Chapter 1: Where the Red Pine Grows

[Savine]

Chapter 1: Where the Red Pine Grows

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Pineville

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Finally, after the first two tortuous months of no pay (the accountant-nins apparently have no secret techniques that allow for salaries to be paid in advance), Team 3 finds itself with enough Ryo to splurge on themselves.

So, naturally, the first place they’d spend it on would be the ritziest Doc’s Burger Joint this side of the fjord. Unlike all the other franchises in most districts, this Doc’s was fashioned out of an older two-story colonial house that mixed Iwagakure’s stone and brick construction with Matsugakure’s penchant for wooden facades — a style that was mostly mandatory for Pineville’s building regulations and its posh residents.

For Team 3, class and urban planning meant little. All that really mattered was escaping the cold wintry night to complain about their latest rescue-the-pet mission and show off their scuffed-up headbands to the academy student cashiers that haven’t graduated yet. Even though it’s late in the evening, the place is jammed packed with patrons. From families looking for quick and inexpensive outings with their kids to teenagers shifting glances at one another with a large amount of blushing going on in shades only Doc’s ketchup could match.

“Order 42!” A pimpled worker calls out from behind the registers in front. One of the servers — another marked difference from the other franchisees — takes a massive tray full of steaming hot food and brings it to the still wet-behind-the-ears genin team. One look at the tray could tell you somebody was ambituous enough to think they wouldn't need two trips. Mounds of food were stacked like some kind of pyramid surrounded by pillars of drinks.

The worker (old enough to be in the same ballpark as Anika) looks at the smorgasbord of double-decker burgers, fries, nuggets, and eight whole shakes and frowns.

“Aren’t most of y'all young for heart attacks?”

She starts maneuvering the double-wide tray to the wooden table, but a discarded napkin flits along the floor and finds its way under the server as she takes her next step. She slips face forward into the table, launching all the food into the air.
 

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Amongst the colourful cast of his team, the hooded and masked young Shinobi doesn't seem that strange. The ever beautiful Emika by his side, it felt alright to be out in public. Safe. He'd asked for food, copying Radka's order, so it didn't seem strange to be the only one at the table without food. He knew that someone at the table would eat it. It was probably half the reason his not-sister was in attendance. Still. It was good to be here, with the team, taking in the sights and scents and sounds of the burger joint. It still felt hollow, like a memory of sound, of taste. Unreal, disconnected. But his team, his friends...they were stronger than memory.

He turns his head when the server admonishes their food selection, and all of a sudden, his brain processes what is about to happen. His eyes catch the movement of the napkin, and his mind kicks into overdrive, calculating angles and speeds and movement all in an instant. His body twists unnaturally, mechanical and staccato. The soft clicking of his limbs is hidden by the sounds of the world, and all of a sudden, Ahei is standing out of his chair, holding one of the tumbling drinks, fully clear of the tragedy about to occur - and leaving Emika in the kill zone. He looks down at the drink in his hand, and his head tilts to the side, confused.

 

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Yoshi was eagerly awaiting for this moment. Since they weren't being paid or anything, he's only really had proper meals at Uncle Kurama's home, and training equipment had eaten into some of his savings. Still, this meant that he was as well trained as he could be, and now was the time to treat himself. So when the server comes over and makes his comment, Yoshi just gives him a deadpan stare.

And then the girl trips.

Yoshi watches in slow motion as everything goes flying. In his mind, he wanders if this is what Ahei's Sharingan feels like, before his body reacts. With speed that belies his bulk, he finds himself with one arm around the fallen servers stomach and the other on her forehead to prevent any nasty collisions with the table. He does grimace at everything hitting their marks. He probably could have shielded the others, or even attempted to grab everything but honestly, he was more worried about injuries. Concussions were a nasty thing and she was about to go head first into the table. He still rumbles out in a fairly deep voice. "Careful..."

 

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"...it startled him so much, that he fell out of his chair, and scrambled half-way out of the room in a panic! Imagine the sight of it, for a boy his size to scurry like a mouse who'd been spotted!" A familiar, bemused voice recounted, her hands animated to emphasize the description, using her fingers to mimic a fleeing rodent, while her other hand barely conceal her laughter. Ever the consummate entertainer, she was recalling a story to the group, glancing about all participants, but her amber gaze focused largely on Asuka, whom she thought would enjoy the tale most. "And just like that, he disqualified himself. All because he mistook a lost doll for some kind of beast in the corner of his eye. How silly!" She giggled innocently, although a slight shift in her smirk took on a subtle sense of mischievousness. "Really, I wonder how such a thing even got there..."

