[Graded][Social] All Boomed Out.

[Nafan~]

The Ougonjidai Restaurant was a respectable establishment in the village hidden in the rock. It wasn't like the rowdy bars in the suburbs, this was a restaurant where you sat, were served and left with a lot of small talk in the middle. Tonight however, there was one table at which there was no small talk, because there was only one person. A small boy sat at a table, his blonde hair messy atop his head.

Yuube often escaped to the Ougonjidai restaurant to get away from his annoying father who only got excited over training. For the fifteenth time the scarf around his neck was rearranged. Bored eyes searched the crowd to see if there was anyone worth trying to understand here tonight. That was, after all, his goal. He was trying to get more social, trying to develop some skill in conversation. He hadn't quite got the knack of it, having shut himself away and concentrated completely on training with his father for his entire childhood before graduating from the academy.

Yuube ran his finger around the candle flame in the middle of the table, playing with it. Fire was such a beautiful thing, but tonight not even that would amuse him. He was thoroughly put out. He needed something to cheer him up. No, he needed someone to cheer him up.

[Das Kirb]

The restaurant was the perfect place for a little personal time away from the parents with her future wife. Naka and Reiha sat at the bar enjoying a few cheap words and the live entertainment. It was one of the few times the Jinchuriki was able to actually settle down and enjoy the simpler things in life anymore. She took a sip of her milk and smiled back at the girl sitting beside her. Milk may be childish but let’s face it, who doesn’t enjoy a good glass every now and then?

Reiha looked over her shoulder at the growing crowd it the restaurant, once a killer always a killer and Reiha was no exception. This was the fourth time in the last thirty minutes she had done this. What she beheld was something a bit different though. A lone boy sat at a table seeming down. ”Naka, let’s go give him some company. Who knows, we may find something interesting.” Naka’s eyes flared up at the prospect, her curiosity rising. From within her the Kaniseki spoke, causing the lights that littered her face and neck to flare brighter. ”It’s curiosity that killed the cat my dear.” ”Do you want to be put back in that cage?” Naka’s quick retort silenced the beast for the time.

The twin assassins of Iwagakure no sato moved through the crowd with a deft agility, barely nudging the customers that gathered around the live entertainment. Some would even return to find their wallets a few yen lighter. With a fist full of coins Naka sat down at the table with her partner. ”You seem like you could use a chat, care to indulge in what’s on your mind?” The tone of voice was obviously working an angle, rarely was she this proper in her speech.

[Nafan~]

Yuube looked up from his candle flame at the two girls across from him. He had not noticed their approach, and that worried him. He had a sudden urge to be cynical and immediately assumed they had something to gain from his momentary display of vulnerability. Usually, the walls of solitude would come crashing down immediately after such a fear, but then he saw them in a new light. Two women, one with a hand full of coins for which there was no reason. In Yuube's books, this classified as "interesting".

So instead of closing himself to the two, he decided to get to know them. He would see if he could commune with them without his usual social awkwardness getting in the way. "I'm just escaping my parents, my father has an IQ of about twenty and his agenda is filled completely with training. I couldn't sit down and have a meal with the same boring people for the third night in a row, so I came out here, only to find that there wasn't anyone interesting here either. Well, until you two showed up."

[Das Kirb]

”Seems familiar, wouldn’t you say Naka-chan?” The obviously condescending tone annoyed Naka beyond no end. She loved her parents and would kill for them, not saying much but still. They took in Reiha in her time of need and provided her with no trouble for falling in love with another girl. The ever present aqua glow from her eyes flared up as she bit back her tongue against the demon.

Reiha however kept herself more composed. She had insight into the mind of her partner and knew what was going on, she simply gripped the girl’s hand and returned her attention to the boy across the table. Her own father had been a piece of work, in fact he was currently a massive target on Naka’s personal hit list. Only fear kept him from coming after her now. With empathy in her voice she spoke. ”Getting away from that seems to be a good idea.”

A couple seconds passed as Reiha got lowered her eyes, losing herself in her own history, her mind running over the scar that ran across her back. This once more triggered Naka into action, thankfully away from her aggression. ”Call a waiter over here and order anything you like. It’s my treat.” slowly she actively replaced the tinge of anger with the curiosity that should be there, regaining her cat like features. ”While we wait tell me some more, I’m always interested in hearing other’s stories.” Not entirely untrue if for a reason that most didn’t enjoy.

[Nafan~]

Yuube was happy that at least one of them could relate to having inadequate parental figures. He lifted his left hand lazily to call for a waiter. A meal was ordered and the waiter was sent away after tending to the two ladies also. Yuube sent his finger back to playing with the candle flame while he looked back up at the women opposite him.

"My name is Yuube and, well, you see, my parents just aren't interesting people, and normal people bore me enough. People such as the both of you are interesting and I would like to get to know you. But you see, I haven't had much time for anyone before, what with being confined to a strict regime of train or be disowned by my father. He's a shinobi too." Yuube took a breath here, and noticed the eyes of the darker haired woman, Naka, for the first time. "You have pretty eyes." He said. He knew it was lame, but all words had escaped him as soon as he concentrated on her face. He had no idea what it was, but her eyes were more interesting than anything else he had ever seen.

