Business and pleasure were pursuits often separate by nature, one usually birthing the other via its own surplus then abandoning it a cloud of dust. From there, it was the responsibility of the remainder to grow the need for its opposite by overstaying its welcome. Rarely, one might witness both at the same time, though some people liked to keep the two clear and distinct and weren’t fond of that sort of fraternization.
Yutaka and his wife, Reina, were just so. However, while they shared the desire to keep their work and leisure far apart from one another, they didn’t share their preference for which would take the lion’s share of their time each given day.
Reina was an absolute workaholic, having dedicated herself fully to her family’s business and its growth within Hi no Kuni. She labored tirelessly year round to ensure the success of Kisei brand beverages, for one, but, more importantly, to avoid ever knowing the deep disappointment of idle hands. She was a busy body to her core and business bled into each action, word and thought.
Meanwhile, Yu could do nothing more to shake himself free of the concept. He was far from lazy, but when he was at work, he was at work. When he wasn’t, he wasn’t. As simple as it sounds, he never could understand why the concept of ‘time off’ was such a mystery to his peers or even his wife. To some extent he could understand why someone might choose to pursue their craft in their down time, be it to perfect some skill or to grow a business like Reina had. But Yu just valued his time too much to be off doing some silly training.
So naturally, when word reached the couple that Takato, Reina’s older brother, was traveling through the area on a trade mission and was taking a day from his travels to rest in Heiwa, they were both ecstatic.
Finally, a break from the daily grind that was shinobi life. An opportunity to see more of the country; to eat good food, sleep in a cozy hotel bed and maybe visit some hot springs. A true and honest vacation.
Finally, another person deeply tied to Reina’s work was nearby. Someone with whom she could share ideas and poll about trends in distant nations. Maybe she’d even convince him to help Yu with his ninja career. An efficient and valuable opportunity.
The duo approached the place where Taka had scheduled for them to meet and were ferried in shortly thereafter as the Kusa nin had already been seated. Reina dashed forward upon seeing her brother, hurrying to the table with Yutaka in tow, and offered her greetings. She’d left to travel and find a good place to set up a new store a few years back but Takato had of course attended her wedding only a year prior. So, while it had been a minute, they hadn’t been apart overlong. Still, she was excited to see him.
Even Yu, who was normally deeply uncomfortable in social situations, seemed a bit at ease. After all, this was his brother-in-law and someone who he’d only had positive experiences with. Perhaps it was a mutual measured approach with which they handled the world, but Yu didn’t have as much trouble getting along with Takato as he did others.
He approached second to Reina, and extended a hand to his in-law. Dark circled eyes peered from behind a curtain of black strands, held back in part by a red bandana. And, a rarer sight, his face was marred by an awkward smile as he offered a low greeting.
"Long time no see.”