Unfortunately, if Kurama Emika was aware of the danger headed her way, she didn't initially seem to pay it any mind, engrossed in her own retelling that she didn't seem to show any hint of the ensuing calamity. It wasn't until the sudden jerk of the server's misplaced step that her senses caught on. Being trained shinobi, instincts take over quickly. Being trapped on one-side by the bulk of the booth, and with Ahei on the other, in-between herself and most of the tower of food falling towards her, the young genin thought the most natural defense would be to hide behind her teammates firm bulk, straightening herself against the booth. His thick overcoat and firm artificial form would be enough to protect both of them, so long as he could avoid getting it in his hair. It was a good thought...until Ahei wasn't there anymore. "Ei~?!" Her voice pitched high as she shouted instinctively, scrambling in her panic, not all that unlike the story she just told with glee.

Her frantic dodge came to an end the moment she felt the icy thickness of a vanilla shake splash on her, as she instinctively stiffens to the envelopment of sticky liquid and flinches briefly at the soft pummeling of fries and condiments on her slender figure. A dab of ketchup there, fries in her lap, drippings of chocolate on her bare midriff, but the initial shake got her best, spilling creme and frosty chunks on her top and shoulders. "Eeei~!...Ah! That's...Cold!! Eheh!" She asserted, half into a cute smile, but her posture and body language largely told a different tale, of surprise, stickiness and mortification, her gaze drifting down over herself ruefully to survey the damage.

 

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Going out with the squad in a social context was among the tougher exercises.

Radka accepting to participate was probably a surprise to most of the team, and, unfortunately, quite certainly a victory for some of them. She had her reasons—Akami had her own squad to deal with and wasn't available; their teacher wasn't with them; Ahei was here, in a restaurant, which meant more food for herself; and she was hungry. She could probably bear her squadmates for an hour more.

She was sitting to the outer edge of the booth, next to Akami's brother, her legs extended outside unelegantly—but ready to go at a moment's notice. She was waiting patiently and silently for her two burgers (and Ahei's), tuning out Emika's babbling, looking away from the table, and rhythmically tapping her fingers on it. She saw the waitress coming, and absently switched her rhythm to her steps—

One of them didn't make the right sound, as she walked on the napkin.

Now, food had to not touch the ground, and you could catch it before it did, or you could give it more time in the air, so you gained more time to catch it. Except the liquid stuff—nobody wanted a rogue cup of milkshake tumbling up to the ceiling, spraying itself everywhere. And she needed to clear the blast zone ASAP.

She blinked out of her seat, a small touch of updraft sending the careening trays higher—hopefully giving the others the time to react and do their job. Chaos unfolded in front of her eyes, with Yoshi saving the poor waitress from probable disfigurement, Ahei looking confused at a drink and, oh... Priceless faces and milkshake-covered princesses. Radka grabbed the cup from Ahei's hand without ceremony, and stared at Emika. "For once, a worthwhile performance," she said, slurping some of her shake.

 

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With yet one more mission completed, Asuka made a mental note to once again bring up with Mari sensie the idea that they were ready for something a bit more challenging than another operation ‘find a pet.’ Maybe a scouting mission? Or, even a dare to hope escort mission? Over the last several months she had begun to harbor the growing thought that these escaped pets were more intentional than accidental. Perhaps a rather purposeful means of keeping new shinobi so busy running around after their training so that they did not have any chance to get up to real trouble.

But, all that could wait. For now was the time to celebrate, and what better celebration than a meal at the ritziest Doc’s Burger there was. For Asuka burgers and pastries were her kryptonite, so it was all head full speed to indulgence heaven. I suppose you could truthfully say that she ate better at home. But better rarely included good old comfort food, with the exception of after-mentioned pastries. Anyway, the whole team was there including Radka which she considered a good sign. And Emika was on point with some funny stories to tell, which were indeed enjoyable.

So enjoyable that she had closed her eyes to better imagine them, just focusing in on the words and cadence of delivery. Two words here. Big. And, mistake. No sooner had she done so than the universe conspired to try to pour some rain on their otherwise sunny day. The server apparently tripped and fell right by their table on the way over with their order. This sent a veritable fountain of flying food toward them. Most of which was caught or saved by the lightning fast shinobi reflexes of the team. Most... Emika was splashed by part of a shake, and being the sharing soul she was, the rest managed to make acquaintance with the left side of Asuka’s face and shoulder.

Yoshi had intervened to save the server from potential injury. Kudos there and she nodded to him in recognition. Since everything seemed well in hand Asuka took a deep breath, slowly stood up while dripping strawberry slush, and carefully made her way out of the booth. Then, with all the dignity a shake covered young woman could muster, she offered, “Forgive me. I need to use the facilities as I suddenly feel a bit... shake-n. Please save me a burger or two if you could?” Not the best pun, but it was hopefully distracting from the slight reddening of embarrassment that had started to color her face. She paused just long enough to wait for Emika to join her if she wished, and then made her way to the rest room.

