After Class and Chill [Open]

[Hirateuchi]

It was a few hours past midday when classes at the academy were let out for the day, the sun still high up in the sky and plenty of time left to be productive. Hirateuchi announced to the class as he left that he would be at his usual resting spot if anybody wanted to hang out. He assumed they all knew the one he spoke of with how much he ditched class to rest under the mammoth of a plant. While he did like his afternoon naps under the large oaken beauty that rested just outside the academy walls, he was finding more and more these days that the company of others was making him feel more comfortable with the idea of becoming a shinobi. It all started with that man, Raku, helping him out. Now he felt that through the companionship he felt with his fellow classmates he might one day be as strong as his parents hope for him.

Not waiting for an answer from anyone, Hira simply walked out of the academy doors, following a winding path that led up to the tree. Finding a meager patch of shade barely withstanding the onslaught of the sun, he payed his head down against the oak's roots and sprawled his arms and legs on the groun, letting out a long sigh of relief that another long day was over. His newfound motivation could only take him so far without the academy's classes still boring him to some degree. At least he hadn't fallen asleep in class today. But that only made falling asleep right now all that much more temping.

Looking up at the bustling sky, full of content wistful clouds, he daydreamed about moving as fluidly as they did. Maybe if he had that much grace he would finally be able to train himself as hard as he wanted. That was a thought for another time, though. This was perfect nap weather, with a cool but subtle breeze passing by. Without another thought, Hira closed his eyes and lost himself to thought. Maybe he didn't give his classmates enough incentive to come join him. His offer did seem kind of stale, he pondered for a moment. He wondered quizzically if anybody would take his offer as he slowly felt himself drift off into a light slumber.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

There he was again. That Hira. He was already making a scene at the end of class, but she couldn’t help that his words were meant for her. After all, he had given her that invitation earlier. She appreciated that he had made it an open invitation that way he didn’t have to go up to her directly and ask. She was sure that this would have given her no end of grief among the girls. While the girls here were training in flower arrangement and murder, they were also very interested in the relationships of the class. As expected Hira was the first out the door. The others took their time of course.The class rep had asked her if she could stay after and represent the girls when it came to cleaning the classroom. She hoped that Hira would still be at at his secret spot when she finished with the classroom.The desks were put away, the floors were swept and mopped. Every surface was wiped until everything cleaned. The desks and chairs were put back place and finally everything was done.

She wiped her forehead. She could definitely the aches in her joins again after all that intense cleaning.She picked up her backpack and pulled out a snack bar as she finally made her except of the room. She slung her back pack over her shoulder as she peeled the wrapper from the snack bar and began to eat it as she made her way over to Hira’s usual spot. If he didn’t always skip class at the same spot she would have lost, but fortunately he was becoming infamous around the school for the way he always was skipping class.

He was relaxing by a tree. She loomed over him taking another bite from snack bar as she considered his laziness. ”Ah hope ya don’t mind if I join ya.” She took a seat besides the boy. She looked up at the sky that he seemed so fascinated. He chuckled to herself as she laid down on the grass as well. She propped her knees up so that she could reach them with her hands and began to massage them with her fed her mouth the rest of the snack bar. ”Yer always sleepin’ and skippin’ class, Ah was just thinkin’ what are ya fixin’ to be a ninja for?”

 

[Hirateuchi]

"Hmmm?" Hira rubbed his eyes and stretched out with a yawn. Seems Watanabe had taken him up on his offer to hang out, but did she really have to wait so long? Hira had already fallen asleep and felt slightly disgruntled that somebody had to come and disrupt his slumber. At any rate, he didn't want to show frustration towards his new friends, so after a while of moaning and rolling around like a child he sat up and smiled as the girl sat down with him. Her question threw him off guard though.

What am I trying to be a ninja for?

"Well, at first I wasn't really sure I wanted to be a ninja." Hira began looking back up at the sky with a lazy look in his eyes. "But recently my parents sent an old man to help me train. He's strange, and a bit of a creep sometimes, but he made me realize why I need to get strong, ya know?" Hira took one last glance at the sky before looking back over to Watanabe. "I think I gotta go one step at a time, though. That training outside of class is about all I can muster the motivation for right now." With a laugh, Hira laid back down, wondering if he truly believed that or he was just convincing himself of that for his parent's sake. At any rate, the academy classes were far too boring for him.

"So what've you been up to anyways? Classes have been out for a while now, haven't they?

