[Mikatakujira Ruto]

An academy student waiting on promotion, then. Ruto didn't envy him. His own time in the academy had been annoying, almost unnecessary. He'd had enough training by that point that he'd have preferred to jump right to being a shinobi, but that wasn't an option for most villages. People had been suspicious of him from the second he'd come home, so he'd had to go through the classes and prove himself. Only to become a shinobi who was still not trusted. Even though he was back here, shinobi life wasn't something he truly missed.

"I hope you're able to graduate soon, then," he said, with a feigned sort of sympathy. Ruto was good at playing nice.

Then Hotarubi asked why Ruto was still talking to him. Really, Ruto wasn't sure. This was just something he'd always done. He wasn't a kind person, but not an unkind one either. He was drawn to people. He liked talked to them, learning about them when they struck his curiosity.

"I have a habit of wrapping myself up in conversation with people who seem like they might need help with something," he decided on. "Or more... I guess I just like talking to interesting people. That sense you got of the approaching noise was curious to me, so I wanted to ask more about it, since I thought my knowledge might be relevant. I'm not a sensor, but some medical techniques allow sensing within a patient's body."

[Deleted]

If only he had understood or known who he was talking to, another Shinobi. But Hotarubi wasn't thinking about that or used his rational deduction skills to understand the content he was using was indicative of a Shinobi. Alas, it went under the radar. Hotarubi nodded. "Mm." As if to say, yeah. Me too. It was not apparent whether or not Hotarubi believed his niceness but in the end, did it matter? Ah. Medical techniques. As Hotarubi listened, it made sense. He was a shinobi! "Got ya. I see." Did Hotarubi also believe if the man was a sensor or if he was lying? Again, who could tell? Hotarubi was a little wrapped up in himself at the time. "That's nice and all. You work in the village as a Iyronin?" So Hotarubi did have follow up questions. Speaking to Ruto was nice, externally calming him down a bit beyond his seeing red earlier.

[Mikatakujira Ruto]

It was a little difficult to read this kid. Not that Ruto was the most skilled at that in the first place. Making friends with people was something he excelled at. Gaining trust of civilians, integrating himself into communities. Actually interpreting their deeper thoughts was beyond his scope, though. He wasn't a social infiltrator or an interrogator or anything like that. Just someone who talked to people. It seemed good enough here, at least, as Hotarubi was still talking with him and hadn't told him to piss off yet.

Hotarubi asked if he worked as a medical shinobi for the village. Ruto hesitated.

"In a sense," he answered, speaking slowly, like he wasn't sure of the answer himself. "I'm not a part of the medical corps. I am more of an independent researcher. That is why I'm stationed here instead of in the village itself. I'm performing a study under the direction of Lord Takigakure." That description was giving himself far too much credit, considering he was more of an active prisoner performing research under duress, but he certainly wasn't going to tell Hotarubi that. 

[Deleted]

"Oh." Independent research sounded good. "Sounds fun." It didn't sound fun. Hotarubi had been less than interested in the medical arts when it had came up (unique physiologies, right?) He wondered what was open for him to accomplish today. Was there anything he could gain from this man? Hotarubi put his hands behind his head as he walked. Hotarubi did wonder, however, and it would come across in how he spoke to Ruto. "Do you deal with like poisons and stuff?" One of the suggestions he'd had learned, which he ultimately didn't because of the propensity to academia - that required a lot of learning. He'd had the thought to include it in his doton but it hadn't made its way into his repertoire in the end. Like any reputable shinobi, he at least tried to wean information out of people so that he could change his own approach and become more lethal, he wasn't interested in this... small talk.

[Mikatakujira Ruto]

Hotarubi wasn't interested in Ruto's research, not really, which didn't surprise Ruto. He didn't seem like the academic type. He struck him as more action-oriented and less thoughtful. Ruto didn't necessarily mind that kind of person, since he could fly past their awareness more easily. So long as their aggression wasn't directed his way, at least.

The young man was interested in poisons, though, evidently. Had he considered working them into his own style before?

"I do work with poisons," he confirmed. Though that was a bit of an understatement. Ruto didn't just work with poisons, poison-techniques were one of his main areas of study, and he utilized the knowledge developed there in an incredibly unique way. "We study them a great deal while learning the medical arts, as removing them from the body is a complicated process. Many poisons also have medicinal uses when administered in incredibly small doses. One of the things I'm working on researching right now is a... new poison."

That wasn't quite true. He was developing a new disease that he could, personally, use as a poison. Stretching the truth wouldn't be notable to Hotarubi anyways, and it was better if he didn't know exactly what Ruto was working on.

"Are you interested in poisons as well?"

