Only at Kobayashi's! [IO]

It was late in the afternoon in the village, the streets bustling with people, most of whom were simply ready to go home and call it a day. As such, some vendors and shops took it upon themselves to advertise out in the streets. To get some last minute buyers before most of them went home for sundown. Some shop owners took it upon themselves to try and goad people into their store themselves, others would use already hired hands to do the work instead while they managed the inside. But a few were willing to use some hastily hired, extremely temporary, and easy to come across work, and that's where a particular, short-statured, Yuki girl came in.

"Oooooi!"

Kazumi shouted to the passing crowd, waving a single flyer in one hand while her other arm clutched a stack of copies. Her voice didn't particularly convey an emotion of excitement nor boredom. Moreso, it sounded like a monotone voice being raised in volume.

"Come to Kobayashi's Eatery! Where we've got fish, pork, chicken and beef from all corners of the mainland!"

The words came from the girl as if rehearsed and not of her own thoughts, still being spoken in that raised, monotone voice. Despite her efforts, very few would take the flyers she offered as the people passed her by. Most who did take them only seemed to do so out of a sort of anxious guilt, having accidentally locked eyes with the kunoichi and suddenly feeling obligated to take what she had to offer with no intentions of coming back.

"Meat, seasoned and prepared with family recipes older than Kirigakure itself! Only at Kobayashi's Eatery!"

Despite what some might've considered a failure in progress in terms of advertisement, the girl had a soft smile across her lips, at the very least seeming to enjoy herself. Truth be told, she considered what very little success she was having better than nothing. She moved to the side of a woman as she walked down the length of the street, holding a flyer up towards her before once again speaking in her slightly unsettling voice.

"Ma'am, did you want to check out Kobayashi's Eatery? He's having a special tomorrow on beef bowls, buy one get one for half off."

The woman looked down at the Yuki, giving an anxious smile and a small shake of her head. The girl wouldn't appear dejected, simply nodding to the woman and wishing her a good rest of her day before returning to her own work.

Late afternoons in Kirigakure were hot and humid, and the streets were crowded as it’s citizens moved to complete whatever tasks they had to do before the day let out. Shift changes in the guard, multiple locations of eating and shops where one could purchase general goods by the armload as well as any other of work environment for civilians and shinobi alike. Calin himself was walking through the streets, his attire consisting of a simple black, short sleeve kimono with a cobalt coloured obi. The dark blue colour was easily his favorite colour and it caused his sapphire like eyes to be more pronounced. Something he rather enjoyed. The short sleeves made his arms free from the clothing at just above the elbow. Along with the kimono he had simple black sandals. He moved through the streets at a pace keeping with the crowd, simply enjoying the days approaching end as he moved. He didn’t have a particular reason to be out and about, he merely wanted to get away from the compound for a bit. His pureblood Kaguya features not particularly standing out in this part of the world. White hair wasn’t particularly rare, as such one wouldn’t be able to identify him as a Kaguya unless he fully introduced himself.

As he moved through the streets, listening idly to the hustle and bustle of the people moving about their life. A voice however would be raising above the normal volume, ensuring that it was heard loud and clear. It was a girl advertising for a local eatery. She had a stack of fliers in her hands and she was handing them out to anyone who would take one. A few people here and there seemed to be taking the flier seriously. A vast majority however simply glanced at it before tossing it in the nearest trash can and moving on with their lives. Some of them weren’t even being polite enough to wait until the girl was out of sight before doing so. ‘How disrespectful’ he would think with a face of mild disgust before shrugging to himself and moving toward the girl. ‘Why not?’ he would think to himself as he walked toward the girl that had just offered a woman a flier who rejected with an anxious look on her face before leaving. “I’ll take one.” He would say simply, smiling softly at the girl who was quite a bit shorter than his own 6’4. “You’re working awfully hard out here.” He would say as he looked at the late afternoon sun that looked to him like it would be the herald of the soon to be closing shop the girl was advertising for.

“How about you take a break from yelling your lungs into not working and show me to this ‘Kobayashi’s" he would say with a smile. They didn’t seem to be near it, which  meant the girl had simply moved through the village passing out fliers and yelling. Taking him to the place would not only make her look good to her employer, but also give her a small break. It wasn’t like he was busy after all and the fact that so many people seemed to simply ignore the girl or were actually rude enough to simply throw away the flier she had given them. No one could possibly be that busy after all. Oh well, he would simply be polite enough for all of them.