 

[Shuya]

After yet another seemingly long class period, Shuya scrambled to copy down the last of his notes before the teacher erased the board. With the usual speech the teacher grew accustomed to giving at the end of class, the entire class stood up, stretched, and immediately began to think about what they'll do for the rest of their day. One student in particular already had an idea and made it known to everyone, announcing his intent to hang out at his 'usual resting spot'. Where exactly that spot was, however, Shuya didn't know. He assumed the nearby giant tree was the spot, seeing as he'd recognized the student sitting there a few days a week. Shuya would occasionally look outside the window to see someone laying underneath that tree, even during class time, which came as a shock to him. The mumbles of a few students around him only reinforced that assumption.

While he had, almost immediately, decided to go to that tree and possibly make a new friend, the strength of his usual habits was starting to show. For every reason he could think of to go to the tree, he thought up another, sometimes two, reasons to not go. Even as he packed his supplies into the single-slinged backpack, his thoughts continued to go at war with each other. Maybe a walk will clear my mind, he thought to himself.

On the tail end of his walk he had, unconsciously, wandered back to the school and within eye shot of the tree. This time, he saw two people underneath it: one figure that he could vaguely make out as the student from before and another figure that seemed much, much taller than that student. Since he was already here, he saw no reason why he couldn't just go up and say hello. Well, he could think of one, but not one that wouldn't make him feel crappy later on. "Hello!" he exclaimed, waving his hand as he walked toward the duo, attempting to seem as friendly as possible. "I'm Shuya from class. Takagi, Shuya. I, uh, remember you talking about this spot earlier, so I figured I'd introduce myself. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

 

[Shinrya Riko]

"So what've you been up to anyways? Classes have been out for a while now, haven't they?

Ai put the wrapper into her backpack, then she moved the backpack behind her head like a pillow. ”ah was cleaning the classroom. The class rep made me do it last minute.” Ai didn’t have any hard feelings about the matter, but she couldn’t help but feel that this was part of the bullying that she had been experiencing ever since she came to Kumogakure. When she took a moment to think about how that made her feel, she also remembered that she would do just about anything, put up with just about anything to kill the real villains. After all, kids were kids. They may have been jerks to her but they weren’t the ones who had murdered her brothers. She frowned slightly before straightening her face. ”Anyway -’ Her speech was interrupted by a hearty hello from another student.

Ai looked over at him and gave him a lazy wave. "I'm Shuya from class. Takagi, Shuya. I, uh, remember you talking about this spot earlier, so I figured I'd introduce myself. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." He had a very friendly manner of introducing himself. Of course Ai immediately took it the wrong way. Her face began to boil red. ”Wh-wha? What are ya talkin’ about!? We’re ain’t doin’ nuthin’.” She covered her face and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. She gulped before continuing. She thought that the red in her cheeks had gone away enough that she could manage. She patted the ground next to her. ”Come sit down with us Takagi-kun. We’re just hangin’ out.”

She hoped that Hira hadn’t been looking, and that Shuya hadn’t been looking. In fact she kinda wanted to die and stop existing right now because she was feeling a little embarrassed about the fact that Shuya had thought they were doing something together, and she didn’t even like Hira that way… or maybe she did? Oh gosh! She was so confused. She shook the thoughts from her pretty little head. She was the only one thinking like this. Hira was just someone she had become friends with today. It was wayyyy too early to start thinking about love.

Goddam Romance novels... She muttered to herself.

 

[Kikei]

“Eh…..” Kikei’s voice sounded out from somewhere in the branches of the oaken beauty, her presence hidden quite well behind the entangled tree branches. ‘Who is being so darn loud this early in the afternoon?’ She asked herself as she slowly opened her eyes to let in a visual of the world around her sink into her mind. Choosing to remain silent the young girl eavesdropped upon the two companions below. It was an interesting conversation one that made her contemplate why she had chosen to become a ninja in the first place. Of course before she could come up with a good enough reason a third fellow would make himself known in quite a loud and frankly irritating way. ‘Oh boy who is this kid, and why does he need to yell out hello as if they don’t already notice him heading this way.’ She thought as her charcoal eyes flashed a red hue in accordance to her level of irritation. It was also at that point she would shift herself to an upright position and stare down upon the group. Suddenly the young woman below her would have an outburst as well causing her irritation to grow. She began debating on if she should jump down or stay in the trees the young girl clenched her teeth into a wicked grin that reached ear to ear. She saw opportunity in this moment and she was not going to allow it to slip between her fingers.

“One.” She counted out as she shifted from one branch to the next kicking off with enough force to cause any loose acorns to rain down upon the trio. ‘Hehehe since my nap was ruined might as well have me some fun instead!’ She thought as she dropped down to a lower branch and stared down upon the group with eyes of crimson. It would also be around this time that her pocket watch’s constant buzzing would become audible to those below her.

