[Suzuki Taru]

While the dormitories were very nice, Taru had not been spending much time there during the day. She much preferred the freshness of the outdoors, exploring the city and getting to know it and its spiritual inhabitants. A few of the regular, alive-ones as well, but mostly the spiritual ones. This meant that whenever she wasn't training, she could be found roaming around the primary square of Mizu no Tera, spending her time bothering whoever it was that she happened to feel compelled to speak to. 

Today, her fate had chosen a particular target. There was a young shinobi, probably about just her age and slightly taller, with icy blue hair, who drew her attentions. She knew he was a shinobi because he had on the indicative sash, representing the fact that he was going to be one of her competitors. 

She wasn't competitive and had no real interest in scoping out the competition before the exams began. In her opinion, doing that would cause her to overthink things instead of allowing instinct to rule. 

Still, she felt like she was meant to meet him today. Maybe they would have something interesting to talk about. 

She moved through streams of people to intercept his path and greeted him cheerily, 

"Hello. I'm Taru! Who are you?" Maybe if she knew more about him, she'd understand why she was drawn to speak to him today! 

[Yuki Kazu]

After a day of hectic chaos, the last thing Kazu was expecting was another person to cross his path. He had just finished discussing some things with his sensei at the restaurant that they had determined. The discussion was helpful, though the boy was still severely lacking in motivation for now. Regardless, the boy stopped moving as soon as he saw the headband of another Kiri ninja. That was the second one that had come to seek him out today! The girl had introduced herself as Taru, yet another person that Kazu had to compete with in these exams. 

"I'm Kazu, from Yukigakure. Can I help you?" Normally, the boy wouldn't have such a blunt tone. Today however, he'd just dealt with too much and his patience was running way too thin. At least she hadn't smothered him with her chest yet or dropped a towel as he entered his dorm room. The crowd continued to move around the two exam participants as Kazu began to notice the girls features. White hair similar to his, except hers didn't change to icy blue as it moved away from his roots. Her hair seemed more like a bird's nest than anything else though. Kazu thought her eyes were red at first, but there was also a hint of brown in her irises. Taru's skin was almost sickly pale, even more so than any of the other Yuki clan members. One thing was for sure, this girl was stranger than Kasumi, at least in appearance.

[Suzuki Taru]

The boy introduced himself in turn, though he sounded less than enthusiastic about it. It was as though his patience was thin and he was being worn down by his surroundings. Maybe he was being troubled by something? Or maybe this was just his general nature. Some people were more irritable than others - her own teammates had quite the attitudes. They weren't here to participate, unfortunately. She would've liked to see what they could do alongside her! They should be here to visit and watch, though. 

"You caught my attention. Usually that means there's a good reason for it," she said. It wasn't really a rational explanation, but most things she said weren't rational. She had a very mystical way of thinking, assigning meaning to every little random thing that happened. 

"Kazu from Yukigakure... Maybe you and I are going to go on a mission together in the future and it'll be helpful that we've met now. Or maybe you're having some kind of spiritual disruption that I could help with?" It was probably something like that, if he was in such a cranky mood, but it often took two internal perspectives to understand this kind of thing. Taru was personally doing fine, so it couldn't be anything like that on her end. 

[Yuki Kazu]

Thankfully, the girl seemed normal so far. To an extent that is, she was saying something about spiritual disruption which Kazu had never heard of, but the boy still found her to be a significant improvement from the rest of the competitors. While she had mentioned there being a reason he caught her attention, Kazu didn't exactly want or need Taru's help. He'd already discussed everything with his sensei. He just wanted to get away from it all and go to sleep now, but he supposed it would be rude of him to ignore one of his village's allies. So, he indulged the girl for now. 

"Sorry about me seeming irritable, it's been a day. Plus, I just had a really long conversation with my sensei, the food was decent though. A mission would make sense at some point, since our villages are allies and all. So, maybe that'll happen. Then again though, you can never know until it happens. Also, what's all this about spiritual disruption?" The boy shrugged, he was a little curious as to what the girl had meant by that. "What do you say we talk while walking to the dormitory?" If she agreed, he'd begin to move through the crowd in the direction of their destination. If not? Well, that was a problem for future Kazu.

[Suzuki Taru]

He wanted to walk and talk, which was fine. Movement often helped the mind to process information more solidly, in her opinion, so it would get the spiritual energy flowing if they did. She nodded and followed after him, walking with a chipper step through the crowd. Now they would have a decent amount of time to speak while also having a destination as their goal! Perhaps that would motivate the conversation forward. 

