Just another lazy day [Private]

[Tori]

The mouse scampered across a number of streets within the chaotic marketplace. The neighborhood was tightly packed enough that few would see before the critter fled into a nearby side-alley. Fewer still would determine it was a clay copy of a rodent. However, whether by luck or persistence, the observant would see the little rodent come across an dead end with a few boxes stacked along the wall. The mouse made its way up the makeshift stairwell, emerging up the roof of a building that had a small tent set-up. The beast ran into the enclosure, just hoping whatever eyes were on it didn't follow the whole way.

A loud yawn emerged from the tent. Whatever sat within was either just bored or a light sleeper.

 

[Kazumi]

It had been quite the long day for the heiress of the Oushi-Ouja. She had recounted her modified version of the incident that occurred in the Black Bazaar on so many occasions that she too began to mix it up with the reality of what had occurred. On more than one occasion she had wondered if they were onto her, or if she should have lied in the first place. Sure the Steward would have understood when she explained herself, but he was no longer the grand authority in the village he had once been. Even if he did vouch for her character, such proclamations certainly would have had her thrown from the clan; she was on tenuous grounds as it was.

So, as Suzume had found herself doing with increasing frequency lately, Suzume found herself wandering the streets of the village, lost in thought with no destination in mind. With her nights as sleepless as they were, she couldn't stand the thought of staying put as her mind wandered. As she traveled through the upper streets she caught sight of something small moving by her feet. Suzume stopped, her brain halting for a few moments to register what she had seen. Without thinking, she veered off to the side, looking around for whatever it was that had caught her attention.

She caught sight of the creature scampering up the side of some boxes that made a haphazard set of stairs leading to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. With no other goal in mind, she allowed her curious to drag her away from the crowded streets as she hopped up one box to the next before making it up to the roof where she had lost sight of the creature. That was when she saw it, a tent awkwardly sitting atop of the building. The sheer strangeness of it grabbed hold of her curiosity and pulled her forward towards it. Quietly stepping closer, she pulled back the opening flap of the tent, peering wordlessly inside as she indulged her curiosity.

 

[Tori]

Tori stared straight at her even before Suzume set the flap aside. He held a book up, despite the hour and weak lighting. His sharp gaze veered from Suzume to the rat, "Did you even try to avoid anybody?" The rodent didn't reply so much as it stood on it's hind legs and looked away, giving the most high-pitched squeaks.

Tori had a few essentials within the enclosure. Items include a crate, lamp, and a few too many books. Even with as big as the tent was, the whole thing was a bonfire waiting to happen. Hopefully the young teen didn't actually spend the night sleeping with this set up, but at least the town wouldn't be endangered.

Before Suzume could speak, the lad's gaze widen and he asked a little loudly, "Do you mind?" A lovely start for conversation, if one didn't mind glares and unapologetic bluntness. He appeared relaxed enough. Perhaps he had no idea who she was? To not care seemed far less likely. She was intruding on the makeshift hovel in after all. He didn't bother to usher her in one direction or another, but his glare urged Suzume to get out of the tent entrance.

The clay rat seemed more welcoming. It went as far as to run up to Suzu and squeak gently. Being a hollowed eyed horror was lost on the little critter apparently.

 

[Kazumi]

When the kid's attention turned towards her and spoke with the harsh bluntness, she instinctively flinched backwards an inch. Then, as if repulsed that she had been so easily repelled, she leaned back in even further in defiance towards her own initial reaction. "Maybe I do mind," she added with a bit more edge to her voice than his, though it mimicked his blunt tone. As if to add weight to her words, she not-so-absently adjusted the metal forehead protector bearing the symbol of Sunagakure on her forehead, her newly granted symbol as an official shinobi. "Why exactly do you have a..." she pulled her head out of the flap and looked at the makeshift structure from the exterior for a moment before slipping her head back inside. "a tent up on the roof here?" Suzume was not the among the shinobi's best and brightest, but she still had more than her fill of curiosity.

While she waited for his response she felt something down towards her leg. Glancing down, she noticed the top of the strangely colored mouse. It was very rare to see them around, though not completely unheard of. The desert was extremely difficult for any sort of critter, and while they could thrive well enough once they made it underground, that was a tall tale for a creature smaller than Suzume's fist. Kneeling down, she tried to get a better look at the seemingly friendly thing. "Is it yours?" she asked towards the tent owner, trying to get a better look at it. When it finally lifted its head enough for her to get a clear view of the hollow sockets that would have been its eyes, she flinched once again.

It appeared to be able to see, but now that she was so close to it, it didn't look like any mouse she had ever seen. It was furless and did not appear to be fleshy at all, that or it was horribly sick and had some strange skin illness that made it look the way it did. "Is it... alright? It looks really weird." Her tone was, perhaps, a bit too condescending towards the critter, not that it really had any feelings with which to feel on its own. Then, without thinking of the potential consequences, she reached down and attempted to touch, or even pet it, on the head with an outstretched pointer finger.

 

[Tori]

Tori failed to answer. It was entirely possible that his sentry grew bored and led someone here. It'd explain why the small thing bolted straight home as oppose to a trash heap or gutter. Maybe it even wanted the company, trying as hard as it was to get Suzume's attention. Tori, on the other hand, wanted to challenge her question instead of answering it; seeing how she was an intruder. His mind whirled with a few ideas before he shook it, as if to dispose of something. Afterwards he rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly, "I'm using it." Tori couldn't guess what the shinobi expected. This wasn't the first time he pulled this stunt, so the student wasn't sure why it suddenly became a problem.

He breathed out to collect his bearings. The second reply came soon after, "Yes, he is." Tori kept quiet for a bit, never one to disrupt an actual inspection of his work. The mouse didn't mind either, not until Suzume looked closer. It jumped back by propping up on it's forelegs and spinning back in a cute three-sixty tailspin. The creature only got a few steps away from Suzu's finger, but it squeaked animatedly.

Tori blinked a few times, claiming, "You shouldn't touch it." It'd been a while since anyone else bothered to come into physical contact with the clay bombs. He then noticed that reflexive disclaimers only went so far. "The little guy is a clay bomb." Just who was more responsible, Tori or the mouse?

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume allowed the rude comment to pass her by, or perhaps she simply did not notice it as she inspected the little critter. As it jumped back, so did she flinch backwards, unsure as to exactly what was happening. She was not afraid of a mouse, exactly. She had every bone in her body broken, her blood drained from her body from a series of deadly wounds and her body entirely consumed by some otherworldly flame... but she still didn't want to get bitten. Then, as if sensing her confusion, Tori spoke up, instructing her not to touch the mouse. Normally this would spur her on to action, the mere thought of being told not to something was practically a geas that compelled her to do so, but then he graciously continued.

Suzume's finger halted in the air as she was reaching out to do so, in spite of his first warning. The mention of a bomb was, thankfully, enough to dissuade her for the time being. "A what?" she asked in bewilderment, as she looked from him towards the mouse and back again. Certainly she did not hear him right. She focused her attention downwards towards the creature, inspecting it more closely. It did have a strange look about it, furless with sunken unearthly eyes. It certainly was no living thing she had ever seen before. "You are joking, right?"