Everybody Talks

[Amy]

There was no doubt about it, Rai sighed to herself as she slowly made her way back to the village, training just wasn’t the same without Kawa. Or Shikari or Shikuro, for that matter. But times were tough and one was dead, the other busy with politics, and the last incapacitated. Sure she had Kuro, who never left her side unless he had to but even training with him was getting difficult as she branched more towards Genjutsu. Even still she couldn’t let Kuro get out of shape or feel left out so since before the sun lighted the floor of the forest they had been training. It was this training that accounted for the slight limp to her step, the thin but clearly visible layer of dust that covered her features. It was also why she was heading back to the village so early. A good meal and a short nap were coveted before she found something else to spend her neverending energy on.

Before they were even within view of the forest’s edge, Kuro’s ears picked up, a short and high pitched whine coming from his mouth. Having raised him since a young pup, Rai understood most of what he had to say from his “You better let me outside now” bark, all the way to his various warning barks. This was a simple one. Unknown visitor, no danger expected.

Quickening her pace just a bit, Rai kept her eyes and ears alert, looking for the intruder. Well, likely not a true intruder. It wasn’t really her forest She had just protected it from rogues, from fire, from giant pigs and snakes and moles...so maybe she was a little protective. As expected though, it was nothing exciting. A child, well, not a child but young. If she wasn’t so curious she would have taken time to wonder when she started seeing teenagers as being children. Not a pleasant thing to think about. Whereas some might be too shy to walk up to strangers and strike up a conversation, Rai never worried about such simple things. She was bored and this person might have something to offer her. And she would never know if she didn’t talk to him.

"Hey there. Name’s Rai. What brings you out this way today?" Flashing him a wide grin, Rai rested her hand on Kuro’s head, keeping him in place. Her entire appearance screamed of relaxed, if not still rather dirty. She was in a good mood, for the time being at least.

[SimpleSerenity]

Shoichi was lost in thought, his hands resting protectively around a steaming cup of tea. The heat and comforting smell of Juniper and mint enveloped him, casting off the pain and toil of the day. He had been training somewhat fruitlessly for the last week or so. There was so much he needed to do, so many abilities left unlearned and it seemed that each day brought him no closer to the power he sought. There were techniques, theorems, and all manner of experimentation to be done and yet... The boy sighed heavily into his tea. Not enough; he was simply not enough. As usual, he fought to overcome a sense of foreboding about his training and the progress he was not making. His shoulder-length hair fell around his bowed head, caging his gaze and blocking out the forest around him. It was a brief, quiet moment that took him far away from the troubles and pain of reality.

Shoichi jumped rather embarrassingly at the sound of a voice. He'd been lost in his own world and then suddenly... Girl. Dog. Shinobi. Shit. The boy panicked, briefly wondering who and what was speaking to him. He turned only to find himself face to face with one of the biggest dogs he'd ever seen. Big and black, the beast even had a white mask as if to mimic the face of Death. Shoichi did not like dogs. He was not a "pet" person, and finding himself face to face with a beast, owned by a shinobi, made him terribly uncomfortable. It took a moment for the boy to calm himself and react appropriately to the noises this stranger was making at him, which he now realized were words. Words of greeting it seemed, lovely. He stood to face the woman as he returned the greeting.

"Hello, miss Rai. I am Hirata, Shoichirou, at your service."

He bow bowed deeply at the waist, his eyes taking in the woman's features as he did. Nice tits if nothing else... He smirked, bowing lower to hide the look on his face. The tone of the woman's body and the scarring made it clear she outranked him. It would be foolish to disrespect her, even if she was just a woman. He straightened himself and his smile too after the bow, his eyes searching hers questioningly. What did she want from him? He ignored her question. It was best not to give any answers if he could help it, at least until he could gather more information about his newfound companion.

[Amy]

Rai’s grin only widened as she watched the boy take in the sight before him. It was a bit odd, she had come to accept long ago. She was small, short. Kuro was large. Weighed more than she herself did. They made quite the pair but she didn’t let him be the intimidating one, not on purpose anyways. He was really just a giant loveable goofball who wanted to tackle and lick and love anyone who would let him. Her hand on his head was the only thing keeping him by her side, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

So very formal she thought to herself as she studied the boy in front of her. He was tall and she would be annoyed by that if she wasn’t so used to it. At her service...That was a bit bold and...formal.. He must be a relatively new Genin, she decided as she unashamedly studied him. There weren’t many Genin that she didn’t know to at least a certain degree. She and Shikari were always looking for new talent for the org. New Shinobi were always emerging with talents that couldn’t be wasted, that were needed to protect the village. Maybe this guy had something like that! He could have something unique! Something that she had never seen before! Something that could save the village if it was ever, God forbid, invaded again! Without realizing it, Rai was nodding enthusiastically with each point she made inside of her head.