[Deleted]

Ruto confirmed it and Hotarubi would sort of grunt at him as an affirmation. He started to tune out Ruto's more medical and academic approach to poisons. When the questions flew at him, Hotarubi took a lot longer to respond as he tried to figure out what the question was. "I tried to but it's not for me." Hotarubi had only learned the essential biology lessons and even then he hadn't taken enough attention from it in order to have learnt anything useful - given he was made of rock, being human didn't interest him. Neither did getting poisoned. "What does it do?" His interest of the poison was in the outcome, which he did have interest in. A difficult conundrum for someone who had no interest in making, gathering or otherwise using them - nor how to work with them. But using them? Yeah that sounded fun. They were a protected shinobi class substance and it required certain... requirements in order to make benefit of the stores of Takigakure. They would find themselves coming to a stop with a crowd as they another route of livestock were coming through some of the lesser busy streets that they'd moved off. "Why the fuck are there so many animals out of their pens today??" He was confused with it as well.

[Mikatakujira Ruto]

What does it do? Now, that was a much more difficult question to answer because it wasn't fully developed yet. It did what any disease did, made the body slowly deplete its energy as it tried to fight an invading force. Sickness was a relatively slow killer, though he was trying to prime this illness to work slightly more quickly. How to summarize all of that without giving the game away?

"It raises the internal body temperature to an unsustainable degree," Ruto offered, as that was as good a way to vaguely describe a fever as possible. If he did his job well, it would also suppress the respiratory system and cause neurological symptoms, but all of that was still underway.

They passed another group of livestock being herded through the crowds on the street.

"It must be a good time of year for selling them," Ruto speculated, watching the animals pass with mild distaste. Maybe he should ask for larger animals for his studies on communicability. "Do you dislike animals? You seem quite agitated." Then, his general demeanor was agitated. But perhaps it was just difficult for him to train whatever extra sense he was working on with so many animals around, since their presence and set of footsteps seemed to confuse and confound his abilities.

Or maybe he just hated animals. A distinct possibility.

[Deleted]

"Ah." Hotarubi did appreciate that from Ruto, they were direct about what it did and didn't try to bullshit him, or throw out unnecessary language that he himself would've needed to clarify further. Hotaubi thought that was effective communication. Hotarubi didn't dignify Ruto with a response but a grunt in his assumption. His own mind contemplated and thought it sounded about right, and let that be his understanding of the situation. But otherwise it was a 'got it.' sound from his mouth. He looked back at him though at his own anger, like he was being forced to share the same space with Ruto. His eyes and eyebrows were of a distinct apprehension towards the man's existence. Hotarubi did think the man was being rather obtuse. "I'm aggravated because I'm penniless." Hotarubi had very little beyond a bag of clothes he had managed to buy and a room that he had left his stuff in (hint: alleyway). So, it was likely a stressor that Ruto wouldn't have been aware of but if there was a universal gripe, it was about their pay. But hey, one did all the tricks they could for money when they couldn't take on any real jobs. And he wasn't going to be stepping foot back in the noodle shop, that had been bad enough for his pride.

[Mikatakujira Ruto]

Hotarubi stated that the reason he was agitated was because of finances. How troublesome. Ruto supposed that the academy didn't really provide for students in any meaningful way. He'd been lucky enough to have adoptive parents who at least nominally supported him through his schooling when he had gone, but he'd never considered others might have to work on top of their studies. That seemed fairly counterproductive to recruiting new shinobi, but, then, the lord of Takigakure was not known for being a very sympathetic man.

"I'd offer help, but I'm not in a much better position myself," he admitted. Perhaps strange for someone performing specialized research, but that was the case. Ruto was provided quarters and three square meals a day and that was it, the same as any other prisoner. Even coming down to the market meant very little now that he thought about it. Even if he really wanted to, he never could've bought those old merchants' wares. Maybe it was better if he just didn't go back to help them, even if it might hurt his reputation a little bit.

"Maybe I can help you find another odd job to work somewhere around the village, though?" He said, looking around. He was quite good at communicating with strangers, so maybe he could quickly get Hotarubi in someone else's good graces.

[Deleted]

Hotarubi would give him something between a look of disbelief and concern. There wasn't much he could be enthralled with. He mulled over whether to take the offer or not - but the damage was done and he wasn't getting paid today. Unless he could find something his own way. "Not to be funny or anything but if you can't, then why do you think you'd be more successful finding me one?" Hotarubi would ask, almost asking if it was because he thought of Hotarubi as less intellligent and more brutish. It was both a correct assumption if so, but it didn't mean he couldn't be insulted on his intelligence. "I think I'm gonna go rough it, see you." He didn't leave much in the way of rejection by the way his tone indicated a stalwart response, his body language and the fact that now that he had communicated there was nothing further to learn - he was out. [exit / end?]