The Sunagakure commercial district was as chaotic as ever—a cacophony of shouting merchants, haggling civilians, and the ever-present scent of roasted meats and spices. Today, however, the usual desert grit was painted over with a sickeningly sweet coat of pink, red, and far too many heart-shaped decorations. Valentine’s Day. Romance Day. Whatever they were calling it. To Rika, it was simply 'The Day Idiots Willingly Part With Their Yen.'
She had no interest in all that mushy garbage. From what she had read—and observed—romance made people blind, stupid, and vulnerable. It was a liability that usually ended in tears or a kunai to the back. It made absolutely no sense to her, but if the village's general populace wanted to act like brain-damaged sheep over some imaginary holiday, she saw a prime opportunity to line her own pockets.
Rika was wearing overalls, that was a skirt instead of pants. Under the overalls was a white t-shirt, a bit dusty. On her waist was a belt with a pouch. Her jet-black hair was slightly brushed, and down. The tips curled slightly. Her jade-green eyes scanned the area. Rika was short - but she believed 4"8' was tall for her age. It wasn't.
Enter her brilliant business venture. Rika had commandeered a small, slightly wobbly stall and draped it with a semi-clean cloth. Resting on the flat surface was a scatter of various, slightly sun-baked desert flowers and a proudly displayed, hand-drawn sign that read: "A Flower and/or a Cheek Kiss - 100 Yen! (No refunds.)" Adjusting the pouch at her waist, she leaned her hip against the side of the stall and crossed her arms. Her vibrant jade eyes scanned the crowd. She could easily be out on a mission right now, cracking skulls and earning a solid paycheck, but her flowers weren't selling quite as quickly as she had calculated. She was just about ready to pack up her wilting inventory when the universe decided to bless her with a free show.
"Saito?!"
The squeal was shrill enough to shatter glass. Rika perked up instantly, her posture straightening as she spotted a woman storming through the crowd like a localized sandstorm. Her target? A very doomed-looking man who currently had his arm draped affectionately around another woman.
"What the hell—who is she?!" the first woman shrieked.
"Who the hell are you?!" the second woman yelled right back, immediately stepping up and shoving the first woman by the shoulder.
Saito physically shrank back, looking exactly like an academy student who had just been caught trying to steal answers to a Chuunin exam. "Hina—it's not—uh, Ageka, wait..." he stammered, holding his hands up in a pathetic attempt at surrender.
Hina stumbled back from the shove, her face flushing a furious, mottled red before she lunged forward and shoved Ageka right back, twice as hard. "I'm his wife, Saito! You told me you were working late!"
"Wife?! Saito, you didn't tell me you had a wife?!" Ageka screeched, turning her wrath away from Hina and aiming a two-handed shove squarely at Saito's chest. The man flailed, lost his footing in the sand, and tipped completely backward into a stack of woven baskets.
By this time, traffic in the market had ground to a halt. A respectable crowd had formed a perfect, eager ring around the lovers' quarrel, whispering and pointing.
"God, I love this day," Rika muttered to herself, a wide, thoroughly entertained smirk breaking across her face. She hopped up to sit squarely on top of her stall table, her legs dangling casually off the edge. Twirling a yellow desert daisy between her fingers, she leaned forward to get a better view of the carnage.
She had no interest in all that mushy garbage. From what she had read—and observed—romance made people blind, stupid, and vulnerable. It was a liability that usually ended in tears or a kunai to the back. It made absolutely no sense to her, but if the village's general populace wanted to act like brain-damaged sheep over some imaginary holiday, she saw a prime opportunity to line her own pockets.
Rika was wearing overalls, that was a skirt instead of pants. Under the overalls was a white t-shirt, a bit dusty. On her waist was a belt with a pouch. Her jet-black hair was slightly brushed, and down. The tips curled slightly. Her jade-green eyes scanned the area. Rika was short - but she believed 4"8' was tall for her age. It wasn't.
Enter her brilliant business venture. Rika had commandeered a small, slightly wobbly stall and draped it with a semi-clean cloth. Resting on the flat surface was a scatter of various, slightly sun-baked desert flowers and a proudly displayed, hand-drawn sign that read: "A Flower and/or a Cheek Kiss - 100 Yen! (No refunds.)" Adjusting the pouch at her waist, she leaned her hip against the side of the stall and crossed her arms. Her vibrant jade eyes scanned the crowd. She could easily be out on a mission right now, cracking skulls and earning a solid paycheck, but her flowers weren't selling quite as quickly as she had calculated. She was just about ready to pack up her wilting inventory when the universe decided to bless her with a free show.
"Saito?!"
The squeal was shrill enough to shatter glass. Rika perked up instantly, her posture straightening as she spotted a woman storming through the crowd like a localized sandstorm. Her target? A very doomed-looking man who currently had his arm draped affectionately around another woman.
"What the hell—who is she?!" the first woman shrieked.
"Who the hell are you?!" the second woman yelled right back, immediately stepping up and shoving the first woman by the shoulder.
Saito physically shrank back, looking exactly like an academy student who had just been caught trying to steal answers to a Chuunin exam. "Hina—it's not—uh, Ageka, wait..." he stammered, holding his hands up in a pathetic attempt at surrender.
Hina stumbled back from the shove, her face flushing a furious, mottled red before she lunged forward and shoved Ageka right back, twice as hard. "I'm his wife, Saito! You told me you were working late!"
"Wife?! Saito, you didn't tell me you had a wife?!" Ageka screeched, turning her wrath away from Hina and aiming a two-handed shove squarely at Saito's chest. The man flailed, lost his footing in the sand, and tipped completely backward into a stack of woven baskets.
By this time, traffic in the market had ground to a halt. A respectable crowd had formed a perfect, eager ring around the lovers' quarrel, whispering and pointing.
"God, I love this day," Rika muttered to herself, a wide, thoroughly entertained smirk breaking across her face. She hopped up to sit squarely on top of her stall table, her legs dangling casually off the edge. Twirling a yellow desert daisy between her fingers, she leaned forward to get a better view of the carnage.