Open A New Student

[Yuki Aiko]

To say Yuki was excited to finally be accepted to the academy was an absolute under statement. Sure the entry to get into this place was hard, but well worth all the effort she put in to succeed. Now that she was here, she had an important duty that only she could do...Make some friends! Of course, with how much her mother had been working her at home, this place was as much an excuse to play around and meet new people as it was to learn how to be a ninja. So as such, after her classes for the day were concluded Aiko would go to ambush the first poor unsuspecting person she'd see.

"Hey, I'm Aiko, nice to meet you! What's your name?"

Her voice was clearly holding back her barely contained excitement, a girl like Aiko having been unable to socialize and meet new people in the last few years she's been in the village. Now that she didn't have the overbearing weight of her mother on her, she could do what she wanted! At least for a few hours after school, so that her mother didn't get suspicious... Never the less, those big blue eyes of Aiko would be staring directly at the first person she ran into, a wide smile on her face.


[WC:216]
[Topic Entered]

 

[Eichi]

Eichi continued his casual stroll. ’The Academy. This place has always been a favorite of mine. Classes were ok, they couldn’t have prepared us any better for the world that was ahead.’ The boy’s mind was on his pre-graduation life. Revisiting the Academy, the memories that they brought back were still fresh. He wondered if this new age had done anything different than what his class had accomplished.

As he was strolling down memory lane he heard a voice. She appeared before him, seeming rather ecstatic, full of energy. This caught Eichi off guard a bit. His eyes widened, not out of surprise, but out of curiosity. A brief pause would pass as the boy studied the girl. ”Well you seem rather happy today. Is it because class is out?” Some couldn’t await leaving the Academy grounds once class was over. Others would linger behind. He was one of those that took their time getting back home. Sometimes he even stayed behind for extra credit, or just to have a conversation with the teachers.

”My name is Eichi, I’m glad to make your acquaintance Aiko.” His words were gentle. He knew he had an attitude that could scare others away, but once they got to know him, he wasn’t that bad of a guy to be around.

With his hands still on his pockets, he looked towards the classroom areas of the Academy. He wondered if there were any teachers still around. Maybe he could catch a private lesson, maybe even spruce up on a jutsu or two. Who knew, maybe even this Aiko girl could accompany him.

 

[Yuki Aiko]

The girl would have a large smile plastered on her face, her hands kept behind her back as she looked him up and down.

"Pretty formal, huh? Come on, there's no parents around, don't need to be all stuffy!"

Aiko would pace around the fellow student, giving a light hum as she inspected them. She seemed pretty care free and aloof, her form swaying side to side as she glanced back up to Eichi's eyes.

"Class is out, yeah! Just got out a bit ago, so I thought I'd go around and meet some others! You wanna play?"

Aiko would produce two dolls. Their features were nicely carved, with pale faces and rosy cheeks. Attacked to their limbs would be several strings that lead up to wooden cross handle. Aiko would drop one down near the ground, making the dolls hand rest under it's chin, Aiko covering her mouth with an arm.

"Indeed, as I am also very formal and fancy, I concur that we should play together!"

A big grin forms on Aiko's face as she awaits a response to her offer!

 

[Eichi]

Eichi raised his eyebrows and let up a curious sounding ”Hmm? Stuffy?” He didn’t quite get it, but it didn’t bug him. He began wondering why this girl was so happy? Was this just her mood? As she paced around him, he nervously watched her move. Was he being searched down by security.

Looking back at her, he was taken by surprise as she asked if he wanted to play. He began to giggle a bit. Did she really ask him if he wanted to play? It felt as though he had a sister now, and while amused by this, he decided to play into her whims. The thing is, when she broke out two dolls, he broke out into a sweat. ’Whaa! Did she really pull out her dolls?’ This was not why he came to the Academy. Neither was playing with dolls his thing. At this point he had to make a decision. Just walk away and act like nothing happened, or play with ‘dolls’ with this girl that he just met at the Academy. He decided to keep his cool. It would be rather embarrassing to play dolls, but he wasn’t the one to walk out on another.