 

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Anika was sitting at the table, her eyes wide in amazement while she watch the organized chaos known as Doc’s Burger Joint. It wasn’t the look of wonderment of someone who had never been in a jam packed place before or has never experienced a place so packed full that one couldn’t move. It was the fact that, despite how crowded it was with so many people randomly moving about, Doc’s Burger Joint still manages to get everyone served. It was a graceful dance that Anika is always impressed with. Ducking and dodging around people, the servers skillfully and in an organized fashion go table to table, take orders, bring out the food and serve it in an equally organized fashion. Very impressive indeed.

As Anika’s attention was focused on watching the servers, she noticed their server coming in their direction, holding a tray that was piled too high with food that probably shouldn’t be. Her eyes widen even more and her mouth opens a little, as her body tightens up like a wound spring as anticipation builds up inside of her. Anika continues to watch as the pile of food gets closer and closer and closer to the table. Can she make it? If she does, will she be able to stop or will the weight of the tray carry her past them? How is she going to get all of that stuff off the tray without spilling or dropping something?

And then it happened. It was only a second, but it happened. The waitress took her eyes off of where she was going to look at the pile of food while at the same time Anika, out of the corner of her eye, catches a glimpse of a napkin going under the server’s foot. Anika was out of her seat in a flash as food started to fly everywhere. As Yoshi grabbed the server, Anika saw the double-wide tray start to fly from her hands. With the reflexes of a forest cat, Anika immediately reached out and grab the tray, holding it as tightly as she could and bringing it close to her body so she could get a better grip on it.

Looking down at the tray and then glancing around at her teammates, Anika lets out a loud sigh of relief. She had managed to save most of the food and about half of the milkshakes. Unfortunately some of them found their way on a couple of her sisters, almost like they had targets painted on them. Anika starts to giggle a little. Acceptable loses.

 

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For your everyday person, the shock and impending rush of schadenfreude at watching a server eat it would be enough to slow down time to that level where everything seems soaked with surrealism. For shinobi, though, this is just a routine do-or-die moment.

Radka’s quick thinking lifts the entire tray higher into the air with inertia keeping everything together besides the renegade shakes. This gives Anika a heartbeat to guide the tray and food back to the table, burgers settling down and a few baskets of fries seemingly as full as they were before the trip. A hushed murmur fills Doc’s as almost every booth and table have turned their attention to Team 3. Some jaws are dropped, while others manage to keep their mouths closed, their arched eyebrows still belie their inner amazement.

A slow clap aimed mostly at Anika draws further applause as the patrons celebrate the showmanship of their village’s own ninja.

The server in Yoshi’s arms turns to look up at the blue-skinned Hoshigaki. “Oh, uh, thanks,” she says almost in a whisper, her cheeks turning a softer shade of red. She props herself up with the table and quickly releases herself from Yoshi’s quasi-embrace. “Sorry about the mess… Derry is gonna murder me…” she fumbles an apology.

The server tries her best to wipe down and pick up stray food and drink from the table before rushing off back to the front of the diner. She nearly trips over the same napkin again. A nearby table full of teenagers snicker. The worker’s face transitions from an embarrassed pink to wrathful brimstone one as her attention snaps towards them. The group go ghost white when they see her staring kunai at them.

She straightens her uniform, raises her sleeve to show a surprising amount of definition in her arm, and marches towards the offending teens. All of them stumble across one another making a messy exit. The rest of the joint laughs in small amusement but return to their meals, leaving Team 3 to focus on the dinner in front of them minus a few shakes and fries.
 

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Any semblance of an attempted smile quickly lost itself when Radka, never one to let the opportunity to throw shade at the Kurama genin pass, made her delight of the moment apparent. Emika returned her comment with a half-lidded, unamused stare, a slight color hinting on her cheeks. While normally, the rebellious loner would expect a chiding retort to her teasing, her glare faltered as the unsettling sensation of dripping, sticky frost dripped down her skin sent a shutter down her spine, and drifted her down at herself, picking a loose, slightly dairy drenched fry off her chest, and flicking it on the table. The thoughtful and similarly messy Asuka didn't have to wait long for her fellow brunette followed suit in her charge for the woman's room, the discomfort of her state certainly providing enough incentive to practically leap out of her seat, only restrained by the drenched teenager's stiff posture as she flutily tried prevent the dripping further down her figure. At the door, colorful kunoichi shot a slight, brief gaze in Ahei and Radka's shared direction, before she disappeared behind the threshold.

