A "King" and His Interests (open)

Shimiko had decided to take a walk to clear her head. She had resolved to leave grief and sorrow behind after the sacrifice. Seigi's death was sad but ultimately there was one beautiful thing that came from it. She had activated her Ketsuryūgan. Unlike the other times, it was a product of her willful determination and she was certain she could repeat it again if she had to. She knew that she would need to train its usage a lot more if she wanted to wield with anything close to the effectiveness of her late brother. Shimiko always figured that Seigi would teach her how to use it but now that he was gone she wasn't sure who to turn to. A problem for another day... she thought. For now, she'd take in the sights of Kumo and find something to cheer her up. She wasn't really in mourning but she decided it was still appropriate to wear a black dress shirt with red tie, black skirt, and of course black trench coat. As she made her way through the village's busy streets, she passed by a window and saw something that made her heart leap.

It was Simon!

The girl stopped in her tracks and looked closely to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Blonde hair, yellow tie, and that maycare expression. It was definitely him. Shimiko blushed hoping he was too invested in the book he was reading to notice her. She continued on her path intent on walking past him as if she had never saw him but she stopped herself. This was now the third time she had run into him and she wasn't one to believe in those sorts of coincidences. Before she could chicken out, the girl flung open the door and entered the cafe. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even stop to consider where she was. Instead she walked right up to where he was sitting and made her presence known by politely coughing. She mustered as much charm as one could given that their older brother had just died.

"Hello Simon" she said with a sincere smile.

Shimiko was so caught up in being around Simon she honestly didn't stop to consider what establishment she had been entering. When he asked her the question it didn't quite register and she raised an eyebrow and gave an quizzical look. Then she stopped and looked around to see girls in frilly maid outfits serving well dressed clientele. A few seconds of observation caused her to realize that this was a maid cafe. She blushed and looked at Simon hardly thinking him to be the sort of guy that was interested in being served by beautiful women in servant's clothing. She was a bit put off by it and figured that he probably enjoyed the company of better looking and more feminine girls than her. They probably have bigger chests too... Shimiko spied one with a particularly impressive bosom and looked away. It was terribly awkward for her and she immediately cursed herself for acting on impulse. She had embarrassed them both and would have nothing to show for it.

"Yeah, Shimiko" she nodded, further discouraged that he was uncertain of her name. "I saw you from outside and I just thought..." What had she been thinking? He was alone and reading quietly. He probably didn't want to be disturbed and if he did it was by one of the maids that would serve him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you" Shimiko looked away but was too hopeful and too scared to make a dash for the door.

Shimiko was delighted to hear that he wasn't bothered by her presence but this was quickly tempered by the fact that the possibility that he was just being polite. She looked at him and saw that he was a bit nervous about being caught in a maid cafe but she said nothing. It wasn't her place to judge him and she could only imagine what he'd think of her if he knew of her own amusements. He mentioned that he was surprised to find her in this district and that he was checking it out for the first time. Shimiko smiled politely and replied:

"Well, I like to window shop" she said truthfully "It helps cheer me up when I'm feeling sad"

Shimiko in her boldness moved back a chair and sat opposite of Simon. She hoped he didn't mind, he seemed genuinely interested in talking to her.

Shimiko nodded in response when he mentioned the subject of her brother's death. She wasn't angry at him as she was the one who brought it up. He offered his condolences and gave an ancedote of his own. He had a cousin that died from what sounded like a drug overdose. He seemed to have a knowledge of the exact drug which piqued her curiosity. When Shimiko thought about it, she had no clue what Simon's rank or ninja specialty was. She was so busy fawning over him that she hadn't stopped to consider if he was actually of any use to the village. He seemed confident and well put together but now that the thought was raised in her mind she wanted to know exactly what his capabilities are.

"Death is a part of life.....without it life wouldn't have any savor" she said not noticing how creepy that must have sounded. She caught herself and told a white lie to cover it up. "That's what my brother used to say at least..." She drummed her fingers on the table not wanting to talk about it any further. She wanted to get to know Simon and what he was about besides being a cute blonde.

"About your cousin, you know the exact chemical he died from.....Do you know a lot about chemistry?"

It had been a few hours since Natsuru left Ryuko's place to once again resume prowling the village in hopes to bump into Shimiko. By the time she ran into Ryuko she had pretty much cleared out the Sky District. This had left the Earth Construct, or the "business district" of the village. If she was nowhere to be found there she could always check up at the hospital again. Perhaps she was still mourning, which would not be doubted one bit. Being the only child in her family she did not understand the bond one would have for their siblings. But how Shimiko felt was little she concerned herself with. She hope she kept her marbles together, however much she had left, otherwise she would be listed as a section eight. Natsuru dressed in a very casual outfit. She wore black shoes with tight black denim jeans with a two-toned white and black long sleeved top. Her long, navy blue hair was curled and a red bow was placed on the top right side of her head. Despite her casual dress she kept a sheathed tanto on her black leather belt, acting as her first line of defense. Beneath her top she wore a set of iron mail recently crafted by Ryuko. Its craftsmanship made it very concealed producing little noise and hugging her body.

In her right hand she held a wrapped gift outwards with her palm facing up close to her body. She waded through the crowds of folk with her chakra sensory active sweeping all avenues of the Earth Construct in hopes she would pick up Shimiko's signature. She was at this for hours when finding Ryuko. She expected the same wait for Shimiko. Perhaps it would have been wise to ask for their address. Nonetheless it was a great learning experience for her. She did not mind the walking. It was nice to get some movement after being very sedentary for the past three days. With enough time passing she picked up the signature of her teammate, and another one accompanying her. It was familiar as if she picked it up before, though not ingrained in her memory like Shimiko and Ryuko's signature. Natsuru stopped before the building they were stationed in, lifting her head slightly to catch a glimpse of what establishment Shimiko could possibly be spending time with someone.

