"You want me to what?"
"Normally, Hanae goes," her cousin explained. He looked slightly nervous; he was from one of the more distant branches and might have had some trepidation about asking the clan heir to run what was essentially an errand--even if she was still fresh to chakra training, and even if there were certain hierarchies in the Tsurara clan as far as ninja-requiring errands went. "But she's on a long-range mission at the moment, and I need to make the jam for a cake for Suzuki's birthday..."
His younger sister, who was turning six in a few days. One of the less irritating of the younger children.
Technically, he could just tell her to go. That was how it worked in their family. There was important family business, but it was low-risk--the least experienced goes.
There still weren't a lot of people in the clan who would do that with her. Moriko had personally witnessed cousins of hers just starting out, sent on prank or fun little 'missions,' to do things like go to the shops and search for something that didn't exist. No one had done that with her. Whether it was due to station or personality or a combination, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't exactly upset about it either. Of course not. That would be silly.
The other thing which might be working against him on that regard was that they were to a one raised to be polite and proper, when their parents bothered to do the raising. Moriko was a hellion by family terms, but to the greater bulk of her class level at the Academy she suspected she was actually a lot more straight-laced than them.
Moriko could easily just shrug, say 'sucks to be you, then' and head off to do her own thing. But this smelled like an opportunity for two things.
One, free jam in gratitude with minimal to no guilting. That was nothing to sneeze at.
Two, premature permission from the clan elders (her grandparents) to go wandering in the desert. Normally Tsurara children weren't allowed out alone until graduating the Academy...Moriko would be able to go out at least this once on her own if she accepted.
So it was a no-brainer as far as she was concerned.
"Sure, why not," she said, after letting him sweat for a minute. "Is there a special basket that's the right size?"
She was sent out after a brief dip back into her own house to prepare with two large baskets and vague directions to where the nearest thimbleberry bushes outside the village were from someone who either hadn't ever been there or was as bad at them as she was.
Sunagakure's climate being what it was, there were nearly always flowering or fruiting plants around of the hardiest kinds. Which, being as it was a desert, was all of them. And since it had rained a few nights ago, the fruits would be just ripening sweetly under the harsh desert sun and ripe for picking. If you got there before the birds, anyway.
"Are you just stalking me, seriously?"
"Sorry." Tsukiya practically melted out of the shadow from the overhang of the shop she was walking past and matched her pace. "I've been practicing stealth a lot lately; it must be turning into second nature. Let me guess, another family errand?"
"Yes, but one that will let me go out into the desert on my own," Moriko said, lifting her chin. She half-expected incredulity at her family traditions, but much as ever he didn't bat an eye. So she continued, "Though you're welcome to come too. I'll also likely get jam out of this one."
"What kind?" He sounded more interested now, and accepted the basket she handed him.
"Thimbleberry," she said, and he made a noise of approval. "Yes. One of my cousins is very good at making jam, too, and he'll be the one doing it."
"You don't grow your own?" he asked, and she shook her head. "That's surprising."
"We haven't lived in Sunagakure for long. Only since the Maelstrom came down," she said, and he nodded in understanding. "I'm not sure if the old complex had any? But as long as I've known, people go out and pick wild ones. There's enough of the things around."
"Yes, the birds rather like them too," Tsukiya said dryly. "Are we sure there'll be any?"
"There's this one patch that my family had put up deterrents for animals around," she said. "The only thing we have to worry about is if other people have--and I don't think anyone else knows about it."
"Sounds like you do have your own but let nature do the work for you," he said. "Which sounds better, honestly. Wild fruit always tastes better." She made a noise of agreement.
The day wasn't overly hot as far as the climate was concerned, but the heat still ramped up noticeably once they left the shade of the village and its buildings. Tsukiya seemed less affected than her, but then he didn't have ice in his bloodline--literally. As it was, Moriko was glad she'd tucked a water bottle into the side of her quiver.
Animals or dangers were unlikely or she wouldn't have been allowed to go. Still, it never paid to be stupid.
Few things other than humans ever braved the daytime sunlight even in the morning when it was weaker, so the trek there was uneventful. A glance over while they walked and chatted showed that yes, Tsukiya was sweating too, if less than her. Moriko couldn't wait for the point in her training where she could make herself comfortable in any weather. Or did ninja just suck it up and deal, the heat still uncomfortable but no longer threatening? She'd never asked.
The deterrents set up around the large patch of thimbleberry plants mostly amounted to shiny things that warded off birds and dustings of an herb that drove mice and other rodents away. They didn't make a lot of difference to two humans picking berries, ignoring the thorns that didn't even really scrape them.
"A special mission?" Tsukiya said after Moriko relayed the thing that had slipped her mind that she had been told on her way out of the compound. "Specifically for your class? Already moving up, I see."
"Well." She rolled her shoulder in a half-shrug. "You can't be far off an exam yourself."
