[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Days off were rare for Daichi. Not because he never had time off—he absolutely did—but because he often chose to use his days off for training or studying or missions, until the hours flew by and suddenly the day was over without his being aware that much time had passed at all. But today—today he was taking the day off. With Hoshi in tow, Daichi left Kirigakure altogether, deciding to take some time to explore with no expectation. He let his feet take him where they willed, and after a brisk walk he found himself in one of the small towns not far from the Hidden Village’s gates. It was a nice little place. Daichi buys a kebab and shares the meat with Hoshi, tossing her little chunks of fish as they casually wound their way through the town’s streets. It was—comfortable. But Daichi was starting to get bored. Training with the jaakugan and as a sensor-nin proper meant that he had a decent baseline awareness of his surroundings, chakra signatures ticking off in his mental periphery like blinking dots on a radar. He could expand the bubble and precision of his awareness, but it took effort and chakra, and he wondered if he could find a comfortable middle ground—identify passers-by in his passive sensory bubble without expanding into full active sensory awareness or activating his doujutsu. It was—challenging, to keep from going into full sensory mode, but Daichi tried to keep a low-grade awareness as he and Hoshi moved through town, and his boredom was gone in the blink of an eye in the face of a new training exercise. He was having fun, even—until something odd passed through his awareness. There shouldn’t have been anything wrong with the chakra signature, was the thing; he tried to pinpoint exactly where it came from, but it was more of a vague, unsettling feeling than anything else, and though he had passed by more than a few shinobi on his walk the town was largely populated by civilians. It had been, he thought, a civilian’s signature. He was so lost in thought that it took him a dozen meters or so to realize that Hoshi was no longer by his side; she had stopped in her tracks. No hackles raised, nothing aggressive about her posture, but she had simply paused in the middle of the street and was staring intently at something. Or someone. "Hoshi,” Daichi called, doubling back to join her—and see what had caught his perceptive companion’s razor-sharp attention. "What are you doing?”

Hirose Naoko -- 474

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hirose Naoko]

Well that had been an annoying trip…

Meeting up with Zaizen in Kirigakure was meant to have been a breeze. Getting through gates and customs had never been an issue, gate guards were always more than happy to include her among the many bodies of whatever caravan. For some reason though… that idiot had decided to bar her for not having individual papers, notice, or reason. Even mentioning business with the Sourei hadn’t stirred him and seemingly Zaizen was currently nowhere to be found, so he couldn’t even vouch for her.

Frustration… It was a grating thing, especially when just a couple more details could have been paid had she been more thorough.

"Guess I need to be more prepared in the future, hm?”

Tone of voice lowered and more graveled than a woman’s, though still silky and smooth in its enunciation and delivery. Another form had been taken just in case someone had seen her at the gates, no longer a female brunette in ornate clothes, but a tall and finely built young man. Tanned skin and dark hair that likely labeled him as foreign as her own original roots, and not even forgoing the ornateness of dress. He might as well have been an official from some delegation of foreign affairs~ And perhaps that might even be his story…

It was unneeded for now, the point wasn’t to interact with anyone right yet. A simple walk… one with a pair of birds that fluttered about. The small pair of lovebirds had a welcoming perch upon his shoulder whenever they wanted, but also equally took flight and flew around him in chase of one another to stretch their wings and match his long strides.

Speaking to them was idle and calming, a sigh from his lips and on hand rubbing over the firm and flat chest of his as he pondered what he should do next. Zaizen was a priority as of yet, setting up his life in a way that he could forever relax and be out of the eye was dependent upon that man’s hands… Patience… Patience patience…

Chirping birds that had perched on his shoulders once more would have fluffed up, the two of them full from their feathers and then shaking them flat, followed by flight being taken by a drop off his shoulder and off to his side. Suddenly and with purpose, for a shrill little series of chirps had the young man on higher radar.

Someone was watching them.

