A Village Hidden in Maples [Private | Kotori]

[Honnou]

Safe to say, the travel could’ve gone quicker than that. Despite having no soon deadline to arrive in this country, Hon wouldn’t want to miss the Leaf Lunar Festival. For the first time in his life, he would participate in another country’s festivity (excluding the extravagance at Tea Country), so this could also serve as a way or passage to educate himself in the social life of other countries and villages. The moment he gained entrance to the Hidden Leaf Village, Hon breathed out in relief as he could now enjoy the view and roam the streets with ease and merriness.

The blue garments of his were… well, destroyed. His last spar with Doi cost a lot of his energy and clothes, so he had to go shopping before his travel. Fifty fifty, he wasn’t sure if any of his Cloud Mates 101 would be attending the festival too, but… well, was that thought only relevant to him because of his new clothes? Did he just want an impression from them? Please, Hon, you were better than that, come on…!

It was his first time wearing them, too. He couldn’t help but feel self-aware… a deep breath would do it. Yes, concentration. It was his league, and he excelled in it. Although, the new, fresh, green atmosphere did do a trick on him, since he wasn’t used to so many maple trees in a village… as a matter of fact, trees wasn’t the first thing that he would associate the Hidden Cloud with. He’d think mountains… hills… mountain hills…

It didn’t take long before his parkour brain took over, wanting a bigger view of the village. Instinctively, he released a wire that helped pulling him up through a few houses in one leap, soon reaching a rather tall water tank that towered over the rest of the urban. From there, he could see the Stone Faces - carvings of the previous Hokage’s immortalized on the side of the mountain, watching over the Leaf Village… he should have a view up in that place, too. Perhaps later.

Crouching down, he reached into his pocket and pulled up a handful of candy that he bought earlier. Soon, he found himself counting down to 7 pieces of fruit caramels. Eating one piece, he then descended from the good view and brainstormed on what to do; should he go make a lantern? Those were quite traditional. Or maybe try his luck with the fishing games? It required a quick and soft touch, so he would obviously take advantage of his gentle movements trained through years. Nothing unfair about that.

Or maybe make a neat mask for himself? He did just pass by a mask shop that made him think of that event; although, looking through the variation of masks in this one spot, he’d rather just buy one from here instead of making one. He remembered back when he tried making a mask for himself in a special occasion, but that just backfired very hardly.

… But he really stank at finding just the right mask for himself. Heh, even his Byakugan couldn’t scan the variety of masks down.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Kotori was roaming the streets once more, she was happy that she was back at this place. It was home, unlike her previous stay, which was nice, but it ain't home. A soft sigh left her lips as she walked further, eventually, he saw a male standing there, wondering what he would be doing, but she recognized that red trike from anywhere. Yet he wouldn't know that she knew him. She was in her Lunar clothing, a red ribon on top which held a small knot on top of her hairs together. She had an oversized jacket on which would show to be an animal like sleeves. Underneath was just a simple dress and a small necklace. Her hairs long and a flower placed among them. She would walk towards the young man and with her emerald hues, she would look towards him. "Hello! I haven't seen you here before, you must be new around him. Uchiha Kotori, nice to meet you." Unlike most inside the Uchiha bloodline, she had crimson colored hairs and emerald hues. In the village here, she was known for many things. "May I assume you are here for the Lunar Festival?" She spoke and placed a strand of her hairs behind her ear.

 

[Honnou]

As casual as Hon appeared as he scanned the masks, he didn’t expect anyone to greet him. Taken a slight aback, he turned around to eye a red-haired lady around his age in a festive outfit and deep, emerald-blue eyes rivaling his own, azure-blue eyes. “Uh, yeah… it’s my first time here in Leaf,” he replied. He was a classic tourist in the Lunar Festival, and she might’ve likely been a native here.

“N-Nice to meet you too,” he exchanged a tad hesitantly, “Hyuuga Honnou. Call me Hon.” She did reveal her Uchiha heritage, and so did he reveal his own. She was the second or third Uchiha that Hon had ever met, and it stood clear to him and his sharp vision that she didn’t remind him nor resembled any other Uchiha that he had met. Oh well, he was in a new country and all, so that could be the reason. He had to remember that he was still just a tourist.

“Yeah, actually. I caught wind of the annual festival and thought that I might pay a visit,” he explained to her. She was likely here for the same reason if not being a citizen was the case. That also begged the question; did he stand out too much? Was she mildly curious about him, or was it… maybe, maybe it was because of his new outfit? He did buy it near this place in the Fire Country, and it wasn’t cheap.

… He never used to think about such things before…

“It’s clear as day that you’re here for the same reason,” he stated the obvious, taking a mild look at Kotori’s appearance - starting from her vermillion-red, silky hair that had a bun tied up by a red ribbon, temporarily locked on to her green eyes and friendly smile, to further down to her oversized jacket and dress. She looked good in that, honestly.

