[Yuki Kazu]

With the second round of the exams completed, Kazu laid down in his bed for the time being. It had been a couple days since they had been brought to Kagamino no Shi. Having not finished in time, they're group was escorted to the city once their time ran out. He got a new roommate, someone by the name of Ichi. That being said, by now he had rested way more than enough. He was ready to go explore this new town! So, the Genin grabbed his jacket and headed out towards where they'd been informed the location for a festival was. 

As he walked through the streets, the place was vastly different from the previous location they had been at. The area for round one was more of a gloomy feel, thought that may have just been his nerves. Now it felt a lot more like a celebration instead. The streets filled with food stands and entertainment all around him. Honestly, he was thankful for the difference in the two places. Plus, Kazu was ready to finish these exams, go home, and sleep for a week. Though, his sensei probably wouldn't allow that. Too bad. He stood there, looking down the street he was on in awe. Kiri wasn't so bad after all.

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

The first two rounds of the exam had been fairly rough on Hase Hoshi, dancer extraordinaire. He knew that traditionally the first two rounds of the exams weren't open to the public, but that hadn't stopped him from being disappointed that there hadn't been an audience! There was also the issue that neither of the rounds had dealt with his specialties, which meant that he very much welcomed this interim period where he could let loose in the festival atmosphere of Kagamino no Shi.

While he was in a foreign place, Hoshi absolutely felt the need to indulge in everything that this place had to offer. Amegakure was such a different place compared to Mizu no Kuni, so Hoshi found himself completely captivated by the 'exotic' foods, smells, sights, and sounds. With a snack in each hand, the dancer spun around the festival streets, eyes not quite pointed where he was going though for the most part people managed to get out of the way. At least right up until the moment someone didn't

Hoshi found himself colliding, thankfully not too hard, with someone in the middle of the street. The shock of the impact loosened his grip on the treats he carried in his hands, one of which was thankfully a bottled beverage but the other wasn't so fortunate. Hoshi let out a tormented wail as his scrumptious roasted sweet potato felt and bounced off the ground, with the bottled beverage landing just beside it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Hoshi ignored the blue haired boy for the time being, immediately squatting to scoop up his snacks though a cursory glance revealed that his poor roasted sweet potato was beyond saving.

"You! Why're you just standing out in the open like that.. gaahhhhhhhh!"

[Yuki Kazu]

As Kazu stood in the middle of the street, appreciating the beautiful city, someone bumped into him. "Huh?" Was his only reaction as the potato fell out of the boy's hands. The boy seemed... dramatic? Then came the accusation that it was completely Kazu's fault. "I mean we were both kind of in our own world. I zoned out, yes. But you also weren't paying attention to where you were going either." He stated, not having much emotions in his words. However, it was still partially on him. So, he apologized. "That being said, it was partially on me. I can buy you another one if you want." 

With that, he would motion for the boy to lead them to wherever he had bought the item. Though realistically, Kazu wouldn't know whether it was the same place or not. If the boy wanted to, he could make Kazu pay more for the same item. Kazu didn't care too much though, he still had quite a bit of money. "Oh, I'm Kazu Yuki by the way. From Yukigakure." He offered his name, his village wasn't too important since the headband on his right arm already revealed that. However, it was part of his normal introduction at this point, a hard habit to break. If Hoshi agreed to Kazu paying for it and led them, Kazu would simply follow the boy and try to make conversation. "So, why are you in Kirigakure?"

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

Still squatting down, Hoshi gingerly picked up his cold beverage. Most of it was spilled out on the ground but there was still some of the drink left in the container. The roasted potato was an entirely different matter. As he picked it up and turned it around in his hand, he realized it was completely covered in dirt, and he shot up to full height, pointing the dirty potato accusingly at Kazu.

"Well!... WELL! Okay maybe I wasn't paying attention but you also shouldn't just be standing in the middle of the street! Move with traffic or move to the side!"

Hoshi seemed ready to continue with his rant but stopped himself short when Kazu offered buy him another one. The Ame genin puffed his cheeks indignantly as he moved to toss the potato into a trash can, sighing when he returned to the blue-haired boy. He could tell that Kazu was genuinely sorry so he shook his head at the offer.

"Nah, it was partially my fault too, but you can make it up by hanging out with me!"

The Ame genin tilted his head at the introduction, noting the village armband that Kazu wore before pointing to his own village's insignia around his neck.

"I'm Hase Hoshi! Gen-" Hoshi paused to pose dramatically "-jutsu, extraordinaire from the super village Amegakure. A star destined to be known worldwide!"