“Two.” She stated much louder than her earlier count as she stared wide eyed down at the group her wicked grin still quite visible on her face. Finally with a forward lean she would plummet to the ground landing with a resounding thud, only for seconds later her body consumed by black flame. She was currently curled up like a certain blue hedgehog.

“Three!” She shouted as she uncurled herself and stood a mere four foot eleven inches, this of course would not be in anyway fearsome if not for the kimono made of black flames that covered her from the neck down. Nowhere on her body would the recognizable headband of a kumo shinobi be found as she would often avoid wearing it when not on a mission. Her gaze would transfix itself upon each student individual one after another as she gave them a once over, stopping briefly when and if they made eye contact.​

[WC:487]

[OoC: If anyone has any problems with how I make an entrance let me know. I was attempting to go for a bit of a villainous approach.]

 

[Shuya]

Shuya was immediately taken back by the girl's sudden outburst, his arms shooting up in front of him in some sort of instinctual defense mechanism. He didn't have anything to worry about, clearly, as moments later he recognized this as just a young girl being embarrassed; the redness in her face followed by her covering her face gave that away pretty clearly. She seemed to recover soon enough and, by the time she looked back up, his arms were already to his side. "Come sit down with us," she said, patting the ground next to her. He wasn't one to refuse, so he did just that. As he sat down next to Ai, he looked over to Hira, a bit surprised that he couldn't find any trace of surprise in his expression. Maybe it was just Shuya not knowing what kind of person Hira was, or maybe he just assumed he was a lot easier to startle than most people. The details of it weren't too important for him to dwell on for too long.

"So..." Shuya began, trying to come up with something to talk about, before he was interrupted by the sound of another female voice. "One." it said, causing him to look around before being pelted by an acorn or two. More alarming than the sudden acorn attack was the voice he heard. It certainly wasn't him or Hira, and it certainly didn't come from next to him. It was... above him? Before he started to lift his head to investigate, he heard that voice again. "Two." No acorns followed this time, but a body. A body that, for whatever reason, was soon covered in a black flame. If Shuya's first instinct of defense wasn't enough, this second one was definitely more of a show. He immediately pushed against the ground, scooting his body back to get away from the strange, black ball. "Three." the voice rang out one more, uncurling and revealing the source to the trio. It was someone that looked to be much shorter than Shuya, but also more fierce, given the flame-covered clothing she wore.

He stared at her for a few moments as she moved her eyes up and down each of the three students, his mind racing to figure out just who, or what, this girl was. Just thinking it wasn't going to get him any answers, so he was the first to speak up. "Who..." was the only word he could get out, seemingly paralyzed by the strange sight before him. What concerned him even more than this mystery was the thought that he'd have to fight this person. As a ninja, many difficult battles lie ahead, were the words that his teacher told the class. Was this one of these difficult battles? He didn't even know anything about being a ninja yet!

 

[Hirateuchi]

Hira stared at the young boy walking towards him and Watanabe in a mixture of relief and disappointment. While he was glad people took his invitation, he certainly felt some amount of annoyance that everyone had to show up so late. At any rate, he looked at the boy and waved back with a smile as he approached and introduced himself.

"I'm Shuya from class. Takagi, Shuya.” He didn't recognize the name from class, though maybe sleeping through half of those classes didn't help the matter. At any rate a new friendly face was always a reassuring sight.

At Shuya's introduction, hoping he didn't interrupt anything, Watanabe seemed to panic. Quickly sputtering out some surprised but defensive words, she covered her face. What the heck could be bothering her now? She gets embarrassed just when people look at her, it seems. Shaking his head and sighing slightly, Hira waved the boy over just as Watanabe composed herself and asked him to sit down.

Suddenly, Hira heard a rustling of leaves above head. Probably just some critter. He continued his relaxed pose, wondering if he might be able to get away with sleeping for just a moment while the other two talked amongst themselves. Suddenly, a bombardment of acorns came flying from the tree branches over-top, a few hitting Hira squarely on the noggin. Frustrated, he looked up with an idea of climbing up there and showing whatever rodent just did that what he was made of.

It was then that Hira heard a feminine voice start to count. “One,” she started at the same time as the acorns dropping. As she continued, Hira saw her fall to the ground out of seemingly nowhere, but what he saw puzzled him, and made some chills run up his spine. As she finished, she revealed her full.... 4' 11'' frame, about as tall as he was, though clearly trying to be intimidating. Although, could he really say 'she'? For a moment, he couldn't actually tell if he had really just fallen asleep next to his new friends and was just dreaming or if spending too much time with Raku was turning him into just a strange a person as the old man and he was seeing things. No, it couldn't be either of those.