"Not as such, no. I'm waiting for the notice for one." Tsukiya deftly snagged a cluster of several berries, the feeble thorns not serving any obstacle. "If this is a serious mission, they might promote you at the end of it, provided you're successful enough."
"Yeah?" That wouldn't be so bad, but at the same time... "I'm not even sure if I want to aim for a branch."
"I'm not," he said. "Extra scrutiny among other things. Can you see me in medical?"
She tilted her head and looked him over. "...No. I don't think I'd be good at it either. And I really don't want to do the double-life thing I'm sure ANBU do."
"There, then. You've decided."
"I guess." She chewed her lip for a moment. "Never mind branches, then. I'm wondering how thoroughly they watch you if you join an Order."
"Closely there too, I'd expect," Tsukiya said. "Closer, even. Why? Is it the lure of knowledge?"
"Yeah." She shrugged, uncomfortable, but as usual he didn't poke at her. "Plus I'm not even sure if they're still recruiting. But. I'd kind of like to be an Oracle..."
"If it comes to it, I wouldn't mind being a Ranger," he said after a pause. "But, well. Scrutiny."
"Yeah," she said again. "I'd like more freedom than that and I don't know if it's worth the trade-off or not. Obviously people in it don't talk about it, so..."
"And you can't abide not knowing things," he said with a slightly crooked smile. "There's an inherent paradox in it, isn't there? You can't know whether or not it's worth it without going into it. Once you're in, you might not be able to get out easily--or change your mind and go back if you do."
"That sounds like you mean it to apply to more than just this," Moriko said after a second. She set the now-full basket down to stand and brush herself off before picking it up again. "I think we can head back now."
"I mean it to apply to most things," Tsukiya said. He didn't seem to have to brush himself off, somehow being neat and tidy and free of both sand on his clothes and berry juice on his fingers. He scooped his own basket up. "Doesn't it also apply to how we met?"
"...Yeah. But I don't regret that." She flashed him a rare smile, making him briefly halt in his tracks and stare at her, blinking as if the sun was in his eyes. "What? What's wrong?"
"You have a lovely smile," he said, resuming his strides to catch up so they could walk together again. "I'd say you should do it more often, but perhaps selfishly, I hope you don't much around anyone else."
It was definitely just the heat making her flush. Absolutely.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that," she said. "I don't enjoy time spent around hardly anyone else at all."
And she wasn't going to think about that one too hard. Not today, at any rate.
[Word Count: 1675]
"Normally, Hanae goes," her cousin explained. He looked slightly nervous; he was from one of the more distant branches and might have had some trepidation about asking the clan heir to run what was essentially an errand--even if she was still fresh to chakra training, and even if there were certain hierarchies in the Tsurara clan as far as ninja-requiring errands went. "But she's on a long-range mission at the moment, and I need to make the jam for a cake for Suzuki's birthday..."
His younger sister, who was turning six in a few days. One of the less irritating of the younger children.
Technically, he could just tell her to go. That was how it worked in their family. There was important family business, but it was low-risk--the least experienced goes.
There still weren't a lot of people in the clan who would do that with her. Moriko had personally witnessed cousins of hers just starting out, sent on prank or fun little 'missions,' to do things like go to the shops and search for something that didn't exist. No one had done that with her. Whether it was due to station or personality or a combination, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't exactly upset about it either. Of course not. That would be silly.
The other thing which might be working against him on that regard was that they were to a one raised to be polite and proper, when their parents bothered to do the raising. Moriko was a hellion by family terms, but to the greater bulk of her class level at the Academy she suspected she was actually a lot more straight-laced than them.
Moriko could easily just shrug, say 'sucks to be you, then' and head off to do her own thing. But this smelled like an opportunity for two things.
One, free jam in gratitude with minimal to no guilting. That was nothing to sneeze at.
Two, premature permission from the clan elders (her grandparents) to go wandering in the desert. Normally Tsurara children weren't allowed out alone until graduating the Academy...Moriko would be able to go out at least this once on her own if she accepted.
So it was a no-brainer as far as she was concerned.
"Sure, why not," she said, after letting him sweat for a minute. "Is there a special basket that's the right size?"
She was sent out after a brief dip back into her own house to prepare with two large baskets and vague directions to where the nearest thimbleberry bushes outside the village were from someone who either hadn't ever been there or was as bad at them as she was.
Sunagakure's climate being what it was, there were nearly always flowering or fruiting plants around of the hardiest kinds. Which, being as it was a desert, was all of them. And since it had rained a few nights ago, the fruits would be just ripening sweetly under the harsh desert sun and ripe for picking. If you got there before the birds, anyway.
"Are you just stalking me, seriously?"
"Sorry." Tsukiya practically melted out of the shadow from the overhang of the shop she was walking past and matched her pace. "I've been practicing stealth a lot lately; it must be turning into second nature. Let me guess, another family errand?"
