Mountain Stories [Open/REQ Kiri and Kaede]

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

Spoiler

Name: Kagari Toshiwakai

Age: 18
Rank: "Chunin"
A young man who's a long way from home, in search of some family history.

What an experience. Imagine yourself being transported to a spirit plane and being forced to undergo trial after trial to save yourself. And against all the odds, Kagari was somehow able to succeed with a little bit of help from a furry companion. Regardless, the young man was exhausted. Between fighting off a demon and navigating the dangerous Monumentum Deo, any normal shinobi would be tired. Now, mostly back on flat land; he needed a break from this arduous journey. Setting up a small fire to sip some warm tea over the campfire sounded like a good idea.

After a few minutes of prep, a decently sized bonfire was set up. It would need to be maintained over time, but for now, it was perfect. Hopefully, the grass wasn't dry enough where Kagari might accidentally cause a wildfire. That would make his trip to Kumo very short, being charged with arson as a foreigner wouldn't look good on his passport. He placed a small wire mesh grill over the fire and a metal canister with lukewarm water inside. Taking a small bag from his pocket, he poured the contents into it. Hopefully, the coffee cooking process wouldn't take long. It was starting to get dark, around 5 - 6 PM. As he waited, he was starting to doze off a bit, his eyelids closing in. The calm atmosphere, the warm fire, and his exhaustion weren't exactly helping him stay awake. He needed that coffee quick or some company to keep his mind busy.



WC: 252
MFT

 

[Kiri]

Impatience wasn’t something he knew about until recently. He had always followed his own pace and trained with much determination that he knew about the reward of a good long task. However, as much as he would like to remind himself that this was for his own good– that is, to train outside of the village under the supervision of his adoptive father– there were times when he would want to just go back. He was, after all, rather homesick of Osu’s ways of teaching and would want to hear his mentor’s voice ring out to him, even if it was a short nag about him having to submit his reports to the hospital administration. But every time he would think about Osu, Kiri couldn’t help but feel a little guilty inside. He was trusted by the latter to do good, to grow and to return as a worthy student.

So he took a long deep inhale from the herbal cig that settled between his lips, before letting out a soothing exhale. He lets his eyes fixate on the ascending smoke, trying to discern the movement of the wind in the area. He had just caught his prey, cut and wrapped the meat properly. It would take another day’s travel to reach where he and Junko had promised to return and meet up again, but until then, he could spend some moments on his own. Thinking about it, being left to his own doings, surviving in the wild just like in the past, had made him closer to his beast, to his brother. And he supposed that this was part of the training to fully gain control of his power.

Just then, his nose would pick up a faint trace of something else wafting into the air. It was nostalgic, to say the least, as he had worked part-time in the local coffee shop back in the village, and thus, brought a smile onto his lips. Slinging the strap of the bag (that carried the wrapped meat inside) over his shoulder, Kiri would proceed to walk towards the direction of this alluring aroma. Perhaps he could ask the owner to spare him a glass of coffee. It had been so long, after all.

 

[Kaede]

The young Earth-essence infused boy crouched near the ground and, with a single finger, fished a particularly large rock from the ground. His eye blinked not once as he visually probed the material with an unnaturally powerful intensity, his pupil like a scalpel that cut and probed the very center of what seemed like a simple hunk of Earth.

Kaede looked up as the wind's directions shifted and tickled his nose with an odd, out of place smell. He knew what it was; coffee of some sort, in fact, his creator, Ken, drank if from time to time, especially in the mornings as he woke. But they had never found the smell here, outside of Kumogakure.

He stood and looked back towards the village; while his face was as passive as the peaceful Earth, an internal conflict raged within his mind. He could go and find someone much stronger than him, someone meant to take care of such things, and wait while they found out what the source of the smell was.

He looked towards where the smell seemed to be coming. He could go himself and find whoever it was. It was a risky maneuver, once he thought about how little knew about how to defend himself. But any shinobi worth their salt wouldn't be caught from something as simple as the smell of coffee if there was anything to hide from, and that he knew for a fact.

What seemed like a murky position became clear and, after he dropped the rock, he walked towards the smell, curiosity written across his features if an observer was knowledgeable about his slight changes in expression.

After Kaede walked a good bit, he caught sight of the bonfire in the distance, which was something an invading shinobi wouldn't be caught dead doing (because otherwise, they'd literally be dead). As he neared, he noticed there were two figures at the small camping location. One was a man with hair as bright as dull gold, the other with hair as black as the midnight sky, both with skin paler than his own.

As old as they looked, Kaede figured they were at least aware of his presence as he now stood a few yards away. He took a few more steps, before he stopped and raised his hand in an imitation of a human's wave. "Hello."