As a result of his shock and infatuation, he had left his finger stationary in the candle flame and his finger was now burning. He quickly took it from the fire and placed it in his mouth after an exclamation of pain. He looked at them as if to say sorry for doing something so stupid.

[Das Kirb]

”Interesting.” That singular word carried more death and pain behind it than any other word in Naka’s vocabulary. Reiha instantly knew what was about to happen. She was already working on the boy, infatuation had set in and Naka had already taken an interest in him. It was only a matter of time now.

The waiter had brought the food and Naka paid outright with the lifted money she got simply on the way over. But her attention wasn’t wavering from the boy. ”There’s a lot more pretty about me than just these eyes, would you like to see? Perhaps you can show me more about yourself too.” Reiha didn’t like where this was going, using ingatuation to lure in a boy that was probably just now hitting puberty. She was more serpent than cat. It would start with this and end with the poor boy in servitude to her. However, she would keep her lips sealed. If the assassin was hood at anything it was killing and traps. This would just be extra practice.

[Nafan~]

Yuube was completely enthralled now. He wasn't as excited as when he was creating explosions, but he was damn close. The intrigue of the woman's glowing eyes. The beauty of her figure. All combined with her suggestive words. Yuube wanted to know what else she had to say. This was going to be the greatest study he had ever done. He wanted to know something about this interesting girl. If she was calling it interesting, he estimated its interest value at around two hundred and thirty one per cent.

"Sure, I'd like to hear it." Yuube said happily. He was on to something. A big juicy interesting fact that was drawing him from his boredom. This was definitely the most stimulating conversation he had ever participated in. He had never known how fun conversations could be, how they held the same amount of suspense and action as a novel. It seemed that although he had made a fitting analogy, Yuube was going to miss the big twist. That Naka had her own motives.

[Das Kirb]

OOC: Short, but I didn’t want to ruin it.

A very sly and sinister smile spread from ear to ear. ”You’re getting good at this pussy cat, perhaps almost better than me.” His snide comment was ignored. She was fully invested into the game at hand, and his very soul would be what was at stake. ”How about a game of quid pro quo? You tell me something about you and I do the same for you. The more personal the information given the more personal the information obtained.”

[Nafan~]

Yuube's cynical side was suddenly in full swing, running through all possible self-motivated reasons she could have for suggesting the game. But he pushed those thoughts aside, he had to see this through to the end now that he had placed his bet. Obviously, this game was going to be mutually devastating and beneficial. For every thing he said, he would get something of equal value back. It was his kind of mind game.

It took a while before something came into his mind that he could say that would get him the juiciest piece of information available. He needed something incredibly personal, something of a deep dark secret. However it couldn't incriminate him in any way, or give them an excuse to laugh at him, kill him or leave him. While he thought about it, he decided that he should at least provide a basic fact to get the game started.

"I am somewhat a pyromaniac. I get.. overexcited about explosions. I have little to no experience in dealing with people, but even I can tell that most people have their own reasons for doing things. So I ask for your reason that we are playing this game.. Yuube smirked at the end of his little rant. Hopefully he could decipher the meaning behind the game before he revealed any devastating information.

[Das Kirb]

”He’s starting out safely. Seems like you already control every aspect of this boy.” Naka’s inner smirk of self gratification was from ear to ear but her outer stayed in the coy manner she was so flawless with. ”What’s wrong with a little conversation and getting to know one another?” She took another bite of the food in front of her and turned to Reiha, smiling.

Reiha was suspicious of the game she played. It could lead down roads that would land her in a cell. As it stood, it was also a nearly flawless way of obtaining personal information and material for controlling him. She returned the smile and nodded. Might as well enjoy her love’s handiwork while it was present.

The assassin’s attention returned to him. ”I’m a thief and assassin, I’ve killed several men and women in my life. I often use my own body as the bait before the hook.” She spoke so easily as if reciting what she had for breakfast. It was clear she had an upper hand in this game, he would need to step it up a notch.

[Nafan~]

The game must come to an end. Yuube knew this as soon as the words "assassin" and "hook" were used. Assassins don't speak to people to "get to know them", they scope out targets. At first, Yuube panicked, thinking that he had an assassin that was trying to kill him. His heart beat incredibly fast, and his perspiration rate increased, but this was only for about ten seconds. His mind which was racing at three hundred kilometers and hour decided to slam on all the breaks and concentrate on one thought: who the hell would want to kill him? He was a scrawny kid that posed no threat to anyone unless he was to encounter them on a D-ranked mission. And the people he met on D-ranked missions generally weren't evil masterminds capable of even finding an assassin, let alone hiring one.

This out of the way, he decided this woman had another purpose that didn't involve wearing his intestines as a belt. He had to be extremely cautious here, so he would have to change the game. "How about, instead of just telling each other random facts, we ask each other questions, taking it in turns?" This version of the game was chosen because it would allow Yuube to determine what she wanted by listening to her questions. "Since it's my turn, I'll ask you first. How many people have you killed?" Of course, Yuube could have been more subtle about changing the game, such as suggesting it was hard on him and acting the innocent child, but he was inexperienced in face to face confrontation, and it hadn't crossed his mind.