"Yes, but one that will let me go out into the desert on my own," Moriko said, lifting her chin. She half-expected incredulity at her family traditions, but much as ever he didn't bat an eye. So she continued, "Though you're welcome to come too. I'll also likely get jam out of this one."
"What kind?" He sounded more interested now, and accepted the basket she handed him.
"Thimbleberry," she said, and he made a noise of approval. "Yes. One of my cousins is very good at making jam, too, and he'll be the one doing it."
"You don't grow your own?" he asked, and she shook her head. "That's surprising."
"We haven't lived in Sunagakure for long. Only since the Maelstrom came down," she said, and he nodded in understanding. "I'm not sure if the old complex had any? But as long as I've known, people go out and pick wild ones. There's enough of the things around."
"Yes, the birds rather like them too," Tsukiya said dryly. "Are we sure there'll be any?"
"There's this one patch that my family had put up deterrents for animals around," she said. "The only thing we have to worry about is if other people have--and I don't think anyone else knows about it."
"Sounds like you do have your own but let nature do the work for you," he said. "Which sounds better, honestly. Wild fruit always tastes better." She made a noise of agreement.
The day wasn't overly hot as far as the climate was concerned, but the heat still ramped up noticeably once they left the shade of the village and its buildings. Tsukiya seemed less affected than her, but then he didn't have ice in his bloodline--literally. As it was, Moriko was glad she'd tucked a water bottle into the side of her quiver.
Animals or dangers were unlikely or she wouldn't have been allowed to go. Still, it never paid to be stupid.
Few things other than humans ever braved the daytime sunlight even in the morning when it was weaker, so the trek there was uneventful. A glance over while they walked and chatted showed that yes, Tsukiya was sweating too, if less than her. Moriko couldn't wait for the point in her training where she could make herself comfortable in any weather. Or did ninja just suck it up and deal, the heat still uncomfortable but no longer threatening? She'd never asked.
The deterrents set up around the large patch of thimbleberry plants mostly amounted to shiny things that warded off birds and dustings of an herb that drove mice and other rodents away. They didn't make a lot of difference to two humans picking berries, ignoring the thorns that didn't even really scrape them.
"A special mission?" Tsukiya said after Moriko relayed the thing that had slipped her mind that she had been told on her way out of the compound. "Specifically for your class? Already moving up, I see."
"Well." She rolled her shoulder in a half-shrug. "You can't be far off an exam yourself."
"Not as such, no. I'm waiting for the notice for one." Tsukiya deftly snagged a cluster of several berries, the feeble thorns not serving any obstacle. "If this is a serious mission, they might promote you at the end of it, provided you're successful enough."
"Yeah?" That wouldn't be so bad, but at the same time... "I'm not even sure if I want to aim for a branch."
"I'm not," he said. "Extra scrutiny among other things. Can you see me in medical?"
She tilted her head and looked him over. "...No. I don't think I'd be good at it either. And I really don't want to do the double-life thing I'm sure ANBU do."
"There, then. You've decided."
"I guess." She chewed her lip for a moment. "Never mind branches, then. I'm wondering how thoroughly they watch you if you join an Order."
"Closely there too, I'd expect," Tsukiya said. "Closer, even. Why? Is it the lure of knowledge?"
"Yeah." She shrugged, uncomfortable, but as usual he didn't poke at her. "Plus I'm not even sure if they're still recruiting. But. I'd kind of like to be an Oracle..."
"If it comes to it, I wouldn't mind being a Ranger," he said after a pause. "But, well. Scrutiny."
"Yeah," she said again. "I'd like more freedom than that and I don't know if it's worth the trade-off or not. Obviously people in it don't talk about it, so..."
"And you can't abide not knowing things," he said with a slightly crooked smile. "There's an inherent paradox in it, isn't there? You can't know whether or not it's worth it without going into it. Once you're in, you might not be able to get out easily--or change your mind and go back if you do."
"That sounds like you mean it to apply to more than just this," Moriko said after a second. She set the now-full basket down to stand and brush herself off before picking it up again. "I think we can head back now."
"I mean it to apply to most things," Tsukiya said. He didn't seem to have to brush himself off, somehow being neat and tidy and free of both sand on his clothes and berry juice on his fingers. He scooped his own basket up. "Doesn't it also apply to how we met?"
"...Yeah. But I don't regret that." She flashed him a rare smile, making him briefly halt in his tracks and stare at her, blinking as if the sun was in his eyes. "What? What's wrong?"
"You have a lovely smile," he said, resuming his strides to catch up so they could walk together again. "I'd say you should do it more often, but perhaps selfishly, I hope you don't much around anyone else."
It was definitely just the heat making her flush. Absolutely.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that," she said. "I don't enjoy time spent around hardly anyone else at all."
And she wasn't going to think about that one too hard. Not today, at any rate.
[Word Count: 1675]