Once inside, Emika found herself bee-lining straight for the sink, rising off her hands, and moistening some paper towels with soap and water to wash herself quickly. "Ugh! It's so sticky! It feels so gross!" She bemoaned, focusing first on anything still large enough to drip, and then trying to soak up the moistness on her top, dabbing and stroking on the . "Oh, I'm going to have to do so much treatment tonight~! At least it isn't chocolate. Maybe there won't be a stain...Mom wouldn't be happy about that." In private moment between the Gekkō heiress and herself, a less measured version of Emika revealed itself, very openly worried about the state of her appearance.

When the frantic moment passed, her thought-filled amber eyes peered over to assess Asuka, looking over her appearance. "Looks like you got off okay, save a bit of pride. Maybe you can enjoy a strawberry scent until we get home." Emika joked a bit, sharing a weary smile, before gazing her over. "How's the damage on your outfit? Anything feel wet?" The question wasn't just an idle curiosity. Kurama Kisha was a tailor by trade, and while certainly not as practiced in those elements, her mother did impart on her much on the treatment and preservation of clothing material. If she had a helpful tip for the moment, she would be inclined to offer it.

 

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Asuka was reassured that Emika had joined her on trip to the ladies’ room, not that she wanted her friend to suffer too of course. Still, if one had to be embarrassed? Then doing it as a group at least seemed somewhat better than flying solo. And yes Asuka knew that it just felt like most people’s eyes were upon them, even though that was likely just her self consciousness talking.

She was pleased to see that the restroom was essentially clean, which was not a given seeing how large the crowd was out there. Asuka had quickly joined Emika at the sinks after she first had grabbed several large handfuls of paper towels. In her case she just went straight to sopping the bulk of it up off her clothes, face and shoulder with no added soap or water. Asuka just did not want to risk having it turned into even more of a wet runny liquid-y strawberry mess than it already was. As she cleaned her friend bemoaned, "Ugh! It's so sticky! It feels so gross!" And then Emika added, "Oh, I'm going to have to do so much treatment tonight~! At least it isn't chocolate. Maybe there won't be a stain... Mom wouldn't be happy about that."

Asuka had not really thought about of any of that... yet. But, it was all true. As she worked she replied in a more positive sounding manner now that the worst was sopped up, “Excellent point on the chocolate! If it had to happen? Then strawberry was definitely the better flavor. And, let us face it, it could have been quite a bit worse if not for the team. That server may not be on my ‘favorite people’ list right about now, but Yoshi’s quick acting probably prevented a serious injury. I will have to thank him.” She paused briefly while she wiped before she added with a bit more reserve, “As to your and my mother? Yeah. My thoughts run to their simply never having a need to know.” Never the poker player, Asuka combined a soft smile with briefly far away look as if she were more about convincing herself than Emika, “Why bother such busy women with such a trivial affair right? I mean it is only polite after all.”

Emika then joked "Looks like you got off okay, save a bit of pride. Maybe you can enjoy a strawberry scent until we get home." before she continued a bit more wearily, "How's the damage on your outfit? Anything feel wet?"

Asuka’s shock and embarrassment had nearly faded by then, and her more upbeat personality was fully back so she laughed lightly and replied, “Besides my pride? I think not much else is wet anymore. And I actually do happen to like strawberries, so the scent should not be too bad either. I Just need to get the sticky off of me now. And my clothes were combat rated so I should be fine, or at least presentable enough after they dry a bit more.”

She then paused again as if deciding on how to proceed, “And speaking of fixing things... You okay with Radka? I noticed she could not help twitting you back there a bit. Actually, I am kind of surprised she did not double down and point some of that my way as well.”
 

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Radka's delight at snuffing out any kind of mirth from Emika was plain and unabashed.

While Ahei sat back down at his seat, she quickly grabbed that rogue napkin with her claws, and disposed of it in a bin, finally settling back at the table. "Good job saving the food," she tersely shot to Anika, before taking her part, splurting out a worrying amount of mayonnaise on an opened burger wrapper, and diving in—everything she was eating getting treated by a dip in the sauce first.

She didn't talk.

 

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Yoshi takes a moment to ensure that the server was safe, before she went on her way to either talk to someone or. No, wait, she was going to be beating up some kids who were laughing at her. Eh, must need the stress relief and they were laughing so they really brought it onto themselves.

He was a bit mournful at the loss of a shake. He really liked them but it looks like some of them may have to share, or order some more. At least most of the food was safe. "Thanks for saving the food." was his response to Anika. He would have tried to save them himself, but again, concussions were not a fun thing to have so that was his priority.

He helps himself to a burger and some nuggets, trying to keep his portion small enough so everyone could have some but honestly, he probably could have had the whole tray.
 