Lost in thought, Hira finally looked to his side to see Shuya staring down the 'girl'. He seemed to be paralyzed. Was it fear that clasped him so still, or confusion? Perhaps they could be one in the same at this instance. Looking back over to the girl, he figured he had to do something. Well I might as well see if she's real. Hira picked up one of the acorns that had hit him in the head, rolling it around in his palm a few times as he eyed it. Looking back up, he stared directly into the girl's red eyes that made here seem almost inhuman. He didn't know of any trick that could cover a person in fire, let alone of such color, so it must be fake. Holding his stare, mixed with his signature dorky look of curiosity and boredom, he flicked the acorn from his fingers right at the girls body, watching as it burned slowly, releasing a nauseating smell into the air.

Spoiler

OOC: Hira's face right now...

The acorn burned all too much like a real acorn. So what what going on. "So uhhh... what's the deal with that fire anyways, Miss..." Hira trailed off. He didn't know what else to say. What else to ask in this kind of situation. Well, not much else to do until everyone else makes a move I suppose... and this day was starting out so nice too.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Hira began to respond to Shuya’s introduction when they were suddenly interrupted. Acorns? It was raining acorns. She wasn’t the only one who had noticed. She frowned looking at the source of the acorn rain from the girl, finding a girl standing in the tree. She fell to the ground while counting and glowing in a blaze of flames. Hira tossed an acorn and it blazed in the lady’s fire. Ai didn’t know what he had been trying to do but he proved the flames were real at least? She stretched before rolling onto her knees and then standing up slowly. She let her height slowly unravel until she toward over the girl at her true standing.

"So uhhh... what's the deal with that fire anyways, Miss...” Hira asked the new arrival as Ai paced in a circle around the girl and moved towards the tree. ”Ah know what her deal is. She wants some ahcorns I reckon.” She wrapped her hands around the trunk and tested the strenght of the roots. Then a mischievous smirk crossed her face. She squatted low and hugged the tree before lifting. Her face turned red with exertion but the tree’s roots burst from the ground. With a full tree in her arms the giant of a girl held the branches over Kikei’s head and shook the tree above her until a hurricane of acorns fell on top of her in revenge. After she had done what she accomplished she tossed the tree to the sides and leaned on her knees as she tried to catch her breath after the feat of strength that she was capable of performing due to her sheer size.

”How do ya...like dem... apples.” She spoke between breaths as she wore an amused grin with what had once been a tall and proud standing tree now at her feet. She lifted up a leg and rested it on the glorified log as she looked at the acorn mess she had made by getting revenge and shaking the acorns from the tree.

 

[Kaguya Chika]

Meanwhile, just outside the academy grounds, the blonde voluptuous vixen known as Otome leaned against a much more humble tree as she cracked open a fresh pack of cigarettes, put one of the long Reapers to her lips, and ignited the tip with a high-class lighter before taking what she considered to be a well-deserved drag. It had been quite some time since she had heard from Komora, and despite the latter's apparent resolve to establish her own reasons to become a shinobi, the former felt obligated to help promote a healthy zeal for all those with potential to graduate the Aurora Erudito, including Komora herself.

However, no sooner than after exhaling a toxic cloud of smoke up into the air, an all too familiar voice spoke over her headset, abruptly changing her plans.

"Otome, do you copy? Several people near the academy have reported an awful burning smell originating near your current location."

She put out her cigarette with a sigh before continuing her communications.

"Copy that, I'll investigate as to whether this is arson or not," she replied before cutting off the transmission and making her way to the now uprooted oak tree and the four shinobi or shinobi-to-be gathered nearby. The pungent stench of roasted acorns made her eyes water a bit before she was forced to cough.

"Do I really want to know what happened here?" she asked nobody in particular as her eyes darted from one person to the next.

[MFT: 245]

 

[Kikei]

Kikei let out quite a chuckle as she turned her attention towards the young red head of the group. ‘Oh isn’t he just the cutest of the bunch, I can almost see the fear in his eyes he is so cute!’ She thought to herself as she gazed down upon the boy with a smile so large it would easily be considered unnerving to most. ‘Oh who asked the magic question oh boy I was hoping one of them would!’ She screamed inside her own head as she let out a squeal.