A maid cafe? I didn't know she was the type to have a servant fetish. Taking a deep sigh she prepared to enter the cafe, which was undoubtedly filled with virgins and creeps alike. It didn't help she preened herself today, too. Regardless, with a deep breath of confidence, she entered.

It was almost what she expected. Less creepy and more cringe than anything. She wondered how anyone could dine with a straight face and still maintain their pride. Surely Natsuru had her experience with maids. In fact, Natsuru had just met one upon finding Ryuko. However, these maids were more-or-less fetishes as young girls found their first, decent-paying job to dress up and make old men feel excited. They lacked the proper etiquette and behavior an actual maid would have developed over years of schooling. She did not focus on the eye candy littering the room. With her sensory she could easily find Shimiko's table instead of blindly searching the entire establishment, which could make her stand out like a sore thumb. Being a tall female was already bound to grab attention. With all the creeps trying to google the nearest maid it made her feel more compromised.

Approaching Shimiko's table she deactivated her sensory. There was no need to overload her perception when they were merely a few meters before her. She was accompanied by that blond kid whose been following the group ever since they got back from their mission. "Nice of him to treat you like this." Natsuru said as she stood along side Simon facing Shimiko. Silently she extended the wrapped gift forcing a wide, yet rather convincing grin. Deep down she felt rather giddy doing such an act of kindness to Shimiko, who she consistently bullied for as long as she could remember. At the moment she felt Shimiko could use the support after facing such a family tragedy.

"Also, I'm throwing a party next week. You're invited." She paused, remembering she was accompanied. It would be rude to not include her company. Setting her hand on Simon's shoulder she spoke again. "You may come as well...Blonde." Reaching into the back pocket of denim pants she set two decorated cards on the table with the official invite as well as address information. "Any questions?" Natsuru hung around for a bit to ensure they were set, or if they rejected such invites she would know ahead of time.

Shimiko's Gift:

Shimiko was a bit taken back by Simon's skills in chemistry. He didn't seem like the type to make substances. She could tell that he was smart but he came off as more of a Genjutsu user. He specialized in drugs and compounds which Shimiko genuinely found fascinating. She wondered if he would be willing to make her something special and a smile came to her lips.

The smile came to frown however when her arch-rival Natsuru entered the establishment. Shimiko turned her head to see the tall indigo haired bitch approach them. She crossed her arms instinctively as if to protect herself from whatever smart alec jab the girl was sure to have drummed up. Natsuru had a knack for knowing when to show up and spoil Shimiko's mood. She always did it in public with too many prying eyes and when the Chinoike was in a good enough mood to stay her hand from violence.

When she sat down next to Simon and said that it was nice of him to treat her, she rolled her eyes and scoffed audibly. From Simon's perspective it would seem as though she was being rude without cause but if he knew the history between them he'd certainly understand. Natsuru produced a gift and handed it to her. Shimiko looked at it and raised an eyebrow.

Is she seriously giving me a present?

Shimiko was 99% sure it was probably some kind of trick or cruel prank meant to embarrss her but she could not refuse it so callously in front of her crush. She took the gift and forced a smile.

"Thanks"

She said before setting the gift down. She wouldn't open it here that would be too much of a risk. Natsuru then proceeded to invite them both to a party. This made Shimiko less distrustful and more nervous. Why is she being so nice? Shimiko considered that her overtures of friendship could be geninune. Shimiko was in the midst of a family tragedy and Ryuko probably encouraged her to be nicer. Shimiko accepted the invitation as well and placed it on top of the gift. She gave Natsuru a blank stare for a few moments as if to communicate to the girl that she was wary of her sudden positive disposition given her previous nasty treatment.

"Sure I'll go" she said.

She didn't want to prolong Natsuru's presence so she asked no questions. If the girl really wanted to be nice to her she'd leave quickly and not soak up any more of Simon's precious attention.

"You can bring whatever you wish, within reason. Food will be provided. I believe Ryuko was going to bring an instrument. But keep it...casual.
No drugs." She said to both Simon and Shimiko. Simon was a shady strangers and Shimiko, well, she was just weird. She did not doubt she had some background in drug use. "If that's it, then I will leave you two back to your date. I expect to see you all there..." She said as she parted from the couple. Natsuru would exit the establishment and head back to the market. Now she just had a few essential errands to run before she was done for the day. What a relief.


[Exit]

Natsuru had mercifully made a graceful exit after her usual snide remark. Shimiko found herself blushing and stuck between implications. She wanted to say that it wasn't a date but she actually wouldn't mind if it was one. Simon mentioned that if it was they'd be in a much fancier place which only caused her to blush harder. Natsuru's invitation was a bit suspicious but if Simon was going to be there then she couldn't be too mad at her squad mate. The kunoichi had offered her the chance to see Simon again and that couldn't be terrible. Once she had left, Shimiko thought about ordering something but seeing the maids made her feel insecure and awkward. She didn't want to draw that much attention to herself and worse yet she did not want them to draw Simon's attention. Uncertain of how to proceed with their conversation given the interruption, Shimiko tried a bit more of a bold tack. Shimiko watched as the buxom Senou left the establishment before asking:

"What do you think of her? Natsuru I mean." Shimiko was putting him on the spot she knew. It may have been far more easier to ask him about Chemistry but that wasn't what she was interested in. She wanted to get his honest opinion of her squad mate and see how he reacted towards discussing her.