The pose involved tilting his face away from Kazu, eyes closed for extra flair though he did sneak a peek to see if the other genin was impressed. In either case, Hoshi began leading the way down the street, pointing to the other armband that both of them wore.

"Whattya mean? We're both genin in the exams duh! How'd you do on your first two rounds? I think I've been doing alright so far though... I really hate how private they've been. I shine best with an audience!"

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu watched as the boy seemed disappointed that his snacks were gone, picking up the remains of each item. When he picked up the potato, he pointed it accusingly at Kazu. It was covered in dirt after the fall that Kazu was partially to blame for, he frowned as the boy began to speak.



Luckily, he agreed they both were to blame to an extent. Kazu explained why he had been standing in the middle of the street, "Sorry, never been to any of the other countries before. I was appreciating the city. I'm usually more attentive."



As Kazu offered to buy him another set of snacks, but Hoshi didn't seem to want that, merely opting to hang out with the boy instead. What was interesting was that Hoshi was from Amegakure, a village he had yet to meet anyone from. He seemed to be some sort of performer from the way he introduced himself, something Kazu could never do. Too many eyes watching him do any kind of performance would make the genin far too nervous. "Are you the only person in the exams from Ame? Don't think I've seen anyone from there. You sound like a performer though, what do you do?" He asked, assuming that they were both in the exams at this point.

His pose was pretty impressive, whatever he did he obviously needed to be flexible. Hoshi then answered the question of if they were both in the exams by pointing to the armband they both wore, he'd worn it for so long he'd forgotten it was there. Kazu had to think about how he'd done in the first two rounds, his sensei was proud but it wasn't enough for him yet. He still hadn't done what he'd came here for. Regardless, he continued the conversation as Hoshi led him down the street. "Sorry, forgot the armband was there in all honesty. First two rounds I did good I think, but it's not quite enough yet. I don't mind them being private with the first two rounds, but people just make me more nervous. I think I'd be fine if it was a fight, but any other kind of performing I'd fail miserably." Kazu silently hoped there'd be spectators for the third round though, he wanted two people to see his improvement more than anything. 

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

Hoshi quickly waved away any further apologies and negative feelings from their initial encounter, just happy to have someone to enjoy the festival with. The Ame genin excitedly pulled Kazu to various sights and stalls as they conversed, not outright buying everything he saw but very much indulging in some window shopping.

"Nope! I'm here with my teammate Sugita too, though.. he's a bit on the moodier side... I think."

Hoshi stopped walking as he examined some particularly shiny trinkets that a vendor was selling, small bits of ribbons and cloth that could potentially add some extra oomph to his outfit.

"More people makes you nervous? I don't think I can relate I mean... don't you want people to see your great accomplishments? I'm not sure I could keep being a shinobi if I couldn't show off."

The dancer picked up two of the ribbons from the display and held them over the pieces he already wore on his head, turning his face from one side and to the other so that Kazu could get a better look.

"What do you think? Kirigakure blue or Yuki blue? Speaking of Yuki, what's it like there? Suuuper cold I bet. I know you guys have a big ol' train and we kinda have the same thing in Amegakure, just smaller and all underground."

[Yuki Kazu]

Hoshi disregarded Kazu's attempts at apologizing, and Kazu simply left it alone. He was pulled through many different stalls, complimenting the vendors every now and then. It was all so different compared to Yukigakure. The clothes weren't for a cold climate, the food wasn't meant to warm you up. It was crazy! 

It seemed that Hoshi wasn't here alone though, his teammate Sugita was here as well. Kazu hadn't met either of them before today, it was pretty surprising. "Having a teammate here would be both good and potentially bad. I'd be worried about my teammates too much to focus on the exams if I'm being honest." Still, he missed his teammates. Maybe they'd go get some food once he got back. 

Hoshi seemed interested in some clothing accessories, ribbons and shiny objects to add to his clothing. Kazu definitely couldn't wear anything like that, but he was glad Hoshi knew what he wanted. 

"There's not many people I want to prove my capabilities to really. It's not an issue when I fight or anything, but with anything else I just don't feel experienced enough to do it."

The boy seemed to want his opinion on the clothing options, which blue should his ribbon be? "Well, the Kirigakure blue matches a lot of your outfit, but if you want to pop out you might want a color that contrasts with the rest of your outfit. That would be the Yukigakure blue. As far as Yukigakure, it's pretty cold yea. Can't believe y'all have trains underground though, Amegakure sounds interesting." Kazu was really interested in all the other countries, they were so different in comparison to his home. He'd definitely want to visit them some time.