“Who? WHO you ask! Well I’m the one known as Riki Kikei of course.” She laughed before her interest was derailed and she turned towards the source of the acorn that just burned up in her flamboyant attire. ‘Oh that smells terrible why anyone would do such a thing is beyond me.' She thought as she turned her head ever so slowly towards the other young boy, no smile on her face anymore as she felt it was quite rude to interrupt someone while they were talking.

“Well if you must know rude boy, it’s because it keeps me warm in this cold mountain air. Don’t want to catch a cold while taking a nice relaxing nap in the symbol of growth.” She stated quick as she then began to watch the only female of the bunch who seemed to have an accent of some sort that she couldn’t quite place. It was then she noticed the young girl begin to uproot the tree that had stood in place for generations as if it was such a normal thing to do.

“Oh boy.” She said before curling up in a small ball of pure black flame as the acorns began to rain down upon her from above. Of course nothing punched through as the flames protected her from any and all acorns that fell upon her. This of course would lead to the pungent smell to only worsen which quite frankly aggravated her slightly. As the oaken tree was dropped upon its side she uncurled herself and looked up at the girl who seemed to have nothing but pride in her accomplishment.

“Watch out boys this one’s got a temper on her!” She laughed as she did a quick step and a half to close the gap between her and the amazon. It honestly wouldn’t take much for the young shinobi to subdue the girl and take her in but where was the fun in that. I mean it wasn’t every day that a student would destroy a symbol of the school in such a way. Though sadly her fun would be interrupted by the arrival of an older female. Who immediately asked in a way that made it quite obvious she had been dispatched to see just what was going on in the area. Stepping back from the young assailant she cocked her head towards the blonde with a grin from ear to ear. Quickly snapping to attention while removing a headband from inside her kimono and fastening it around her neck before giving a salute.

“Hello ma’am! Genin Riki, Kikei reporting! While attempting to take a much needed rest in the symbol of growth I was awoke to find the trio of students below me. Upon descending from the branches I was immediately asked to state who I was by the red headed student, soon followed by a question as to why I wear such attire. This was then immediately met with the uprooting of the tree by the young female for what I be as an attempt to harm me. If not for your arrival I was going to apprehend the assailant and have her report to the head of the academy.” Kikei stated with formality and rigidness that almost seemed to be the exact opposite of her previous behavior. ‘Try to pelt me with acorns will you, and destroy my favorite nap destination. Will see how you like being made out to be the villain in this situation.’ Kikei thought to herself as she remained firm in her salute her mangekyou sharingan still active and fixated in front of her as was customary with the stance.​

 

[Shuya]

Shuya's eyes seemed to widen even more, if such a thing was even possible, as Kikei addressed him directly. Riki Kikei? Is she also a student? No... She seems a little too.. menacing to be a student. These thoughts, and many more, raced through his mind as he attempted to make sense of the situation. He couldn't voice any of these thoughts with Kikei's eyes locked on him, grinning as if he was some kind of meal just waiting to be eaten. Luckily, her attention was focused elsewhere, specifically towards Hira, who had decided to throw an acorn at the young woman. Sadly, that acorn met a quick end, engulfed in the black flames and filling the air with a disgustingly pungent smell, prompting Shuya to cover his nose. That smell was the least of his worries, though.

Almost immediately after Kikei finished talking to Hira, her attention turned towards Ai who, much to Shuya's surprise, began to uproot and lift the entire tree. The very tree that was possibly larger than five or six of him and dozens of times the weight was being lifted by the giantess, who made it look as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Sure, it took some time, but it didn't distract from the fact that she had just lifted a giant, freaking tree! And if that wasn't enough to show her strength, she began to shake the thing, making acorns rain upon the flame-covered woman similar to how acorns rained upon the trio just moments ago. The only difference is that that second batch burned up quickly, making the air smell that much worse. And Kikei could only laugh at the act, not showing any sign of shock or surprise. J-Just what kind of people does this academy draw? He so desperately wanted to freak out, possibly even run away from the constant bizarre acts before him, but the approach of another person kept him frozen in place. Plus, this person looked a bit older and more.. analytical than the other four.

Shuya listened as Kikei quickly ran through the events to happen thus far, and he could do nothing but sit there and nod. Well, that, and silently panic to himself. Had he unknowingly gotten himself in a bad situation? Would he have to explain his side of the story? And all this from just wanting to make a friend or two... Well, he wanted to take risks, right?