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

Kagari, still a bit lost in his tired stupor, heard footsteps begin to approach from afar. He turned towards the direction of the sound, trying to see who it was. The footsteps definitely sounded human, so a bear or an animal was probably not the case. Blonde hair was the first thing he spotted, as a tall figure began to approach the campfire. He had a sack over his right shoulder and a newly lighted cigarette in his mouth. Kagari could see faint trails of blood on parts of his clothes; he assumed he was out hunting hopefully. Kagari waved a hand, "Yo. I guess you smelt the coffee? I can pour you a cup if you want some?" Kagari asked as he straightened himself up to inspect the boiling metal container. It was almost done just a few more minutes. Another sound of grass rustling alerted the young man again, a new figure began to approach! A young boy with dark skin awkwardly shuffled towards the duo. he seemed surprised someone was out here. Regardless, he made an attempt at a greeting; a very wooden wave and a quiet "hello." Kagari smiled, "Heh, I guess my little bonfire attracts all sorts of people. You can join us if you want to, I'm just here to relax after what seemed like an eternity." He scratched his cheeks, a little surprised at the current situation. Kagari then went towards a pack and took out two bowls. "Sorry, I don't have actual cups. I didn't expect there to be guests at my little bonfire." He began to pour the hot brown liquid into the two separate bowls, and hand it to the two if they accepted. "I'm Kagari by the way, I'm not from these parts if you couldn't tell. I'm just here on a little excursion away from the hot desert, in search of some foxes." Kagari then took a sip from the pot of coffee, burning his tongue and lips. "Ow!" <i></i> Kagari rubbed his now slightly singed lips with his fingers, a little embarrassed. "Anyways, who are you two?" <i></i>

WC: 349
MFT

 

[Kiri]

Approaching the makeshift camp fire, Kiri would be greeted by a kind stranger. He thought him kind enough to offer his brewing coffee at the very least. He may have forgotten the rather indecent attire he had going for him- that is that a part of his clothes was stained with the blood from the creature he hunted. But that wasn't as important as one should think. For him, the fact that the other didn't seem too alarmed by it may mean that the stranger wasn't someone from a wanted list, especially as he introduces himself as a foreigner.

There was another person who joined their group though he asked rather occupied on his own. As for Kiri, he accepted the bowl of coffee, though inwardly possibly cringing at the thought of drinking such a good coffee from something other than a cup at the very least-though this was only because of his pride as a barista. Thus, as he sat down opposite of Kagari, Kiri would respond.

"I'm Kiri," he said, taking a moment to smell the aroma of the coffee before drinking. It wasn't long before he didn't mind the bowl anymore. "I'm pretty much from Kumogakure. If you're lost, I may be able to help"

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

The blonde stranger approached the camp and warmly accepted the coffee. He did seem a bit reluctant to take it at first as he gazed into the cup a little disappointed. Was it the presentation that had him down? The other stranger, stood off to the side, quietly watching the two. He seemed a bit out of it, maybe he was shy or just didn't know how to interact with others. Kagari shrugged that little detail out of his mind as he engaged the blonde man in conversation. "I'm Kiri." He introduced himself, taking a nice whiff of the coffee. Kagari smirked, it seemed that despite the way he was treating his "guests" you couldn't beat the smell of a fresh roast. "I'm pretty much from Kumogakure. If you're lost. I may be able to help." Kagari himself took a small whiff, before reaching into his bag and putting a bit of sugar in his coffee. He still didn't like it completely black. "I sorta know my way back more or less...I just go down the road and eventually...Kumo! I can't really miss your giant gates..." Kagari scratched the back of his head as he took another sip, still burning hot. "So what are you doing out here Mr Kiri? Your clothes seem rather odd to wear outdoors, and your sack is looking a bit droopy..." Kagari then stayed silent for a second. "I meant your meat sack-" Kagari again silenced himself. "Uh...What's in the bag?" He was tired, and a tired Kagari doesn't think before he speaks sometimes. He was smiling awkwardly, hoping his brash questions wouldn't scare off this stranger.

 

[Kiri]

Kiri looked back at Kagari in a bit of confusion before he set his eyes on his bag. He then remembered the meat he packed inside and was probably getting moist. His eyes instantly cast a dead shine on them before he frowned and went back to sipping. Kiri wasn’t one to grumble or pout for his misgivings, but there would be instances when he would, and this was probably one of them as he was tempted to blow bubbles on the coffee. Ah but his own respect for the cup was enough to stop him for now and so he would be saved from any form of embarrassment should there had been any.