”Uhh, playing…” He took a gulp, looking at the two human figures she’d just pulled out. ”Dolls… sounds like great fun.” He never thought he’d be saying something like this, not even in a million years. He regained his composure, now studying the playmates. ”Hmm, who created these dolls of yours? Are your parents toy makers?” It was strange to see such things, and puppetry was something that he didn’t quite understand. It was a shinobi art, but surely someone as young as Aiko couldn’t be dealing with puppets at such a young age. Or was she?

Grabbing the wooden cross that lay rested on the downed doll, Eichi would pick it up, and begin moving it as though it were walking. What once was eww and full of cooties to him was now actually interesting to say the least. If it wasn’t for the strings attached to the dolls, he never would have thought of the puppetry shinobi art. ”Hey Aiko, are you allowed to have these in the Academy? I’m sure you’re not allowed to play with your dolls while in class.” The boy made the doll put its right hand under it’s chin as though it were thinking. He looked up to the girl, half expecting a no, the other half of his guess consisted of her answering that she had the dolls for shinobi use. Either way these dolls were intriguing, not in the tea party sort of way, but in the actual light that they could be used as shinobi tools.

 

[Yuki Aiko]

Aiko grinned as she saw that disgust turn to interest. She put on hand on her hip as the other manipulated the puppet. It was surprisingly hard Eichi may find, but Aiko was moving the doll like it was a living, breathing person. It was almost shocking how those strings moved it's body, impossible even. At which point Eichi may catch on that Aiko is using more than the strings on the wooden cross, as small glint of chakra threads could be seen manipulating parts of the body that lacked a physical string.

"Totally is fun! Oh, and these were made by my mom. These are so old puppets we don't use for the bunraku plays anymore, so she let me keep them! Really fun, isn't it?"

She'd continue to move the doll as if it was an extension of herself. While impressive, it certainly was magnitudes different than using one of those large shinobi puppets that are loaded to the teeth with hidden weapons. The kemono wearing doll does a spin, arms outstretched as it moved closer to Eichi's puppet. Once the two were near each other, Aiko's Puppet would press it's hands on Eichi's, a few more chakra strands attaching as she made the two dolls spin and dance together!

"I'm not allowed to use them in class...That the teacher knows of." Aiko chimes with a wink. "Buuut once I'm out of class I'm able to do whatever I want with them! Like make them dance~!"

Aiko gives a little laugh, brushing her white hair back and standing proudly as she shows off her puppetry skills.

 

[Eichi]

Watching as Aiko moved her puppet about, he wondered how long she’d been doing such arts. He still didn’t have control of his Dojutsu, so he couldn’t call on it to watch her chakra move about. Though it lay dormant in him, he had a feeling that he was correct on her wielding the shinobi art of puppetry. He began to try and mimick her style, actually putting in effort to love the doll just as she were, but his effort was minimal. He could only manage to bounce it around as though it were in some type of dance competition, which it would fail miserably.

”Bunraku plays!” Almost everything else Aiko said after that was drowned out by the thoughts of watching the stories that the plays entailed. Realizing his sudden enthusiasm, he calmed himself down, playing it off as he put a closed fist to his mouth and closed his eyes. He acted as though he were grunting to clear his throat. Opening his eyes and looking at Aiko he continued on, ”Bunraku plays.” The boy said, now sounding like an actor. ”You know, if I could ever come over and watch one of your plays, it’d be much appreciated. I enjoy such fine arts. I work at a ramen shop, so I could easily compensate a gourmet meal at dinner time.” The boy let out a small smile, a happy expression now on his face. He was just as full of energy now as Aiko was when she was pacing around him earlier.

That’s when he noticed the chakra emitted to make the dolls dance. ’She actually is a puppeteer.’ He was amazed. He heard and read about such things, but never seen the act before his eyes. ”Aiko that’s amazing. I’ve never seen a true puppeteer before. I hope it takes you far in your shinobi life. Even in your civilian life, I believe you could become quite successful.” The boy nodded, it was merely his opinion, but he knew it were facts. Even the street performers could draw in more yen than he could while working at the shop, the entertainment was interesting to watch to say the least.