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Dinner saved! As Anika settled down in her chair, she looks over at the crown and smiles at them. She didn’t know why they were clapping for her, but she felt she should show her appreciation for it, so she acknowledges their applause with a nod of her head, along with the smile. As she settled down in her chair, she looks at her team mates and smiled an even bigger smile.

”Thank you! I couldn’t let it all go to waste!”

Anika looks at the food and lets out a little sigh and stares at the burger, fires, muggets and milkshake sitting in front of her. She’s having a hard time trying to get use to the taste of foreign food that the outsiders eat. Some of it is the the type of food, and some of it is how it’s seasoned. They used things like, miso, soy sauce, or sugar, stuff her people never used in their cooking. Of the three, her people sometimes traded for sugar, which Anika didn’t mind, as long as it used in moderation.

Anika looked at the burger and removed the buns that where hugging the meat and its toppings. She didn’t mind bread, but it tended to be soft and doughy. She liked it crunchy, and burger buns are always soft. The meat was good, except for the mayonnaise so she scraped that off. The lettuce and tomato were good too just as they are. And the French fires! Her favorite! As a matter of fact, most fired food she has tried she’s liked so far. Her people never fired food so when Anika tried it for the first time she instantly fell in love with it. And finally: the milkshake. Anika is going to complete skip that one. She wasn’t too fond of the taste of milk or diary products in general, except for cheese. It tasted sour to her. Her people stop drinking milk when they are old enough to be winged from their mother’s milk, Satisfied that the food was ready, it time to make an offering of food for Kamuy-huci, the Spirit of the Hearth.

Anika had to make some adjustments on how to make offerings to Kamuy-huci, either because there weren’t any burning hearth fires available, they were on the move doing assignment work or no fires were allowed. By consulting with the village elders and asking guidance from Forest Bear Spirit, a compromise was made. She wasn’t required to make an offering at the beginning of each meal, but must continue following the ritual whenever possible.

Clearing a spot in front of her plate, Anika reached into a side pocked of her Genin outfit and pulled out a small square like stone with an indentation in the center of it that was blackish in color from being in a fire. This came from the Hearth at her home. She then placed a chunk of burnt charcoal on the stone; this also came from her home Hearth. Lighting the piece of charcoal with a lighter, Anika waited until the flame was dancing in the air. She then lifted her plate of food up to and touched the rim of the plate to her forehead and then placed the back down in front of the dancing flame. After waiting for a couple of minutes, all the while speaking softly in her native language, she eagerly started eating the French fries and nuggets, eating in silence.

 

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For all the speed that the young shinobi responded to danger, it takes him a solid beat to process Radka taking the drink from him and sitting back down. He hesitates, his body half turning towards the restroom that housed Emika and Asuka, but he stops, his entire frame suddenly shifting to eerie stillness. After the pause, he turns back to the table, and sits down. "Radka. That's...not very nice." Ahei chides her awkwardly. "Would you be so callous if it had been a dangerous explosion?" He asks, tilting his head to fix the combative kunoichi with a multi-eyed stare.

"We have a lot to learn from Yoshi and Anika." He adds, gesturing to the pair. "We might have saved ourselves, but if not for them, the end result could have been far worse." He puts himself into the same group as Radka. Out of everyone, they were the two members of the team who did nothing to help. "I am sorry I did not lend my aid." He bows to Yoshi and Anika. "I will apologise to the others when they return."

 

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Radka did not look up from her food. "It wasn't an explosion, and I did help, you just didn't see it."

What kind of argument was that? She wasn't going to treat getting splayed with milkshake with the gravity of being caught in an explosion. Anika scraping off all that mayo though... She gave her a quizzical glance before resuming eating her dinner.

 

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Anika looked over at Ahei when he spoke and shook her head ‘ no’ then looked over at Radka when she spoke
and saw her quizzical glance aimed at her direction. She continued to eat, well, like a bear. It didn’t take her long to finish her food and clean off the plate. As the flame on the piece of hearth stone continued to flicker and dance in the air, Anika looked over at Ahei and spoke in her customary soft voice.

” You must have confidence in both yourself and the others. I’m sure that if this was an actual life and death situation things would have been different. No apologies are necessary. “

She then looked over at Radka and raised an eyebrow.

"I noticed that you gave me a puzzled look. If there is anything you would like to know, just ask. I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.”

Glancing between Ahei and Radka, Anika had a feeling that this was going to probably be a really long dinner. She could already feel the tension building up between the two. Who knows what it will be like when the others come back from the bathroom. She'll just have to remain calm and try to smooth things out between everybody if it came to that.

 

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Yoshi had taken a moment to move two burgers to the side and a portion of chips, saving them for the girls for when they come back. It may take a minute, it would probably take a few dozen, but at least they had something to get back to, even if it would be cold by then.