 

[Hirateuchi]

Hira chose to ignore the girl's comment about him being rude, knowing that he was simply being diligent in a situation he was extremely confused about. At any rate, she wasn't some phantasm or figment of his imagination. What Hira saw before him was a living breathing girl, but not one like any other. She was far too dramatic to be an immediate threat, he tried to convince himself, but she had an unmistakably daunting aura surrounding her. Too intrigued as to how the girl was acting, or perhaps too fearful of what may soon happen, Hira hardly noticed the tree he was on begin to rumble, dismissing it as another one of the this... Kikei's tricks, until his head fell backwards onto the now moist soil where the tree should have been.

He stared in amazement, if not a little trepidation, at the often embarrassed and timid Ai now lifting an entire tree. Though it did seem to come with ample strain, she shook the old plant with force to shower acorns down on the girl shrouded in black. Of course, these acorns would too burn, empowering the already malodorous scent wafting through the air. Soon after she tossed the tree aside. Is this the power she's been hiding all this time? Perhaps... if this is what the other students can accomplish, maybe I am beginning to fall behind by not caring... Soon thereafter, Kikei stepped in close to Ai without fear in her eyes, but what almost seemed like excitement. She wasn't scared of what she just saw. It was clear that if she wanted to hurt any of them, she could easily have done so. He spoke up to Shuya, noticing how fearful he was. "Hey, Shuya, right? I got your back if anything happens, kay?"

As Hira thought to himself, a strange woman seemed to appear out of nowhere. She was pretty, but also carried some formality in both her tone and how she carried herself. When she asked what might be going on here, Hira's first thought was surprisingly one of relief. An enemy of the village wouldn't have slipped past all of its defenses to hide in a tree waiting for some students to scare. At least that was some hint of relief; however, there was still the issue of what the cloud ninja may do. As Kikei snapped to attention and Shuya shook in fear, Hira pondered how best to resolve this situation. Maybe he couldn't lift a tree, but if there was one thing he was still good at, it was talking to people. Hira's interest in the girl was piqued, and he didn't want anyone to get in trouble due to his request to come here. First he addressed Ai, "Ai, that was my favorite tree, it's kinda a bummer you had to tear it out like that... still, thanks for trying to protect us." He finished with his usual warm smile, though a hint of sorrow escaped his eyes. Then. choosing the path of least resistance, he spoke out, addressing the blonde ninja investigating the scene.

"Sorry ma'am. If anyone here is to blame it's me. Ai was just protecting us from an intimidating girl we knew nothing about, and Kikei seemed to be caught off guard by so many people in the area. I was the one who called everyone here to hang out, which seemed to start this mess."

 

[Omoi Chichioya]

The new kid in class, Omoi, was all too eager to make friends. Of course, he never told anybody that, it would seem too unmanly for his tastes. But, that wouldn't stop him from going out and doing it. Omoi hadn't quite left the academy after class was dismissed, but rather, stayed outside to do what needed to be done. Finishing up his work, Omoi got up from off the concrete and started to gather his things.

"That kid...That seems like a good place to start."

He had seen several other students walking torwards a large, stout tree, off in the distance. He felt the urge to go look over there, to get to actually know some of the kids that live here. He had just moved from the sands, so he was unfamiliar with the terrain.
While walking torwards the tree, he managed to catch a glimpse of the things that had come to pass, but a very faint one. He dismissed most of it, excluding the vulgar smell, and did not let it deter him.

He arrived at the base of the tree, and found a rather large gathering of people.
"Oh boy." he thought to himself.
"This will be interesting."

He placed himself in full view of everyone present. Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

"Hey. My name is Omoi Chichioya. I'm the new kid at school. I hope you don't mind that I came here. I was just accepting the invitation offered to me."

"Quite the crowd we've got here."

He reached into his pockets, and pulled out a pack of gum.
He opened it, took a piece and shoved it into his mouth.
He then held out the pack, and said,

"You guys want some?"

 

[Shinrya Riko]

“Watch out boys this one’s got a temper on her” She laughed as she closed the gap between her and Ai. ”Temper? I ain’t mad at ya. Just servin’ you uppa dish of the same as you gave us.” Ai tried to catch her breath. She brushed the dirt from her nose. A new arrival! It was Otome. She arrived as she looked from student to student expecting an answer, and then her eyes reached the genins who immediately popped to attention and began to give some kind of mission report. The sudden change in demeanor took this academy student by surprise. Shuya seemed too stunned at everything to even speak.

Ai looked over at Hira who had decided to say something to help calm the scared looking boy down. He then came over to Ai. "Ai, that was my favorite tree, it's kinda a bummer you had to tear it out like that... still, thanks for trying to protect us." He commented. The girl’s face turned crimson. ”Wah~!? Ahm sorry Ah didn’t mess up yer favorite tree Hira. I can put it back… just give me a minute.” The girl put a hand over her face as she tried to hide her embarrasment. Hopefully Hira would just think the redness came from the exertion. He went on to address the woman who was shaped like she was an overstuffed body pillow.