[Das Kirb]

”HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA, You’re deft skill fails you assassin! Perhaps you should have been more careful in your wording.”

The mocking tone was soon to turn into one of pure envy when Naka truly pulled the line. He was walking right into a trap and had lost all possible means of escape long ago. Now he could only mitigate the damage that would be done from the launch.

”I assume that’s fair enough. My last count was at least seven, I stopped trying to count them after that. It got distracting and trying to eviscerate a poor soul while keeping track of numbers and weapons and gore isn’t exactly easy. It must have been at least double that in the building.” Naka was of course remembering a mission done not long ago concerning the assassination of a petty drug lord. So many bodies to bag.

After a brief moment of reflection on the time she looked back to the boy from the corner of her eye, keeping a playful tone about her voice. ”So tell me Pyromaniac Yuube, have you ever been with a girl? There was a toying tone to her voice. Adolescent boys were so easy to play with. Embarrassment would force him into the stance, true digging would come shortly after.

[Nafan~]

Yuube had now begun thinking about everything she had said carefully. He was completely on guard. Nothing could possibly-.. A girl? What did she mean, been with a girl? Like, in love? No way, not him, there was never anybody interesting enough.. except maybe this girl here. He began to blush as embarrassment set in. She really was pretty. He made an effort to pinch himself in the leg under the table to stop mangling his thoughts.

She had certainly caught him off guard, but now that he looked back on the conversation, it made sense. "I often use my own body as the bait..." is what she had said. In other words, she was trying to seduce him. But it was definitely working, and he hated himself for it. He was falling for her and there was little he could do. It would only be a matter of time before he let his guard down because of infatuation.

At least he had an idea of the game she was playing. She had no want of the information in him, she just wanted to see how much she could get. He didn't think a shinobi from his own village would be trying to kill him. Yuube responded honestly, because he could see no other option that would leave him less open. A few seconds had passed as he thought and composed himself, then he answered, "No, I haven't 'been' with a girl." See, that wasn't so hard was it? So why was he getting this incredibly nervous feeling in his stomach. An urge to shout out that he did have a girl in mind, and it was her. He had to control himself, had to.. but he was twelve years old and the battle was already lost. "I think I... No! A quick blur and Yuube had shoved a shitload of food in his mouth and hoped she hadn't been able to decipher those three quick words. He chewed hard on the substance in his mouth, which he couldn't taste for his embarrassed anger.

He had lost any small control of the situation he had. His face was burning up and his head was angled slightly down. And then he remembered that the two of them weren't alone. He moved his head to face Reiha. He put everything he could into his eyes and sent a silent plea her way to make the other woman stop. This was probably his last bid for complete freedom, and if Reiha wouldn't help him, he could only do his best to marginalize the damage. And for his young mind, it would be incredibly difficult for him to hide much from her at all if he was going to go blurting things out involuntarily. 'Please, Help me..' he thought desperately.

[Das Kirb]

Naka had won and she knew it. He was stumbling over his own words, doubting himself even. If only she had any desire to weaponize him here and now she would. As it stood he was safe from her normal plans and would just fall victim to her games. With a smooth motion of her hand Naka moved over to grab Reiha’s hand before she saw the look on his face. He was asking her for help. Very well, it was Reiha’s turn to have fun.

Unfortunately, unlike her partner Reiha had no interest in pushing the boy further and instead turned on Naka. Her eyes showed of agitation and her voice had the ever so slight hint of venom that signaled it was time to stop. ”Naka, it would be best to stop before our guest has to search a new pair of trousers, and you to have to seek a medic.” She meant every word too. It was one thing to toy with the men of the village, this young was pushing it though.

Naka took the hint with a smile. ”I suppose you’re right. Besides, I think we’ve other business to attend too.” Naka made to get up, but stopped an instant short. ”If you’re ever looking for someone interesting I’m normally to be found at the hidden grounds on the north side of the village. Just find the cavern with the most damage and you’ll find me eventually.” He would come looking for her, they always did. Without saying another word the pair of girls got up and left, with them they took what seemed to make this place alive. Without them, everything in the store seemed empty.

OOC: Feel free to post a wrap up post. If you want another social then just say so and catch me via PM, MSN, or the box.

[Nafan~]

Relief washed over Yuube's struggling mind as Reiha put a halt to Naka's cruel mind games. He whispered a thank you in Reiha's direction as she left and he watched them exit the restaurant. He quickly finished his meal and got up. He walked out of the restaurant, thanking the owner for the lovely food.

On his way home, Yuube got to thinking about his night out. While he had been thoroughly embarrassed, Yuube had been having fun. They truly were interesting people. She had told him to seek her at the caverns if he was ever looking for someone interesting. Something about that struck a cord in him. He was sure it meant something more. It clicked in his mind surely afterwards.

Yuube stopped in the middle of the road and lifted his drooping head. His face was a mask of shock as he had just realized what had happened. His mouth, which was in the shape of an "O", moved into a ridiculous grin. He had just made a friend. His first friend. And it felt... strangely nice.