He glances between Radka and Ahei as they speak, and mumbles out a no problem with reddening cheeks as he stuffs a few fries into his mouth.

 

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Radka shrugged. "Nah, I'm good," she said.

She then reached into one of her pouches for a small bottle of colored water, drinking half of it.

 

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Anika shrugs her shoulders.

"It's an open invitation. Just ask me whenever you like."

She then looks over at Yoshi and raises an eyebrow. His red cheeks were standing out against his blue skin. He also seemed to be really enjoying his French fries.

"Why are you blushing? Don't you feel good?"

There was a puzzled sound to her voice.

 

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"Well, don't get too comfortable with your blessings." Emika replied, continuing to focus her efforts on cleaning her skin and outfit, although she maintains passing eye-contact through their reflection. "Milk is a sticky substance, with plenty of fat and protein, so it may still prove trouble still. It's just not as stubborn a nuisance as cocoa. A combat rating might ensure the structural integrity of your outfit won't be easily compromised, but it says nothing about maintaining it's aesthetic quality or vibrancy of color. It may still fade, rust, or stain, if you aren't careful."

Noticing the momentary hints of doubt and insecure bravado in her cheerful companion, however, the Kurama genin reached into her side satchel, and swiftly produced a small kit of cosmetic materials. Opening the box, and prior experience, revealed that it held a diverse bit of products, from dyes to polish, liners and sticks, brushes and powders, but on this occasion, she pulled out just three, a trio of sprays in small bottles. The pair of slightly different colors smaller glass bottles she places on the counter between the two, while she keeps the larger plastic bottle in hand. "Now, now! What kind of fashionista would I be if I let a lovely friend walk home smelling of mildew berries? One is sweet spring flowers, and the other is a mellow vanilla and jasmine. Either should be more than enough to freshen up your scent." She offered helpfully, peaking a smile across to her optimistic teammate, as she holds the bigger bottle and uses it to treat a spot on her bosom, making it clear this is a cleaner of sorts.

"I don't know how observant your household is, but my mother is a tailor and artisan. She's quick to sense things like this." She stated, with a bit of resign sigh, despite her slight smirk. "She's not one to anger much, but unabashed sweetness and concern is a...potent tool of her arsenal. Perhaps Transformation jutsu will be my savior once again."

The mention of the black-clad kunoichi brought an immediate shift in the brightly-clothed brunette's expression, leaning towards a more cynical gaze. "You give that antisocial delinquent more credit than I. Her gaze might had been more pointed at me, but you'd be naive to think she didn't take delight in your troubles as well." She retorts, briefly glancing at her friend, but mostly keeping her gaze on the task at hand. "Am I okay with Radka? Of course! Who am I to deny one the enjoyment of a good sense of humor?" She replies, in a somewhat cool tone, despite her friendly words. "In fact, now that I know what she thinks is funny, I'll be sure to tailor my performances to suit her tastes. To share the joke is a friendly gesture, is it not?"

 

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Emika was a font of knowledge if not a lifesaver when it came to clothes and beauty care. Asuka gladly shared in her friend's largess with her skin cleaner, but was careful not to be 'that girl' and overuse it as she listened to what Emika said. She did pick up a bit more about her friend’s family sitch and the tailoring background made her feel a bit better about not knowing all the ins and outs of clothes. She would definitely keep Emika in mind should she have some clothes related questions in the future. As, to revelations about the matriarch in Emika's life? Well she supposed that was not too dissimilar to her own life. Yet another case of Genjutsu twins strikes again. Although in fairness it sounded like Emika's mom was even more central to the family affairs than her own mom was, and she did not envy Emika even one tiny little bit about that. Her dad was much more willing to be 'fooled' by his cute daughter after all.

But, where things really became interesting was when it turned to Radka. Asuka had purposely steered conversation that way for a reason. She wondered if Radka's jibes had struck a nerve or not. Based on the response maybe it had. It was actually hard to read. One thing was for sure was that Radka pretended to be complicated, and was actually fairly simple to figure out. But, Emika on the other hand... maybe came off as the simple prankster. Then when you knew her better you realized there was more to her than that. But, what if when she might actually be even more complicated than Asuka had thought? Like layers of an onion. Interesting.