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

Hoshi could definitely relate to caring about the people close to him, though he wasn't quite sure if Sugita or his other teammate Sakura fit that bill quite yet.

"Not many people you want to prove yourself to huh...?"

Hoshi continued to appraise the different colors of ribbons, tilting his head when Kazu offered up some advice that was surprisingly insightful. The Ame genin wordlessly and quickly offered up the correct amount of money to the vendor to purchase a pair of the ribbons, continuing his stroll down the street as Kazu expressed his interest in Amegakure.

"It's definitely a lot more advanced in technology than other places, especially here... at least that's what everyone tells me. And it seems like it's true, almost every building in Amegakure has big ol' lights in the front."

Hoshi let his true ignorance of Ame's level of technology sit for a few moments before circling back to the topic he personally found more intriguing.

"Sooo you don't really want to prove yourself to anyone? So why'd you become a shinobi? Don't tell me you're one of those weird fanatical types..."

[Yuki Kazu]

Hoshi seemed curious for a moment but let the topic drop for now. Kazu didn't have any reason to keep it going, so he did the same. 

Kazu's advice seemed to help the boy decide though, he proceeded to buy a pair of the appropriate color: Yukigakure blue. The only reason Kazu knew what advice to give in this situation was his sensei, always mentioning how he needed to look presentable or how certain colors cause people to think certain things. Kazu merely rephrased his words. 

Kazu's interest in Amegakure didn't seem to affect Hoshi too much. To Kazu though, the place sounded amazing. Advanced technology? Buildings with lights? Kazu wasn't sure what to expect from the place. "That sounds amazing, though I guess with most of us Genin it's hard to think much of our villages. We're too used to the lifestyle there to think it's amazing or anything." He replied before responding to Hoshi's next question.

Hoshi brought the earlier topic back, asking the boy why he wanted to be a shinobi if he didn't have anything to prove. "It was kind of the only thing no one was pressuring me to do. I wanted to avoid expectations, simple as that. And no, I'm not one of those fanatical types. I just wanted to avoid expectations. It's not that there isn't anyone I want to prove myself to though, just very few people." Though realistically, he couldn't relax as a shinobi. It was a little counterproductive.

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

As the two meandered down the street, Hoshi began replacing the ribbons on his head with the ones he had just purchased, occasionally turning back to face Kazu to show that he was paying attention to the conversation.

"So you became a shinobi because nobody was telling you to do it? That's... an interesting reason, but I kinda get it. Those people that you want to prove yourself to, are they here in Mizu no Kuni? Are they gonna watch the third round?"

Once his new ribbons were affixed in place, Hoshi began scanning the area for a new set of snacks to dig into. The sweet potato and Kirin Mitsu had been tasty but there was so much more to try and taste while in a foreign country. It didn't take long for Hoshi to spy something that caught his interest, and he eagerly gestured for Kazu to follow along.

"You know, I know this one person in Ame who made me sushi and it was... okay but Mizu no Kuni's got to really be the sushi capital of the world, right? Whattya think, are you hungry?"

The place that Hoshi indicated was a sushi shop that was on the smaller end, not quite an indoor establishment with only simple noren separating the inside from the outside. It certainly appeared to be a sushi restaurant that would be at the very least affordable if not the fanciest place to eat.

[Yuki Kazu]

Hoshi replaced the ribbons he had prior to their meeting with the Yukigakure blue ones he'd bought, it looked nice on him. Still, he managed to keep paying attention to the Yuki Genin's words. 

His response was almost correct, but it wasn't necessarily that no one told him to do it so much as everyone was telling him to do something else. Kazu clarified his statement, "More like everyone wanted me to do other things. Like my mom really wanted me to be a sculptor, dad wanted me to work on the train. But no one had ever mentioned being a shinobi, so I figured that was the best way to choose my own path. Some of them are here though, yeah. I'm hoping I do well in the final round for them to see." 

As Hoshi finally got his new ribbons into place, he seemed to be looking for something in the surrounding area. A shop, perhaps? As he gestured for Kazu to follow along, the answer was revealed. At the mention of food, his stomach growled, giving Hoshi Kazu's answer. "Sushi sounds good, apparently. So long as they have some food that isn't spicy, that's not a good idea for me." He would smile, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

The place Hoshi had determined to eat wasn't fancy, nothing like the places Kazu's sensei took him to. However, Kazu didn't particularly mind. The boy was never one for judging how a place looked. So long as the food was good, he didn't mind.