"It's alright. I don't mind if you're irritable - I'm used to that with most people, really. It was just my thinking that if I was drawn to you, it might be a problem that I needed to help solve," she explained. As for the spiritual disruption aspect, that was a little harder to explain. She found that people didn't really understand what she meant by it even with further expanding because spiritual disruptions could come in many forms. 

Sometimes it was a disruption of the mind or heart, something that was troubling a person that had caused their spirit to fall out of alignment. Other times it was a more literal spiritual disruption, with ghosts and ghouls and such. Understandably, that made it a complicated topic. 

"As for the spiritual disruption... I was just wondering if you've had any off experiences lately? Is your mind or heart burdened by any trouble? Have ghosts been interrupting your sleep?" Normal stuff.

[Yuki Kazu]

The girl agreed to walk while talking to which Kazu was relieved. He didn't want to just stand in the street, blocking the crowd that moved throughout the area. So, the girl followed after Kazu as he began heading in the direction of the dormitories. Part of him didn't really want to go back. After all, he had a.... experience earlier in the day. Hopefully, his roommate would have clothes on by now. He walked through the crowd of oncoming traffic casually, which was usually the case for the Yuki Genin. Taru mentioned that she was used to people being irritable, which Kazu couldn't even imagine. Normal conversations made him nervous already, people being irritable would just make him even more nervous. 

The girl commented that she was drawn to him, which Kazu still didn't quite understood. What could be enticing about Kazu to make someone want to talk to him? Business was one thing, but this clearly didn't have to do with the exams or anything. As far as he could tell, Taru was trying to help him. Albeit in a very strange way, but still. She seemed deep in thought for a bit, before proceeding to try and explain what she meant by spiritual disruption. Kazu was still lost though, the only burdens he had been facing recently were his new roommate and getting caught in the middle of the hate fest between Konoha and Kiri. He'd never seen any ghosts for sure.

The boy mentally sighed, why was everything so complicated? He made an effort to reply to both of the girl's statements, though he really had no idea what to say, "I'm sorry that you're used to irritable people, I'm sure that sucks. I don't know about this whole being drawn to me thing, but I appreciate the thought at least. I've had off experiences a little bit, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. Mostly just stuff that uh... made me uncomfortable. Never seen a ghost personally, and I definitely don't get interrupted in my sleep." Surprisingly, Kazu did know what to say. The words kind of just fumbled out of his mouth. Still, there was something about the girl that got his attention. She was from Kirigakure, so was Kasumi who he had met earlier in the day. They both wanted to seek him out for one reason or another. It seemed too weird to be a coincidence, so he decided to say something, "You're from Kirigakure? Met someone from there earlier too."

[Suzuki Taru]

No ghostly experiences, just uncomfortable ones. That was a relief, perhaps. It'd be very inconvenient for him if he got possessed or started being haunted by specters just before the exams. She wasn't sure if the officials would make exceptions for that kind of thing, since it wasn't exactly a standard case. Actually, she wondered what the policy on dropping out in general was. If while you were here you found out family was sick or you'd been clung to by an angry spirit, would you be allowed to drop out, or would you have to participate anyways? 

She guessed she could ask Toru about that later, when she was able to talk to him again. He would know about those kinds of rules. She didn't need to concern herself with that, it was just what happened to flow through her mind. 

Kazu mentioned that he had met another Kiri shinobi earlier. 

"That makes sense. We are in Mizu no Kuni," she pointed out. "Most shinobi you meet would be from Kirigakure. I think we have a large class attending the exams this year, too." That was just a natural product of the exams being held in-country. She remembered that when she went to the exams two years ago, a lot of the people had been from the hosting nation. It's easier to be recommended if you're not going to have to be shipped overseas, she guessed. 

"It still might be meaningful, though. I don't believe in coincidence. But if you're not troubled by anything... I guess I could ask about your discomfort? Or maybe we're supposed to share something..." This was a tricky one. 

"Do you have any hobbies?"

[Yuki Kazu]

She made a good point, they were in Kirigakure for the exams. So, it made sense that most of the people he had met so far were Kirigakure shinobi. Lucky them, they didn't have a long boat ride to get here. That also meant it was less expensive for the country to send you too. Kazu didn't know if there were any other Yuki Genin attending the exams, but if there were he hadn't been told. This reminded him of his meeting with the Fifth Lady of Yukigakure. She was the one who allowed him to come after all. His sensei may have recommended the boy, but it was Lady Fifth who made the final decision. 

