there anyways, so I could show you and we could meet up sometime else."

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(OOC: Sorry for the crappy post. Tired/etc. )

[Mortalvis]

Ike nodded understandingly and he smiled brightly at Taso. "I hope to see you around in that case!" he exclaimed excitedly. It always prided him to know that he wasn't one-hundred percent socially inept. He got up and looked around the bar. Nothing much had changed... but he really did lose track of the time, as well as the world around him, for the length he spent talking with this other genin. Although he came in with uncertainty and dormant fright, he was going to be leaving with childish happiness.

"It was really nice meeting you, Taso, but I should probably get back home before that old hag notices I'm gone. Let's meet again sometime!" Without much more than that and a wave, Ike headed out of the bar. After he was trotting on his path home, he realized that he never did get that lemonade he wanted. All he did was giggle quietly to himself about it and continue on his way home.

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OOC: S'over now, I think. Handing it in.