However, that would be for Asuka to explore about her friend at leisure some other time, because team issues came first. The key here was to keep everyone going until either Radka could deal with whatever was causing her to act like a poo head to others at times. Or, until Asuka had to rip the band aid right off in one go for the good of team, and admittedly to satisfy her curiosity. And so, Asuka replied to Emika supportively, "I really enjoy your performances. You have a lot of talent I certainly will never have. So, if you want to do something more slapstick? I would not mind being the fall girl for it. I just fear Radka might not take it that well if she found herself in that role. Know what I mean? I have issue with her comment if it was intended to hurt. But, she did try to save the team from the shakes, even though it was hard to see because it was so fast. And, she did agree to come in the first place. Pretty big steps for Radka, and we both know she is not so good at dealing with whatever issue is eating her." Asuka paused a bit before she added in a much more mischievous manner, "Of course. . . If she keeps at it? Well I would certainly be all aboard for a bit of the what goes around comes around karma train in that regard. Its one thing to have bad day, or say something flippant. We all do it. But, no way a friend like you is going to sit still and have to be the punching bag for someone else's insecurities."

Asuka just hoped that would set the right tone. It was always easy to be 'the bigger person' when you were not directly involved, so hopefully it came off as supportive and not preachy. She had meant what she said about Radka's issues and hoped that they could be resolved. That said, if Radka had been going for Emika's ability to perform, and it was not just a bad joke? Then that was dirty fighting, and really did not sit well with her. Asuka was just not sure how Radka had meant it, and so hopefully her advising that they should overlook a few comments here or there could be done for the sake of the team. But if it kept up? She hoped Emika really believed she would indeed be in her corner. Friends back friends. At least in her world anyway.

 

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Yoshi gives a shrug as he picks up another fry. "I don't know. It just happens." His ears now tinge a bit red at that, finding that the embarrassment was just flaring even more now that it was pointed out. He then proceeds to pop the dry into his mouth and then takes a quick bite from his burger in an attempt to try and calm himself down. Where was Emika when he needed a distraction.

 

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Anika contained looking at Yoshi as he became even redder than before. The other eyebrow slowly creeps up.

She then glances over at both Radka and Ahei. The eyebrow now matches the height of her other eyebrow.

Anika now starts looking back and forth between the three of them. The puzzled look growing even more puzzled then before. Everyone was silent, even though it looked like they wanted to say something. Was she missing some kind of table etiquette that she wasn't aware of? One way to find out.

"Am I missing something? Everyone is so quite. If I'm not using proper behavior at the table, please let me know. I'm trying to get use to how foreigners do things in their own culture."

This cultural exchange was getting really complicated now. Anika didn't realize, until now, just how subtle things where among the outlanders. She thought things were going to be simple and straight foward. Boy, was she wrong!

 

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As Asuka finished cleaning up she decided she would have to ponder her conversation with Emika at a later date. It was time to get on back out there and overcome any remaining social stigma from shake-megeddon. I mean it really was tiny potatoes all things considered. Now how could she turn it around and use all this to make a better situation? Hmm... Suddenly and idea occurred to Asuka that made her smile. Yeah... Lets do that. After all, when life hands you (spilled) strawberries? Make lemon aid!

A woman on task, the freshly cleaned up Asuka left the restroom and made her way straight to the counter to see what she could do. Within a few minutes of standing in line and talking with shift manager for a bit, she had accomplished her mission. Carrying a try laden with goodies she returned triumphantly to the table.

Once arrived, Asuka cleared her throat in an obviously theatrically over done way. “Ahem!” Before she took on an equally obviously exaggerated and somewhat ridiculous upper crust accent to say, “Harken one and all. For today we have witnessed the true test of the Shinobi. And as a reward for that? Yoshi, I grant thee the Order of the Server Savior.” Asuka paused here to retrieve a paper crown on the tray that looked to be a Doc's Happymeal themed toy for the latest Princess Gale 11 movie, and then presented it to Yoshi. She continued, “And along with this commendable reward comes not one, but two! double quarter pounders with extra meat sauce.

She switched her attention two the next two members on her ‘list’ and stated, “Next for Anika and Radka. Your quick action and team focus hath earned the favor of Doc Burger himself, and as such these king sized fries are thouest most fair reward. They even come with the rarest and most coveted of accouterments, three packets of extra ketchup. She passed those over to the two shinobi in question.

Next she eyed Ahei and announced, “Now for your quick reactions, Doc Burger presents you with a posable action figure. I know. I know... Perhaps not the level of toy you could craft yourself, but sometimes it is the thought that counts.” She handed Ahei what was probably another Princess Gale 11 theme toy also intended to be for a Doc's Happymeal.

Then with but a brief pause she shook her head in mock sadness, “But as for Emika and myself? There are only the napkins of shame as a suitable reward, and to serve as a reminder to, at the very least, be faster next time. Where upon she divvyed out some extra napkins to the both of them.

Back in her normal voice with a hint of mischievousness twinkle in her eyes she went on, “Yeah. With a tiny bit of wheedling I managed get replacement food and some extra for our troubles. Oddly enough it was actually harder to get the extra napkins and ketchup from them than free food. Make of that what you will.” Then with a smile she reached for a shake on the tray and added, “Here is to round two of mortal combat for me. But this time I intend to best my shake and not the other way around.”