”I can’t do anything like that, but I do enjoy cooking.” The boy looked back down to the puppets. He enjoyed watching them dance. After their display, he would try to make his puppet look as though it were cooking on a stove top. Of course his movements weren’t that great, but he did what he could. ”Speaking of which, if you’re ever in the shop area, you should stop by the Raman shop that I work in. I give discounts to friends.” He now enacted the puppet to work a cash register. ”Yen please.” Eichi would say as he made the puppet hold out it’s right hand. It looked as though it were asking Aiko’s puppet for yen.

 

[Yuki Aiko]

Ohoho! Pulled him like a puppet on strings! Aikos mention of her family's trade broke that hard personality he was trying to portray. She'd have the break away from the other, leaning in with it's hand on its hips as if it was smugly looking at Eichi.

"Mhmm! My mom has at least one per night! You'd have to ask her, but I'm sure she won't mind if you bribe her with some free ramen.. She even lets me play some of the puppets sometimes for the performances, it's really fun! Though usually I just attend to the guests.."

Aiko gave a shrug. She liked working at the theatre, especially because she got to watch all the play for free. She'd press a finger into her chin, trying to remember which one was going to be put on tonight. She remembered her mother mentioning something about it at dinner...Oh right! Aiko would snap her fingers, looking to Eichi.

"This afternoon we're doing the first six acts of Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami! If you think I'm good with puppets, you should see my moms work! She only has one hand that can use Chakra, but she's super awesome at using it! I would definitely check it out."

After that, she'd look down at Eichi's puppet, giggling as she had her own doll march up.

"Oh yes, I have ten billion yen! Do you have change for that?"

The doll says, as Aiko makes it look like the doll was throwing money around haphazardly.

 

[Eichi]

”Hmm, you should ask your mom if you could put on a show.” He felt that the bond between mother and daughter should be secure, especially in a shinobi family. With her saying that her mother only had one hand to use chakra gave the boy an idea. When his Dojutsu awoke, maybe he could see where her internal chakra system took a turn, and offered only one hand use of chakra. He didn’t know what would awaken his eyes, but if it were up to his heart, there were many that he would use his Dojutsu to help. Eichi took it into serious thought as he looked back to the puppets.

The puppet moved to rub the back of it’s head, giving a smile, ”I’m sorry, but I don’t carry that sort of yen. I’m but a wee shop.” Eichi gave him a thick French accent. ”I will still give you a meal for free.” He apologized to the customer. ”What will you have?” The figure now stood as though he were taking notes.

”Okay, I’ll ask your mom for a ramen night at the puppet theater. We could walk back to your place after visiting the market, if you want to cut through the market place, that is.” He wouldn’t mention his idea about her mom, it became a piece of him as he continued his journey of life. After mentioning the marketplace the boy was ready to jet off, but he would enjoy being in vicinity The Academy once more.

 

[Yuki Aiko]

"Maybe! Though usually it's a whole thing to put one together. We'd only be able to show you a few scenes, since moms usually busy running everything by herself. Since I'm going to school now, she has even less help...But she's gotten this far, I'm sure she can handle it!"

Aiko gaves a firm nod, moving her heads to shift the puppet. "Oh, lovely! You are quite the gentleman, thank you! I'll have a big ramen bowl with all the toppings please!" Aiko says, making the puppet lean in with it's hands on its hips, moving the puppet as fluidly as one would move their own body. It was almost kind of astonishing how fluid the motions were. The power of chakra infused puppetry it would seem. After that, she'd, look back up and tilt her head at him. "I'm fine with going through the market! I don't have a lot of yen on me, annnd I don't know how to make ramen. Soo I'll let you handle all of that, okay? Great!" Aiko says, as she'd begin to march off. The puppet with her would mimic her motions, the tiny puppet motioning a hand to tell Eichi to come along!

This girl certainly was an oddity, and she didn't look too similar to the people around the village. If Eichi had to make a guess, it'd be fairly obvious that she likely was from out of the village, likely someone who's family traveled quite a distance to get themselves all the way here.