Oh! Someone who actually asked for a flier? Hopefully, they were actually interested and would come by. Any business was better than no business. At least, that's what Mr. Kobayashi told her anyway. As the taller man asked for a flier, she'd give him one with little hesitation, then delivering what felt like another scripted line.

"Make sure to ask about the daily special. If you end up liking it, be sure to bring your friends and see if they do too. If enough people buy it, Mr. Kobayashi might just put it on the normal menu."

Once again, the volume of her voice was raised to try and cover the noise the rest of the populace going about their day, but there wasn't much else to her tone. Perhaps it became even more clear that she was reciting from a script now that she had someone actually asking her a question. The short girl gave a slightly quizzical look. She looked away as if in thought over a simple reply before looking back up at white-haired individual, who towered over her by an entire foot. It didn't look like she was getting the restaurant much traction at this rate, and soon enough everybody would be home, and there'd be no point in standing out here and barking anymore.

"Okay."

She'd reply quite simply before gesturing for the other to follow her. She'd lead him through the marketplace, away from the vendors and to a portion of the district set aside for specifically for food-related establishments. She gestured to a small restaurant, a sign over the curtained doorway that read "Koboyashi's Eatery".  She'd step forward and pull aside the curtain, moving her hand across her person while standing to the side of the doorway, motioning for the man to go on inside. The inside seemed to be just as small as one would expect, with stools allocated around a bar counter in the middle of the room, booths lining the outer walls. Behind the counter stood a man, red hair tied back into a ponytail, a pair of glasses over his amber eyes, enveloped in a book in his quiet restaurant.

"Here it is."

The two would move through the village together, her leading him as they walked. “So what’s your name? I’m Calin.” He would say politely, introducing himself in the process. It was bad form to ask for someones name without giving your own in turn after all. Whether she deigned to answer him or not, he would follow her. The girl would lead him to a small restaurant not too far away from where they had started. A small place with a nice over the door advertising its name. Within the establishment it would appear as small as it did outside, multiple booths around the wall with bar stools set up at the counter with a man about as tall as Calin himself, with long red hair tied back into a ponytail. He was reading a book on the counter, amber coloured eyes focusing on the words behind glasses that allowed him to see what he was doing.

Calin would fully enter, not wanting to make the girl hold the way open for him for long. The man would look up, eyes taking in Calin’s appearance before a broad smile would appear on his face. “Welcome to Kobayashi’s!” He would call, closing his book and putting it away. The Kaguya would nod with a smile as he moved toward the counter. The place was clean, without a hint of untidiness anywhere he looked. Showing the man wasn’t simply lazy, merely bored. “Your employee there showed me to the place. She’s quite an admirable worker isn’t she?” He would say as he perused a small menu he had been handed. It was for show only, he knew what he would order already. However he wanted to look at the menu regardless. If only to memorize what he saw in case he wanted to come back or tell anyone else about the place. “She told me about your special? Assuming you’re Kobayashi anyway. What is it today?” He would ask politely, looking at the man’s eyes, sapphire meeting amber.

The girl would indeed give her name as the two of them walked to the eatery, though only after a short pause following Calin introducing himself.

"Kazumi Yuki, it's nice to meet you."

With their arrival, Kobayashi put down his book down just behind the center counter and welcomed the new face to his restaurant. With the boy's mention of an employee though, the red-haired man only gave him a quizzical look, repeating the word back to him with a confused tone.

"Employee?" he asked, his gaze breaking away from the white-haired boy to look to the girl standing to his side. He tilted his head slightly before he looked back to Calin. "Are you talkin' about Kaz there?". He raised a hand, pointing towards the girl with his thumb as he gave an amused smile. "She's not an employee, I've known her dad since before Kirigakure was even founded." He began to explain, leaning slightly on to the counter in front of him. "I was tryin' to advertise out there myself for a bit, Kaz saw me and offered a hand. Figured I'd hold down the fort in case anyone did decide to come by today. I offered her a normal wage for as long as she worked, but she insisted she just wanted to help."