Without his consent, she had already decided. They were going to spend some time together.

"This is Kuro, by the way. He’s harmless as long as you don’t try anything funny. You and I though, I think we should talk. Considering I interrupted you though, we will continue in your direction. You never answered my question though, so what I’m interrupting couldn’t have been all that important, right? Right."

True to her word, Rai turned and started walking in the direction that Shoichi had been walking in. It was simply expected that he would follow her. But, just in case he was thinking of leaving her she motioned towards Kuro. "He makes a great herding dog too, by the way." The slight threat to her tone was just clear enough to be heard. Just enough to make her point.

"When did you graduate?" Disarm him with an easy question. Shikari was always saying she was too forward, that she scared people. But that was just silly.

[SimpleSerenity]

Shoichi was annoyed. This stupid bitch had interrupted him, and now she was trying to herd him like some kind of livestock. He noted the hint of threat in her voice and it infuriated him. Regardless of whether or not this woman was his senior, he did not like to be spoken to in that way. She was already leaving as well, as if she just assumed her orders would be followed. The dog was closer, obviously waiting to herd him if the need arose. He instantly considered using genjutsu on the beast, if for no other reason than to scare it. He thought better of the idea however, there was no way of knowing if the animal would react with fear or violence, and undoubtedly, the owner would become hostile. She might be female but she was still a shinobi. With an irritated sigh the boy started to follow. He would listen to whatever insipid conversation he was forced to endure and then find a way to discard his unwanted companions.

Absolutely ridiculous; I have no idea how people manage to function on such a low level and still be considered sentient. The dog is a pain too. What kind of pathetic, needy, incompetent, worthless person needs a dumb beast to aid them in combat? I just wanted to have a nice day to relax and figure out what to do with myself now that I've graduated. MUST I always be saddled with trash?

The boy noted the swaying of Rai's hips as she walked in front of him, and smirked again, enjoying the view. There were a few things women were good for after all. He stretched, irked that the other shinobi was speaking again. Can't she just keep her stupid yap shut? He supposed he would have to answer her questions though. He didn't want to deal with her grating voice any longer than was necessary. His back ached from an unpleasant sleep. He arched and half-turned as it cracked with a satisfying "pop."

"Just a couple days ago, Ms. Rai. I haven't been assigned to any squads yet; so I was thinking about taking a mission or two to make some money."

[Amy]

The formalness bothered her. Greatly. Rai couldn’t remember ever talking like that to any of her superiors. Not even in her rank up meetings. Though, there was a very good possibility that was her downfall and not his. But hey, she had met Kawa as her first real team member. It was no wonder she was lacking in the manners department.

"Rai. Not Ms. Rai. I may be your superior but that’s just too stuffy. Save that for people who care." She supposed that she should encourage the respect he was showing her, build a good foundation for the future, blah blah blah. Respect was so often used as a shield, something used with those you didn’t really care for so that maybe you could get away with that extra dash of snark, the eye roll, the underlying threat. She knew because she was an expert at doing it, at throwing guarded insults at those who ranked above her. Of course, he might also just be really friendly.

"No squad, no squad leader means boring missions. No friends from the academy you can team up with?" Rai had been assigned to a few different squads after she graduated but they never worked out well. Something about too much aggression and an inability to work well with others. But once she had met Kawa and Shikari being a part of their team was second nature. It didn’t happen for everyone and it was less likely to happen if you were just stuck into a team where you didn’t know anyone.

Stopping in a small clearing, stretching her own back out, she turned to face Shoichi. "You’re a new graduate so I’m going to spare you all of the speeches and warnings you just finally got done having to listen to. What I want, what you can refuse, is to see what you can do. It’s been awhile since I got to spar with a fresh Genin. Besides," Rai said, a lopsided grin on her face. "If you impress me I might take you a mission more exciting than weeding someone’s garden."