Another new Arrival! This boy placed himself in front of everyone and declared his name to Omoi Chichioya. Of course he only noticed the group gathered here and the awkward situation with a scolding Anbu Trainee, an at attention genin, a frightened academy student, another one trying to placate the trainee, and a 6 foot androgynous adult, who was only 8 years old. As if to join in the awkward fest he dug his hand into his pockets and pulled out some gum and offered it to everyone. Ai was too embarrassed as it was to accept the offer. ”Nice ta meet ya Omoi.” she said quietly. She stood up and flexed for a moment before squatting down the tree and wrapping her arms around it.

Her feet left imprints in the firmament as she lifted the tree back from its side and stuck it back into the hole it had come from. Sweat drops began to bead on her face. When she let go she watched the tree begin to slant one way, so she steadied it with her hands until it could finally stand up on its own, although it would forever be at an angle now without some further correction, which Ai wasn’t sure she knew what needed to be done.

”’kay then.”

She collapsed onto her bottom and wiped her forehead. Man that was really hard! Had it even been worth it? Maybe. She thought that the genin from before was making a funny expression so she thought it was worth it for that at least.

 

[Kaguya Chika]

Otome blinked a few times, stunned by the sudden and unwarranted formality from the girl shrouded in black flames.

"Uh . . . okay . . . " she stumbled over her words before she cleared her throat. "No need for formalities; I'm a Genin just like you."

She pointed to her own emblem wrapped around her neck as if that would confirm what she was saying. Of course, it was somewhat of a lie, but since she was not wearing her ANBU mask, she was considered by most to be just another main branch shinobi.

As the others--including the newcomer, Omoi--talked to her and among themselves, she quickly picked up on their names and the situation that had unfolded before her arrival; a situation the giantess known as Ai would attempt to rectify by planting the tree back in its place. Otome stood in wide-eyed stupor as she watched the spectacle; in a way, Ai's feat of strength reminded her of Komora's ingenuity.

"Well, as long as you aren't trying to burn the academy down or otherwise cause structural damage, you're all free to do whatever you want within reason." She then turned to Shuya, who seemed to have been shakened upon her initial arrival on the scene. With a sympathetic sigh, she walked over to the boy and rested her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to placate him further.

"I have some words of advice for you in particular," she addressed the student. "Being a shinobi is full of surprises, even if you're not one of them. Best to be prepared for anything."

After letting that tidbit of wisdom sink in, she lifted her hand and gave a casual wave to the gathering as a whole as she walked back the way she came in.

[Topic Left unless Stopped]

 

[Kikei]

Her expression quickly dropped any sort of formality as she heard the blonde arrival was nothing more than a genin. ‘Here I thought it was someone higher up the totem pole. Guess not everyone who wears there headset at all times is an important big wig.’ She thought to herself as she quickly shifted her attention around the group her eyes glazed over as she lost interest in the whole situation.

“Tired….” She stated under her breath as she turned her attention towards the path leading away from the tree. It was still technically her nap time and having expended as much chakra and energy as she had after being woken up from her nap prematurely left her quite groggy. Her coat of flame slowly dwindled in size as she turned on her heel and began to walk away from the group.

“Next time my nap gets interrupted I won’t let you all off so easily.” She stated as her back was turned to the group. ‘Ugh I need to find a whole new place to sleep through the day on my days off now! Darn kid and her freakish almost impossible level of strength. I be sure to pay her back one day soon for wrecking my favorite napping station.’ Kikei thought to herself as she held a grim smile upon her face at the thought of getting her revenge on the young woman in the days to come. By then though only those who choose to chase after her would even notice a change in her demeanor.

[MFT]
[WC: 259]
[Topic Left unless stopped!]

 

[Shuya]

In the midst of his paralysis, Shuya still found it in him to nod at Hira's words. Hira was, by far, the most... normal of the bunch from what Shuya had seen up until now. That alone was reason enough to trust that if things got worse, he'd be in safe hands. Hopefully, anyway. For now, all he could do was watch the group as they continued discussing the incident, the priority seeming to be convincing the blonde woman that none of them were in any danger.