 

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Radka gave Anika a passing glance, swallowing and wiping her mouth before answering: "I don't have anything to say," she answered matter-of-factly. She couldn't speak for the other two, but she imagined that Ahei was lost in his thoughts about the shake incident.

Asuka took forever to come back, and when she did it was in typical fashion: overdoing it. She observed the proceedings of her spectacle with her own typical bored look, until she received her "prize". "Thanks! I love a fair team reward," she said with a sardonic smile. "Keep the ketchup."

She went on to finish her mayo with those additional fries, idly looking as Ahei received his figurine (how many did he have already?).

 

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Ahei shakes his head, the movement jerky, mechanical. "Apologies, Anika." He splays his hands out in an apologetic gesture. "I'm still not used to being around people. I get lost in my own thoughts."He explains.

Before long, Auska returns, and offers up her gifts to the group. "Ah. Thank you." He bows his head, the vertical motion smoother than his earlier horizontal one. "I was meaning to get another. I was going to modify her to look like Gale Alter, since they haven't released one of those yet." He clutches the figurine to his chest. "I appreciate it, even if I feel that the reward was unearned." There is a warmth in his voice, and his eyes crinkle slightly at the corners. The closest thing to a visible smile with the mask covering the lower half of his face.

 

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Yoshi was finally recovering from his embarrassment when Asuka comes along and does her theatrics. It reminded him of some of Emika's performances and he offers a soft smile. Despite the red coming back to his cheeks at the crown. The Extra food was appreciated, but... "Anyone want an extra? Not sure I want two more." as he starts nibbling on his original burger.

 

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Anika glanced back at Radka, but didn't say anything to her. She then looked over at others. Yosh was back to his original color and Ahei and tilts her head to one side. He was apologizing...again. Why?

With her head tilted to one side, Anika was about to ask him something when Asuka came back to the table carrying a tray full of food. And the performance that followed was....amazing! Anika always enjoyed watching Asuka's acting. It was fun experiencing it too.

Anika started to clap her hands as the awards were handed out to everyone. And her prize...more fired food! And the other rewards were equally thoughtful. They seemed to be just perfect for the intended person.

After awards are handed out, Anika is smiling from ear to ear.

"Thank you for the gifts. I appreciate it! You have picked the perfect gift for everyone. However....."

She points towards Ahei.

"Who's Gale Alter? And why do people collect those little figures? Are they a charm of some kind?"

Anika knew that people collected little figures of famous people, but having never collected anything like that, she had no ideal why others did it. She also knows that some people have huge numbers of the too. So much so, they fill up the almost every space of their house. The ideal of 'collectables' was another thing about the outsiders that puzzled her a lot.

 

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The cloudy night sky over Matsugakure was dotted with hovering flakes of snow, the clumpy kind that would stick to your wing feathers and soak down through your few down feathers only to refreeze, making you feel all the colder. Wintertime was such a bother.
 

***

Inside Doc’s it doesn’t take long for Emika to leave the ladies room, showing up immaculately clean. She doesn’t say much though as she returns to her seat, joining the rest of the team in attacking their meals.

As the mound of fries and burgers starts to collapse into ruins of wrappers and cardboard, Radka is paying more attention to her surroundings than the discussions being had. Through the frosty window, she sees a dark figure glide through the air. Its shadow darts straight for the establishment — a sign that it was quite close to the ground already.

The kunoichi would be on her guard if not for the fact the shadow is being casted from an oddball of an owl that was heading straight towards the thick glass…

Bang!

A few gasps erupt from a couple tables nearby, a few curses can be heard from the adults which brought upon a few snickers from the youths. Across from the window near Team 3, an owl, mostly a sphere with no discernable distinction between body and head, is smushed up against the glass. The owl looks at Team 3, its eyes go from one shinobi to the next as if to identify everybody present.

After it looks at all six, it detaches itself from the windowpane and flutters to the ground like a sheet of paper dropped to the floor. The tiny fowl hops along the ground outside. The aviator goggles it’s wearing flop up and down with each bounce until it reaches the front entrance.

The owl flies into the establishment when a couple exit and beelines straight for Team 3’s table, crashing into the pile of trash the group was creating.

“Ahem,” the owl clears its through while still on its side, a burger wrapping stuck to its goggles, “One speedy delivery for…” It looks at everyone at the table, rolling itself over an empty chili-cheese fry basket to see the other side, “Team 3 from a Ms. Tomita.” The messenger owl shoots up one of its taloned feet. Clutched inside is a pinky-sized scroll tube.

 

 

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