The birds were rarely aggressive, always a cute and calm little pair. Their chirps no different than any other lovebird that was calling out to his mate. But the man knew full well the two weren’t all that chatty. Calls were signals, and the signals pointed to another man. And his dog.

Rather than run like some criminal or avoid detection when he was already in it, the delegate of foreign affairs! Would turn in the other man’s direction, strides easy and steady with a grin spreading over his features. A hand outstretched towards those small birds that had been flying, suggesting to come back to him and huddle in.

"That’s a big dog. Out on a walk?”

Sometimes situations not so simple, started with simple things.

---

Faceless SA - Active [Chakra Levels Suppressed to that of a Civilian Level while Henge remains Active.]

Henge - Active

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Daichi jogged to catch up with his dog and slowed to a stop at her side, where he came face-to-face with a smiling young man. He seemed foreign, given his style of dress and demeanor, and when Daichi met his eyes—he cleared his throat and almost immediately glanced away, a sudden rush of heat flushing up his neck. "Uh, yeah, haha, she ate her greens growing up,” Daichi joked, rubbing the back of his overly-warm neck. Stupid, D, what was that? "Sorry, yeah, just… taking a walk. Sorry to bother. C’mon, Hoshi, let’s go—” But Hoshi, as stubborn as the solid shape of her blocky head might suggest, refused his call. Instead she sat on the ground with a hmph, a heavy breath vibrating the loose skin of her lips, and she peered upwards at the lovebirds fluttering around the other man’s shoulders. "Hoshi?” he tried again, but the dog was unresponsive. He frowned. Normally she only got like this when she thought something was wrong—but her hackles weren’t raised, no bared teeth, no quiet growl. So no danger. Yet clearly something was up, because she simply refused to move. "Sorry,” he said again to the man, his brow creasing. "We’ve been walking all day, I guess she’s just tired. Um—Daichi, by the way!” He turned his attention away from his obstinate dog and to the other man instead, though he still couldn’t quite manage to hold eye contact, awkwardly shifting in place. The guy was clearly a civilian, quite friendly, no red flags to speak of—he had no idea what Hoshi’s issue was. But if she wanted to stay, then he would stay with her. "You’re not from around here, right? Are you visiting on business?”

Hirose Naoko -- 474

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hirose Naoko]

Ah~ A shy and tender man? It could prove interesting from that standpoint alone. Danger lessened when such things had their guard down and good looks were a mighty fine tool towards that. The hand extended by the young man brought those birds back in, little feathered balls following up his arm to perch on his shoulder again, fluffing themselves up and shaking in comfort. Sleek and lovely, while chirping lightly to one another and beaks to tenderly caress their partner…

The young man to bring his hand back down though, approaching that other man still with the large dog that didn’t look as if it was always of the friendly sword.. A grin on his face though, the dog owner’s awkwardness and light hearted words making it easy to show such an expression.

"..Oh?”

A questioning sound and a tilt of his head opposite the side of the birds as he wondered why the sudden retreat. Not that the dog agreed. The grin on the man’s lips suddenly parting into a sudden yet short bout of laughter.

"haha! She says it’s break time. Maybe she’s hungry for more greens.”

A joke right back afforded to the young man who started such a line of though. The dog had stubbornly stuck itself there though, butt glued to the ground to keep the other man there. Such a thing could bode well, or not. Time could tell. Though the softly chittering birds to his own shoulder still faintly warned of things amiss.

"No harm done, I approached you first.”

Light hearted and dismissive, it really shouldnt’ have displayed as an issue to someone that he had sought out himself.

"Ishida Kenshin. It’s a pleasure.”

Greetings were met in kind, his own name given out easily despite the other man looking a bit bashful and hesitant. He couldn’t help but think that this was working out well, though the dog could be an issue. That she planted herself there made him wonder if she was truly tired.

"My home is quite the distance, yes. I hold the station of foreign affairs within my own village, I had been hoping to engage in business within Kirigakure but some issues cropped up.”