Shuya's attention was drawn away from the current situation only upon hearing an unfamiliar voice -- one belonging to another kid that decided to join the party. Luckily for him, he came in at the tail end of the events, so he didn't have to witness the madness. Still, his nonchalant attitude did little to ease Shuya's concern, as it contrasted heavily with the tense atmosphere. Even the offering of gum, one of Shuya's favorite snacks, felt a little off. He looks normal enough, he thought to himself, moving his hand away from his nose and remembering to breathe. Maybe I'm just panicking too much. Hira already said he's got my back, right? As luck would have it, while Shuya worked to calm himself down, Ai once again lifted the tree and 'fixed' it as best she could, thus surprising the youngster even more. At least it wasn't on the same level as seeing it for the first time.

Thankfully, after what felt like an eternity, the situation had calmed down and Otome was convinced that the academy, nor the village, was in any danger. Before leaving, she moved over to Shuya and placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking to calm him down. While he had already gathered her advice from this meeting, hearing it from someone more experienced than him made the lesson feel that much more important. That, and make him even more anxious for the things he'll see by pursuing his goal. "Y-yes." he responded, still at a loss for words. Kikei would follow soon after, leaving a warning to not disrupt her nap in the future. Easily doable for someone who tries to stay out of the way.

"I think... I will take a piece of gum." he added, looking at Omoi, his eyes occasionally shifting to the other two students nervously.

 

[Koizumi Ren]

"Ooohohoho! So this is where you were, Shuu~ya-kun!" Ren snuck up behind his shorter classmate and hugged him from behind. "Nya~hey, Omoi, right?" He turned to look at the new student without letting go of his bestie. "Does that offer extend to me~?" Without waiting to hear an answer, he held out his hand, anticipating receiving a piece of gum. Shuya had left too fast after class, so Ren had spent a fair amount of time looking for him. The brunette was a bit miffed that Shuya had skipped out on him, though it was probably unintentional. Ren's other arm, still wrapped around Shuya, shifted so he could stick his hand into Shuya's jacket pocket. No particular reason; just a way of to mark his territory. Its not that Ren didn't want Shuya to make other friends.. he just didn't want Shuya to like anybody more than Shuya liked Ren. He glanced over at the other students present. Ren wanted to make friends too, but he couldn't help but feel a bit threatened. Since Shuya had spent so long here, he must be getting chummy with the others. "Oi oi oi, who're these other kids, Shuya-kun?" His dialogue was drawn out a bit, and the tone he maintained was sing-song and cheery. I shouldn't doubt Shuya like this. He's been my best friend for a long time now. I should trust him. Ren reassured himself over the situation, and chilled out enough to introduce himself. He nodded in the others' directions. "I'm Koizumi Ren." His introduction was a lot more subdued than normal. Though he had not removed his hand from Shuya's pocket, he did still want to make himself slightly presentable; the last thing he'd want is to embarrass both himself and his beloved Shuya.

 

[Hirateuchi]

Phew. Everything seemed to be calming down once again in this grouping of strange characters. Ai had done her best to put the tree back without much more harm, the blonde genin lady had left without causing more of a scene, and the unique personality that was Kikei had grown bored enough of this farce to leave with nothing else but a still foreboding warning. Hira breathed in deeply, recovering from a lack of oxygen from the preceding tension. Looking up, Hira noticed a few more entries to this shambled collection of estranged souls. He smiled at the first arrival, who announced himself as Omoi, smiling and accepting his offer of chewing gum.

"Just in time pal, you just narrowly avoided being dragged into being guilty as an accomplice to the end of the world!" With a smirk, Hira laid back down, resting uneasily against the newly propped back up tree, hoping to test how firmly it was replanted. Though it gave a bit of a creak at first, it seemed to have been shoved back in deeply enough to hold for the time being. What an impressive plant it was to withstand being uprooted so suddenly. "Nice handiwork by the way AI, that was really impressive. Feels like this tree never left the ground. Remind me never to get on your bad side!" Looking over to Shuya, he wondered if the boy would be alright, knowing how tense he had seemed the whole time. Before he could give it a second thought, though, another student showed up.

"Ren is it? It's good to see Shuya has a good friend like you. Keep an eye out for the little scamp, he was half scared to death just a minute ago." Hira laughed for a while before settling down and looking around at the crowd of students. "Who woulda thought my off-handed remark at the end of class would attract so many people. So now that things have settled down, what do you guys want to do? Things had happened so fast that Hira wasn't quite sure where to begin. He was usually fast on his mind but today was a prime example of what shinobi life would entail, and it brought him to some amount of thinking more involved than he usually might attempt. Looking over to Ai, whom he had known the longest of the lot, he asked again hoping to pass the responsibility on to somebody else. "Hey, what do you think, Ai? I'm down for whatever you suggest."