Pulling himself away from his thought, Kazu responded to the Kirigakure resident, "Yea you have a point, it probably costs a lot of money to send someone to another village for the exams. So, if I were the leader of a village, I'd want to make sure they were ready." His statement gave the boy a little bit of clarity, was that what Lady Fifth had been doing? Making sure he was prepared? It made too much sense to just be a coincidence. 

She continued on, making Kazu aware of her thoughts. To her, it couldn't be a mere coincidence that the two had met. This brought her to ask about Kazu's hobbies. Honestly, he didn't have any hobbies that he could think of. Unless relaxing too much for his own good counted? Regardless, he didn't want to leave the girl without a response. "Honestly, I don't really have any hobbies. There aren't too many things I have the motivation to do besides relax. What about you?" He asked Taru, actually wondering what exactly the girl did in her free time. Maybe she could give him ideas.

[Suzuki Taru]

Exactly! Ships trips were often arduous and expensive. A leader needed to be really sure before sending someone off, especially overseas. To that knowledge, she was interested in getting to see her competition at this year's exams. They were all certain to be very strong and to have hosts of unique techniques to amaze her. None would be as good as her fellow Kiri shinobi, she was sure, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. She liked keeping her national pride more quiet and less competitive. 

Kazu went on to state that he didn't have any hobbies. But how could that be? None at all? Didn't that get boring? She was someone who liked to always be doing things, so it just didn't click in her mind, the idea that someone could like to be idle and do nothing at all. When he asked about her own hobbies, she was immediately filled with infinite options. 

"I like training with my team," she said. "I also enjoy spending time in nature and meeting animals. Sometimes I take care of injured ones. I like scavenging for missing jewelry or shells or pretty stones in the woods and I make them into necklaces." She showed off some of her own jewelry. "I like reading about animals and learning about the natural landscapes of Mizu no Kuni. I also look for spirits and dance with them in the forests, sometimes. I do weight training... Sometimes I even spend time with the Mizukage."  A very lively girl.

[Yuki Kazu]

As the girl began to list off her hobbies, Kazu listened. Training? How was that any fun. That was just work, Kazu wouldn't even classify it as a hobby. Spending time in nature was a decent one. Then again, most of his village was filled with snow so it all looked mostly the same to the boy. Apparently though, Taru had taken care of some injured animals. Was she a medical ninja then? That would be good to remember for when the exams happened. That is, if she was in the exams. Otherwise, it would just be taking up space in his head. As she showed him some of the necklaces she had made, he found them kind of plain. There wasn't anything really special to them. Definitely not something he would be into. 

As she continued, she mentioned reading as well as learning about the landscape of her village. That didn't sound completely horrible to Kazu. At least, the reading part didn't, if he wanted to know the landscape of Yukigakure he would just go outside.  Then, she mentioned spirits again. Kazu was a little confused, she had made it seem like spirits were bad earlier. So then why was she was saying she danced with them now? He didn't really want to get into that topic again though. She finished off with mentioning weight training, work related again, and spending time with the Mizukage. While Kaze didn't know much of the other villages, he knew of the Kage's. He formulated his words before speaking, "Most of those sound either work related or boring to me. Then again, motivations always been a problem for me. Reading doesn't sound too bad. I've also met with the leader of Yukigakure, Lady Fifth. So, I guess I can kind of relate to meeting the Mizukage? One question though, are you in the exams? I figure you probably are. Most shinobi here are only in this place since it's where the exams are, I think. So, what about you?" 

[Suzuki Taru]

Work related or boring... Were things that were work-related not allowed to be hobbies or interests? Wasn't it better if your work was also something that you thoroughly enjoyed spending your time doing? Taru liked being a shinobi. She enjoyed the exercise, she enjoyed the adventure, she enjoyed doing the right thing for Mizu no Kuni. There was a chance she would still do many of these things even if she wasn't getting a paycheck for it. Especially the animal-taming missions. That was just something she enjoyed doing anyways. Being called in to deal with rampaging beasts was a treat more than a job! It just happened to help her buy food. 

"Something being work-related doesn't mean it can't be a hobby, too. I think people should learn to enjoy their jobs," Taru said, contemplative, tapping her chin. "If you're going to do it every day until you die or retire, isn't it being your hobby, too, better?" 

That wasn't a topic worth lingering on, however, because Kazu had mentioned several other things to talk about as well. She could correct him and say that she meant that she was close friends with the Mizukage, but she decided that was unwise. That kind of information could probably be used for political trouble or something, right? She should ask Toru more about politics. 