The Yuki's small lips curled into an equally small smile as she seemed to perk up for a moment. "We agreed on a free beef bowl," she said simply, to which the red-haired man snapped his fingers and pointed towards the short girl.

"That we did!" he replied, turning his attention back to Calin. "Now, you were asking about specials, right? Well, today's is a nice thing of Katsudon, pork cutlets with green onions served over a bowl of rice. Nice, quick, a filling!". He leaned in closer towards the Kaguya, using his index finger to point out where the katsudon was on the menu.

Calin would smile softly at the seemingly good relationship between the two. It would seem they had known each other for a very long time. His mind was thinking about the young girls name though ‘Yuki? Where have I heard that name before?’ He thought for a moment absently as Kobayashi pointed out the special he was having today. ‘Beef Cutlets, Green Onions, on a bowl of rice eh? Sounds pretty good.’ He would think as he considered other options for a few moments, committing them to memory before nodding his head. “I’ll take the special then please sir.” He’d say with a small smile as he closed the menu and slid it to one side."You got it!" The red haired man would say as he turned to begin the order. “And a glass of water if it’s not too much trouble.” Calin would say with a polite smile as an afterthought before turning to the Yuki next to him. "No problem at all" The man would reply as he quickly grabbed a tall glass and filled it with ice and water.  It was at this point the name Yuki would hit him ‘It’s a shinobi clan, I can’t remember what they do though. May Kazumi here is a shinobi?’ He’d think before opening his mouth to speak.

“I noticed your last name is Yuki, I don’t know much about them but I do know that they’re a shinobi clan. Are you training to be a shinobi?” He would ask politely as they waited for the their meals. Hey, small talk was small talk right? He certainly wasn’t enough of a loser to ask about the friggin weather. That would just be lame as hell. As he spoke Kobayashi would begin to work on their meals after sliding the glass of water down the bar for him. Prompting the young man to take a dignified sip before setting it down.

"Training?" Kazumi asked in response, taking a seat on one of the stools at the counter. An index finger laid across her chin while her thumb rested along her jawline, as if in thought. A few seconds would go by, perhaps long enough to create a bit of an awkward silence that would only be filled by the sound of bubbling oil being met with sizzling meat as Kobayashi began to fry cutlets. "Training to be a better one I suppose, technically I already am a Shinobi," The girl finally answered. It wasn't untrue, genin were just novice shinobi.

"A lot of people assume that you're a Shinobi when they hear you're a Yuki from what I've been told. They're not wrong most of the time, we used to be some battle-happy mercenaries, or at least I've heard. I like to think we've calmed down in recent years, even with some of the elders wanting to go back to those golden years as they call them."


She looked back towards Calin, her expression being vacant with a thousand yard stare as she paused once again. "I was ranting, I don't usually do that,". She commented, almost like an apology of sorts, albeit a stoic one. "What about you? Is there anything you do for yourself?"

The pale haired young man would listen intently to his temporary companions admission of her genin rank followed by her explanation of the Yuki clans mercenary background and how they’ve calmed down over the recent years. According to her there were in fact elders within her clan that wanted to go back to the ‘golden days’ The young man could only assume that those ‘golden days’ were also ‘bloody’ ones. As he thought of this however she would turn toward him with a vant, dead expression. One that he could only attribute to being emotionless. She would say she had been ranting and the young man would blink in confusion for a moment. ‘That was ranting?’ he would think at what one might consider an apology.

At her next question the Kaguya clan member would nod his head in affirmation.
“Indeed, I am a genin myself. I don’t know too much yet, but I’m working on it as I go.” He would admit with a shrug as the red haired man continued to work on their meals. The smell of cooking beef would begin to resonate throughout the small establishment. The tantalizing scent would compound upon Calin’s personal hunger, seeming to make him more so. “What are your plans for your shinobi career? I myself don’t have much so far, I just want to protect my queen, that’s our clan head.” He would say honestly, eyeing the meal the man was making just a few meters away.

Plans for her career? If she were honest about it, Kazumi never thought too much into it. She didn't even have an initial reason for becoming a shinobi. Her father just wanted her to, all of his immediate family had been mercenaries before joining Kirigakure, why shouldn't his own daughter do something similar. She didn't think she wanted to be the head of the Yuki clan. It'd be nice to try and give her family name a better image. But at the same time, she doubted her decision making if she were to have such a position. If a situation arose where the right call was to order retaliation of some sort, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make that call. She didn't like fighting, and even if she didn't have to raise a finger herself, she couldn't send others to do it for her. Maybe become the Mizukage? No wait, that was even worse!