“I’m getting used to it,” he would then say, pertaining to his choice of clothing. One reason was because of the Tsuyoshi Clan being rather influential and respected by the village. It would be a big affront to the family should he blemish their reputation because of the way he carried himself. Besides, Junko picked them out and it was one of those rare fatherly moments that he thought seemed rather genuine that he cared about the clothes he was given. Unlike before when he didn’t have to think and simply grab whatever was out there in his apartment, now, he had to plan a little more.

Then he paused again before finishing and reaching out to Kagari to dismiss his question on his bag and rather seemed more inclined to have another fill of it. “And you? If you know your way, why stop in the middle of nowhere? You’re seemingly inviting for…. something.”

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

There was an awkward silence milling around the camp, Kri though seemed to shrug the question off and continued to drink his coffee. "I'm getting used to it." He answered plainly. He didn't answer Kagari's curiosity at what was inside the burlap sack but instead shot his question at the young man. “And you? If you know your way, why stop in the middle of nowhere? You’re seemingly inviting for…. something.” 'Guess he's a bit touch about the bag....Am I coming off a bit too forward? Maybe I sounded a bit creepy after that lame attempt at making conversation..' Kagari wondered to himself as he sipped his cup, thinking of how to answer it. I apologise if I came off a weird, that wasn't my intention. I came down from the mountains recently, so I'm a bit exhausted. I just wanted to relax a little and enjoy the atmosphere here; you don't often get this kind of scenery out in Suna." The atmosphere surrounding the camp was almost picturesque; the sun was going down behind the mountains, and purple filled the sky. The snow capped mountains soon turning dark and the crisp woodland air filling your lungs. "If you know anything about Suna, is that the village is built into the ground, and I grew up in the worst part, the slums. So I just wanted to enjoy...well this while I can." Kagari gestured around him. "Heh, Sorry. I'm telling my life story to a complete stranger who probably doesn't care..." Kagari scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed.

 

[Kiri]

Kiri can be dense at times, even when his senses would easily pick up on more important matters during a battle. This was probably because his interaction with a variety of people were still quite limited. So he was a bit confused when the other apologised for a moment. He stared at the man with a blank face, eyes blinking a few times and then glancing back down on the coffee. “There’s nothing to apologise for.” he quickly said before he looked back up as his interest was piqued at the mention of the work of ‘Suna’ – for that was the place where he and his adoptive father, Junko, was headed at the moment.

“Oh? I didn’t know that,” Kiri would reply soon after the other finished. He didn’t want the other to feel uncomfortable but he wasn’t sure how to make it show. Should he probably be more talkative?– he wondered. “I’m going to Suna soon and travel and learn more. If you can tell me more, I would highly appreciate it.”

And just like that, he seemed to have finished even the second serving. At that point, he was just holding the empty bowl in hand before glancing up to the sky. “This sky may look different from where we come from but the stars at night are the same. Wether you lie in the forest floor, on the cold paved street, on the peak of mountains, or the edge of a ravine, the sky still looks large enough to fit so much of what we cannot see, but the stars beyond are still the same. So I think what you appreciate is not just a change of scenery but also a sense of familiarity.”

He paused after that, thinking if he had gone and talked too much, but that was just enough, right? He wasn’t the philosophical one either, but more of the straight to the point of what he always thought of. “What I’m saying is that there is no such as borders in this world if we can see the same stars from anywhere, so just saying what is on your mind is nothing to be ashamed of, even if you think it’s not something others will strongly about. It’s more of a pity if you never got the chance to say at all.”

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

It seemed like Kiri wasn't to off put by Kagari's previous antics. In fact, he appeared to sympathize with his wanderlust or understood how to deal with a person in a tired state. "That was...very inspiring. I wish other's shared your mindset Mr.Kiri, that way we can start avoiding wars...But then again that would put me out of the job so...maybe not." Kagari got up and dusted off the dirt on his pants. He took apart the little grill he set up and starting placing things back in his traveling bag. "I should get moving; this was supposed to be a quick break. Hopefully, I'll see you again soon; you're very interesting to talk to." If Kiri were done with the bowl of coffee in his hands, he would take it from him. If not, he would wait for Kiri to finish the hot drink. "Man once I hit my hotel room, I'm crashing. Never look for Fox summons in a mountain, and if you do have to look for them, hopefully, you can find them in someplace beautiful like a beach or something." Kagari then threw on his backpack, ready to leave. "Later!" With that, he began making his way back to the village hidden in the clouds at dusk, satisfied with that not only he completed his goal but met some interesting people along the way.

[Topic Left]

OOC: I apologize for the delays! I hope we can RP again soon Kiri!