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

The nuance of Kazu's situation went well over Hoshi's head, the difference in his understanding and Kazu's clarification seeming almost nonexistent though Hoshi didn't question it, simply putting on an expression of comprehension while nodding. Thankfully there was the distraction of the restaurant to keep things moving along, a brief pause to Hoshi's step as Kazu revealed that spicy food wasn't his forte before the Ame genin hurried the two of them along.

"Well, most sushi isn't spicy so you should be okay. And... I guess it makes sense that someone from Yuki wouldn't like spicy food."

The dancer quickly pushed through the noren to enter the establishment, earning him a slight jingle from a bell hanging in the way along with a quick look from the chef behind the counter.

"Welcome welcome! Take a seat and have a look at our menu, can I get you anything to drink? Water? Tea perhaps?"

There didn't seem to be anybody else in the restaurant at the moment so Hoshi eagerly took a seat right in the middle of the bar, gratefully accepting a menu while considering what he wanted to drink.

"I'llll just have a water, thank you. Hm.. Have you had sushi before Kazu? Got any recommendations?"

The chef seemed ready to give some recommendations of his own but he waited until Kazu had a chance to give a response first.

[Yuki Kazu]

Hoshi was obviously excited for food, the boy seemed to rush him along. Thankfully though, sushi wasn't usually spicy. "Less of a person from Yukigakure thing, more of a clan thing. But yeah, we generally don't do well with spicy food." Kazu stated before following Hoshi once again. 

They moved into the restaurant, pushing the noren out of the way. The bell chimed, alerting the chef to the duo's arrival. Kazu gave a simple wave to the chef upon entering the restaurant. They were greeted before being told to take a seat and have a look at the menu. Then they were offered drinks. Kazu took a seat next to Hoshi, on the seat to the right of his dancer friend. 

Thankfully, no one else was here for the time being. Kazu half-expected to see his sensei in the restaurant. Sushi seemed like something he would enjoy. That wasn't important right now though, he was here to hang out with Hoshi. "I'll take some tea please, but not too hot." He answered the chef, before responding to Hoshi. "I've had sushi before a few times, but I don't remember any of the food I had. So, no recommendations for me. You got any recommendations?" Kazu asked, and open-ended question to both the chef and Hoshi. 

[Hase Hoshi]

I will shine

As soon as he handed the two genin menus the chef went to work pouring their drinks. The man gave Kazu a bit of a strange look as he requested the tea not be too hot, one eyebrow cocked but nothing more as he complied with the request. It only took a few moments for two cups to be placed in front of the boys, one cold glass of water and one lukewarm glass of tea.

"My recommendation? Well I can see that you're both foreigners, so I must suggest the most simple of dishes, like our nigiri and sashimi. Mizu no Kuni has the freshest fish compared to any other nation, so there's a good chance that you haven't had the chance to experience the full depth of flavor fish can provide when it's unadulterated by any other flavors."

Hoshi hummed after the chef gave his full recommendation, peeking over his menu at the selection of raw fish behind the glass with curiosity. They certainly looked brighter in color than the fish back home.

"Okay then um... I'll try a few pieces of... nigiri? I'll try some... salmon and tuna to start with."

There were some other options that were cooked, and in Hoshi's opinion more palatable, but he was willing to take this chef's word for it. The man nodded as he considered Hoshi's order before turning to Kazu for his.

[Yuki Kazu]

The chef seemed confused by Kazu's request, but the boy smiled regardless which eventually led to the chef agreeing to the request. He returned with the drinks pretty quick, giving out his recommendation and taking note that they were foreigners. Was it that obvious? Granted, they both wore their respective headbands, so it probably was rather easy to notice.

He recommended nigiri and sashimi, simple dishes for sure. According to him though, Kirigakure had the freshest fish compared to any other nation. Kazu wondered if it was just the fact that Kiri was surrounded by water, or if it had something to do with how they got their fish. Either way, he was excited for the food they'd be eating. 

Since Hoshi opted for the nigiri, Kazu chose the other option. He took a sip of his lukewarm tea as Hoshi's order was taken. Once the chef seemed ready for Kazu, he ordered his own food. "Sashimi please, thanks for the recommendations." He requested. Since it was a sushi place, he shouldn't have to specify the ingredients he wanted in his Sashimi. He then looked at Hoshi, "I can pay for both of our meals as payback for earlier, if you want." Hoshi had said that hanging out was enough, but Kazu still offered to pay for his food anyways.