"I am in the exams," she agreed, doing a little hop. "It's my second attempt. I took a break for a few years after my first one, but I got recommended again."

[Yuki Kazu]

The girl had a point, but Kazu preferred to keep work related stuff and hobbies separate. He enjoyed his job for the most part, it was mainly the training and missions that made the boy not have fun. Mostly because he wasn't very motivated to do them. Though, he did plan on doing this either until death or retiring, so he definitely should enjoy what he was doing. The duo didn't linger on the topic though since Kazu brought up a new one. 

As she confirmed that she was indeed in the exams, Kazu had a pretty blank expression. He'd already figured it out pretty much, so the confirmation didn't really spark any emotion in the boy. He hadn't figured out that it was her second attempt though, so that was some good information. She had taken a break for a couple years in between her last exam and now. It was kind of similar to Kazu, he'd been recommended for the exams once before but opted out of it. His lack of motivation at the time made him feel fairly unprepared for the exams. As they continued walking, he spoke up once more, "Kind of a similar situation myself. I was recommended before I got transferred to a different Genin squad in my village, I opted out though. Still kind of unsure if I made the right decision coming this time. I mean, the whole reason I opted out the first time was because I didn't have motivation. I still don't, but I also don't want to let my sensei down either." 

[Suzuki Taru]

It seemed like lacking motivation was a really big thing for this guy. Taru had never lacked in motivation, though she had certainly lacked in direction. She wasn't motivated by typical things like money or strength or progressing through the ranks or respect, and only motivated by the tides of fate. So convincing her to do things that would help her career if she didn't actively feel that it was her time to do them was difficult in many cases. Though she enjoyed her job, she spent a lot of her time waffling between which parts of it to concentrate on. Maybe she could kind of sympathize with him, then, even if she didn't understand the lack of energy. 

"If you decided to come here, you must have felt that it was the proper time to make an attempt," she informed him. Sometimes people could just recognize their moments. It didn't necessarily mean that he would pass, just that being here would teach him something that he needed to learn. 

"Even wanting to not let people down is a kind of motivation, but... maybe you're trying to seek out what might truly motivate you?" She offered. "Inspiration from the people you'll face or some kind of challenge that you can try to push yourself towards." Maybe seeing what other people were capable of would convince him to push himself harder. 

[Yuki Kazu]

Once again, the girl proved to be pretty smart. Kazu had decided to attend the exams because it felt like he was ready, excluding his motivation issue. He might not pass, but it felt like he needed to be here. "Yea, I suppose." The boy said, looking at the ground as they walked. He wasn't sad or anything, the ground was just nice. It only changed slightly, but it was mostly the same. She mentioned that not wanting to let people down was a source of motivation, but while that was true it was only temporary for Kazu. It wasn't enough to keep him going for long. 

Once she mentioned the fact that Kazu might be trying to seek out his motivation, Kazu had to think back to his conversation with his sensei. When Kazu had asked why he was recommended, a question that had been stirring in his mind for a very long time, his sensei had told him that he wasn't someone that needed motivation. Still, Kazu wanted to find a source of motivation, even if his sensei reassured him that it wasn't needed. Would seeing other strong individuals that were stronger than him really motivate Kazu though or would he be stuck without motivation. "It's true that not wanting to disappoint other could motivate someone, but it doesn't last long for me. It's only temporary. You are correct that part of the reason I decided to come was the fact that I want to find a constant source of motivation. I hope I find it."

[Suzuki Taru]

That kind of motivation didn't last long for him. Was it really motivation, then, or just obligation? Was there really a line between the two? That was a philosophical quandary that probably didn't have a definite answer. Many times words didn't really suffice to explain complex things like why people did the things they did and how their minds had learned to be influenced in such ways by such impulses. If Kazu was so without lasting motivation, seeking it would probably be a difficult journey for him. Not an impossible one, hopefully, but definitely difficult. 


"I hope you find it, too," Taru told him, seeming very sincere and very invested in this personal journey despite not knowing him well at all.  The lines of fate were fascinating. She hoped he didn't leave here disappointed by them. 

"Keep your eyes open while you're here. You never know what corner it might hide behind. You don't want to cross paths with it and miss it because you're looking at... the ground," she joked, though she trailed off as she realized he was actually looking at the ground. Simple habit or conditioned avoidance? Hard to say. 

"Hmm... I think I've run out of advice to give," she said, regretfully. Maybe she'd jumped the gun and made the two of them meet too early?