It wasn't often that days as nice as this one made their presence in Kumogakure. The sun was bright and shining, and the cold mountain wind had even decided to give us a break. But I mean, who really knows how long it was going to be until some Santaru got angry and a thunderstorm would appear out of thin air. So like any sane individual, I was going to enjoy this day! I grabbed an empty pack and slung it around my shoulder before reaching into a small chest for a stash of money I was keeping for impulse spending. There was no better day to go to the market and buy whatever the hell I wanted! So this is what I would be doing! As I stepped out of the Ishikawa estate, I literally held a hand over my eyes so that I could get used to the brightness of the sun. You see, because we are so high up in the mountains, and the plain fact that we hardly ever see the sun anyways, I wasn't accustomed to such brilliance shining down at me. But! I quickly got over the strange warmth bestowed upon my epidermis and set out towards the Seki markets.
The transition into the markets is a rather jolting one if you aren't used to it. While the ambiance of people trading and bartering meets your ears from a few blocks away, the actually markets aren't seen until the very last second. When you turn the corner it's like a surprising pop up in a children's book. Subtle smells of food being cooked mixed in with the loud congregation of voices here and there. "Live chickens! Live chickens here! Buy two get the third half off!" One man calls to my right. I could help but smile when I imagined the look on Kioku's face if I were to bring home a troupe of chickens. "Oranges, Lemons, and Limes! All your citrus needs!" a woman called to my left. Ew, citrus. Why on earth would someone subject themselves to that sourness, I wouldn't know. I wasn't sure what I would be buying, but when I found it, I would know.
Thirty minutes in, I still hadn't found anything, and was honestly considering buying a chicken but to make sure this trip wasn't a waste of time. The market had everything someone would need, but for some reason, I just didn't need anything at the moment. I would see things and try to convince myself of it, but ultimately just refuse, my logic getting the better of me. I looked for a bench and quickly sat when I found one, letting out an intense sigh. Looking all around me, I secretly was straining to find something interesting to go and check out. A couple stalls into my search, I noticed something. There was once stall which had no one at it. Not a single person; which was strange to me. So I watched it for another five minutes. Some people to glances toward the wares but just seemed to move it. I shrugged and stood up, then proceeded to make my way over there with a purpose.
When I arrived, there was a rather dirty looking man selling what seemed to be cheap looking trinkets. Costume jewelry, bits and bobs. Just a manner of stuff that I assumed the made himself. No wonder nobody had stopped to look. But I seemed to be taking more of an interest, so he perked up. "You boy, I have just the thing for you." he said in a scrawny old voice. Digging out something from his pocket, he pulls out an item wrapped in some kind of burlap. Of course, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to find out what it was. As he slowly unwrapped it, the first thing I noticed was the emerald like gem in the center, then the metallic casing it was held in. There seemed to be some kind of writing on it. And, on the face of the gem, I could have sworn is was some kind of seal. Not so much a chakra seal, but one of some kind of pagan worship. "This here is good luck charm, and in my old age I don't need it anymore. I'll sell it to ya for ten thousand yen."
I actually choked a little at the price. "It can't be worth that!" I jousted. He shook his head quickly and assured me it was. "This here is a true emerald, not some fake one like the rest. I just need you to buy it so I can close up shop and live out the rest of my old measly life." he concluded. Well, now I felt bad for him. His appeal to pity worked wonders on me. And despite the steep price, I was still curious about the markings over the pendant sized piece. If they turned out to be nothing, I could just add it to the Ishikawa treasury. "All right all right..." I groaned and pulled out nearly all the money I had and forked it over to him. The joy on his face was nearly worth it too...
With the charm in hand I returned to my bench to admire it for a while, trying to figure out what it all meant. Maybe it really was lucky!
The transition into the markets is a rather jolting one if you aren't used to it. While the ambiance of people trading and bartering meets your ears from a few blocks away, the actually markets aren't seen until the very last second. When you turn the corner it's like a surprising pop up in a children's book. Subtle smells of food being cooked mixed in with the loud congregation of voices here and there. "Live chickens! Live chickens here! Buy two get the third half off!" One man calls to my right. I could help but smile when I imagined the look on Kioku's face if I were to bring home a troupe of chickens. "Oranges, Lemons, and Limes! All your citrus needs!" a woman called to my left. Ew, citrus. Why on earth would someone subject themselves to that sourness, I wouldn't know. I wasn't sure what I would be buying, but when I found it, I would know.
Thirty minutes in, I still hadn't found anything, and was honestly considering buying a chicken but to make sure this trip wasn't a waste of time. The market had everything someone would need, but for some reason, I just didn't need anything at the moment. I would see things and try to convince myself of it, but ultimately just refuse, my logic getting the better of me. I looked for a bench and quickly sat when I found one, letting out an intense sigh. Looking all around me, I secretly was straining to find something interesting to go and check out. A couple stalls into my search, I noticed something. There was once stall which had no one at it. Not a single person; which was strange to me. So I watched it for another five minutes. Some people to glances toward the wares but just seemed to move it. I shrugged and stood up, then proceeded to make my way over there with a purpose.
When I arrived, there was a rather dirty looking man selling what seemed to be cheap looking trinkets. Costume jewelry, bits and bobs. Just a manner of stuff that I assumed the made himself. No wonder nobody had stopped to look. But I seemed to be taking more of an interest, so he perked up. "You boy, I have just the thing for you." he said in a scrawny old voice. Digging out something from his pocket, he pulls out an item wrapped in some kind of burlap. Of course, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to find out what it was. As he slowly unwrapped it, the first thing I noticed was the emerald like gem in the center, then the metallic casing it was held in. There seemed to be some kind of writing on it. And, on the face of the gem, I could have sworn is was some kind of seal. Not so much a chakra seal, but one of some kind of pagan worship. "This here is good luck charm, and in my old age I don't need it anymore. I'll sell it to ya for ten thousand yen."
I actually choked a little at the price. "It can't be worth that!" I jousted. He shook his head quickly and assured me it was. "This here is a true emerald, not some fake one like the rest. I just need you to buy it so I can close up shop and live out the rest of my old measly life." he concluded. Well, now I felt bad for him. His appeal to pity worked wonders on me. And despite the steep price, I was still curious about the markings over the pendant sized piece. If they turned out to be nothing, I could just add it to the Ishikawa treasury. "All right all right..." I groaned and pulled out nearly all the money I had and forked it over to him. The joy on his face was nearly worth it too...
With the charm in hand I returned to my bench to admire it for a while, trying to figure out what it all meant. Maybe it really was lucky!