An explanation set forth for that ‘Kenshin.’ Foreign affairs. Things within Kirigakure. They weren’t at those gates, nor within there, so obviously something had come up.

"So just enjoying the sights for now! There’s plenty to see wherever you go.


Like good looking men walking their dogs.”

Positive spin though, he couldnt’ be held down from a little issue with customs. And then a pause, clear look over Daichi’s whole self before settling with a grin to his features and gaze on the other man’s face. Compliment paid, boldly stated, though true intent was definitely to fluster the other man more~

---

Faceless SA - Active [Chakra Levels Suppressed to that of a Civilian Level while Henge remains Active.]

Henge - Active

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

The other man responded in kind to Daichi’s stupid half-baked joke about Hoshi eating her veggies, which… was kind of him, really, it was such a dumb thing to say. Daichi laughed awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably in place. Idiot. He introduced himself easily, kindly, with a warm smile that was making Daichi’s head spin. He opened his mouth to say something, unsure what was about to come out—stringing together a coherent sentence was difficult for him at the moment—but closed it again, as his brain completely short-circuited. Good-looking men walking their dogs. He flushed a violent red, glancing around as if to pinpoint someone else in the area who fit the description and agree, but there was only one dog on this street, accompanied by one young man. He wasn’t so dense that blunt flirtation like that would fly over his head, but knowing that he was receiving a compliment from a dashing foreigner with chittering birds and a pretty smile didn’t mean he knew how to receive that compliment. He choked on air. Hoshi glanced at him sidelong, breaking her fixation with the foreign man just long enough to let Daichi know exactly how unimpressed she was. "Well, uh, haha, this is a pretty neat town, there’s a nice little park not far from here that’s really pretty if you’re looking to do some sightseeing, lots of dogs there if you like dogs!” He said brightly, a touch too loudly, a clear touch of mania edging his voice. Change the topic, you sound like a moron. "What village are you from, were you trying to meet with Lord Mizukage?”

Hirose Naoko -- 269

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hirose Naoko]

To fluster this young man was so easy~ It never was boring to see such reactions. The rush of red to his chiseled face and features, the hesitation and moments that took his breath away. It was amusing to see and had Kenshin’s pride soaring that no matter what form was taken, he hadn’t lost his touch. Smooth words and stunning smile worked wonders as long as the target was right.

A low chuckle was given by the foreign male, a single closed hand risen to ‘muffle’ that amusement into his hand. There was no offense taken and none would appear, merely a positive outlook towards this Daichi he had come across. Lovebirds gave their soft coos to one another upon the man’s shoulders, not so much invested in the exchange as the dog might have been. Clearly Daichi’s beast was intelligent, much moreso than tired from some walk, Kenshin could almost envision some grumpy grandma scolding the shinobi with her gaze.

"I could do with more sights, assuming you’re accompanying me?”

To the dog park was accepted with the condition that Daichi was coming along. The compliment and assurance paid there wasn’t quite so bold as calling him good looking, but the intent should have been clear enough that his company was preferred. Perhaps a dangerous notion with the ‘grandma’ perhaps already suspicious of them, but the flustered man made some of it worth it. It really had been a shitty week.

And so that stroll to continue, if Daichi so agreed. The two to walk towards a park that Kenshin clearly had no dog for. Question passed though, village and meeting. One part of that questioning was purposefully left out while others were addressed. A clear laugh to precede it all though, amusement on the tanned young man’s face as hands would meet his body on either side as he lifted his chin and let out a more open laugh. Birds fluffed their feathers and adjusted their positioning just as if they were used to his movements.

"Haha! No, no. I’m not quite so important to meet with the Kage himself. I had some business to discuss with groups in the village though. Waruichi are widely known for their silks, for instance, I couldn’t pass up the chance to try for some trade there.”

Good natured and in attire that wasn’t lacking itself, but Waruichi silks? A good addition to anyone’s outfit.

---

Faceless SA - Active [Chakra Levels Suppressed to that of a Civilian Level while Henge remains Active.]

Henge - Active