“W-Woah… wait, you wanna buy a mask here too? Perhaps you could help me choose, they’re all cool and unique…”

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Kotori herself had seen already many and many kinds of masks. She did tilt her head a little bit sideways as she watching the young male in front of her. She studied him for a second, why was he behaving like this suddenly... Something was off. "If we are going to do full names..." She spoke with a soft chuckle and would bow once more. "Uchiha Haku Kotori."She would introduce herself once more. "You can call me Kotori if you wish to do so." She would smile towards the boy and let her eyes glance over the market beside them. "Help you choose hmm... Well.. as how I always say, masks are something that can reflect on yourself, past or future. The different kinds are also something." Her knowledge about masks would finally come to show, yet she knew she shops only had a few to see. "Plain masks, you can buy to have a mysterious identity or just for plain decoration. Lot's of people use them to decorate their own... But the others are more of use." As she walked towards the stand she would look behind herself, curious to see if the other was or wasn't following.
"Hannya. The fearsome Hannya is a jealous female demon." She would go one by one of the masks they had hanging and she had knowledge off... Yet that wouldn't mean all of them. "Kitsune... According to some beliefs, the kitsune is a messenger of a god but is not always a figure of upstanding ethics. In some ways, kitsune also represents the contradictory nature of every single one of us."
And she would point out 2 more after this. "Tengu, with his glowing red face, protruding, bulbous nose and typically rather grumpy expression is one of Japan’s most multi-faceted figures. Yet today they’re worn in theatre performances, featured in festivals and often hung in houses as symbols of good luck, believed to frighten bad spirits. And last but not least... Oni... She would comment and pick up the mask and hold it beside the Tengu. "As you see it looks a lot like Tengu, but with far smaller noses, but they are two entirely different beings. During this time many parents wear the scary masks to frighten their children all in the name of fun." Her voice would quiet down as she looked towards them, then placed them away. "So... These are all the ones I know about. Of course... That is like maybe... 10% of the amount that is around here.. "

 

[Honnou]

Uchiha Haku Kotori? Why did she have two last names… or was it two first names? His knowledge of Uchiha casted light on the first, but ‘Haku’ was a foreign and unheard word to him. Likely, it was the name of a clan that Hon had never heard of before. It was fascinating to discover new clans and their names in other countries, expanding his awareness and experience of the world around him.

Masks did surely hold meaning to them, but Hon could never put his tongue on it the way that Kotori did. The plain masks that gave him second-degree burning experience held mystery to them… you never knew what exactly they portrayed, so terms such as ‘secret’ and ‘hidden’ were associated with it. According to the red-haired beauty, they were also templates for creative decoration - Hon simply let that idea slip by, since he wasn’t confident enough in his own decorating skills when it came to masks.

He had tried once…

Masks, masks. He shouldn’t put so much weight to it, in the end. One of the masks looked like a refined woman’s face, referred to by Kotori as a Hannya. “… She doesn’t look that jealous to me,” Hon commented, rather affected by her confined facial expression.

Kitsune was a classic animal, the fox spirit that he had been told stories about as a child. They were far more popular than many other spirits out there known as… if he recalled it correctly, yōkai. About symbolizing contradictive nature… why did this fit Hon so much? He felt relativity by hearing those words being spoken to him…

The Tengu looked funny. He had seen its face in a few circuses and theatres before, but the long nose never struck him like here up close. The Oni resembled the Tengu, and the last mask did remind Hon… of a certain event in the past…

Hmh…

“I believe…” Hon spoke up, “That Kitsune suits me best. Thanks a lot for the help, Kotori.” He sent a soothing smile to the helpful lady, then grabbed one of the Kitsune masks and purchased it with the sufficient amount of yen from his purse.

Hell, he even bought two. Without further warning, he jokingly put another Kitsune mask over Kotori’s face along with a held-back laughter. “Is there anything I can do to repay the favor, expert?” he jokingly asked. Despite the sudden yet slow-paced action, he meant no harm to the redhead. That would be contradictive given her previous help.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

A slight whelp was given by the girl, a tiny squeal as she suddenly had something in front of her face and she herself had letten her guard down. A little bit embarrassment she took the mask off to look towards it. It... was a sweet gesture, but a funny one non the less.
"Kitsune... According to some beliefs, the kitsune is a messenger of a god but is not always a figure of upstanding ethics. In some ways, kitsune also represents the contradictory nature of every single one of us." Her own words echoed through her mind. Slowly she started to mutter as she let her fingers go over the details of the mask. "Kitsune... the fox... Has contradictory behavior also... It can be benevolent or malevolent... It really depends on the situation..." She would smile towards it and place it by her hip and bought the mask. "It fits.." she would smile towards the boy beside her.
"Did you know... In folklore stories, foxes shapeshift to trick humans. They can take a form of a priest to trick villagers or a form of a beautiful woman to seduce a man.?" She would giggle on the thought that it was even possible, as she herself didn't believe in such stories.

"And no, there isn't. I am just glad to help people out. Even if they are not from here."

 

[Honnou]

“H-Huh?” Hon let out in a curious yelp. Foxes were rumored to have many secret abilities in folklore, but wouldn’t that mean that they were never actually safe from a fox’s mischief? If it could shapeshift all freely like using a Transformation Jutsu, then… what Kotori explained worried him. It didn’t have to, but Hon thought way too much. His expression turned into a sharp one, aiming his bluish eyes right at Kotori’s emerald-green ones. Either a priest to track villagers…

… or a beautiful woman to seduce a man…

His next action was hiding behind the edge of the mask shop with his head popping out and looking straight at her. A small, flustered color patted his cheeks, and after a small moment of silence, he opened his mouth: “… Y-You don’t happen to be a fox, r-right?”

It came out of nowhere, honestly. It was just an idea that popped up in his head that she was a kitsune taking the form of a beautiful, red-haired girl who tried to trick him. He wouldn’t be tricked so easily…!