Once again, the short girl gave a long pause, her lips pursing slightly, a hum escaping between them while she drummed her fingers along the counter. Behind it, Kobayashi continued to cook, the sound of sizzling meat still filling the atmosphere of the restaurant, now being followed by the satisfying crunch along with the blade of a knife swiftly hitting a wooden cutting board as he began to cut green onions for Calin's dish.

"I wanna be an instructor..." Kazumi finally replied. "At the academy, I wanna be able to teach my own class,". It was a spontaneous idea, but not an unappealing one. To be able to guide the new generation of shinobi. She didn't want just a squad of three, she wanted her influence to reach farther, have more impact. "I think that'd be neat."

Hearing that the white-haired boy was in a clan peaked Kazumi's interest though. She liked to hear about the other clans in the village. She never got to know much about them, at least not what they were up to these days anyway. "You said you were in a clan? What's your family name?"

The sound of sizzling meat and the repetitive sound of the knife hitting the chopping block would resound through the air as the smell got stronger still. Kazumi was still considering his question before answering him with a response he didn’t expect. ‘A teacher huh? That’s one I don’t hear often. Most people want to be the strongest they can be, or to become the Mizukage.’ He would think as Kobayashi continued his work. He’d give a small smile at Kazumi’s answer though. “That’s a fine goal I think, teaching the next generation how to be a shinobi, how to protect themselves and their home.” He would say with a small nod of his head as he spoke.

It was her turn to ask a question now it would appear, asking how his clan. “Kaguya.” He would say simply with a small shrug. “Calin Kaguya, at your service.” He would say with a small grin. The Kaguya Clan were one of the two major clans within the village, the other being the Hozuki, who built the very village they were in. It was fairly well known that Kaguya clan members were xenophobes and often intermarried to keep the clan ‘pure’ as it were. Calin himself was one of the those Kaguya, looking on the inside of the clan for a future spouse.

He briefly wondered if that would cause Kazumi to look at him in disgust, but in the end, that didn’t matter so much. People did all of the time, why did it matter if one more did?

A Kaguya? She was more than familiar with the name, for sure. But what exactly it carried, she wasn't so sure. Most of what she had heard before came from her father's mouth, who seemed to come off as more than a little bias, making it hard to tell what was true and what was said out of spite. He really liked to throw around how much they didn't like anyone except themselves, how they looked down on everyone else, and loved to use the phrase "Cousin Fucker". Kazumi didn't exactly try to argue against her own father, but she didn't very well believe him on these claims either. She preferred to see things for herself, and so far, Calin seemed alright. Nothing like how her father spoke about the Kaguya.

"It's nice to properly meet you, Sir Calin," The Yuki replied. It'd be worthwhile to get more involved with the other clans of the village anyway. Maybe she could help change her family's image of being a bunch of bloody mercenaries. In the meantime, Kobayashi continued cooking, having finished the Kaguya's order. He reached over, setting a bowl of katsudon down in front the boy, along with a pair of chopsticks.

"Be careful now, it's gonna be hot!" The man said, before going back to cooking, taking from under the counter a small bottle of sake along with beef and a small onion. As he started to peel the onion, Kazumi grew slightly curious, tapping at her chin somewhat thoughtfully before speaking.

"You said something about your queen, is that the head of the Kaguya?"

He would sit in silence for a few moments as the girl seemed to work through something in her mind before saying that it was nice to finally meet him. He’d give her a small smile in return and a nod of his head in acknowledgement. He was about to ask her a question when Kobayashi arrived with his katsudon and set it down in front of him with a pair of chopsticks. Warning him of the heat the red haired man would grab a few things from under the counter before turning and going back to cooking. He was more than likely making Kazumi’s meal now. He’d wait patiently for the man to finish his companions meal before eating. It was rude to eat in front of people when you were the only one with food after all. Besides, the man had warned of the heat. So waiting a few minutes made sense.

At this point Kazumi would ask him about the queen of the Kaguya. Particularly if she was the clan head. He’d nod his head slightly before answering “Yes, Tsubaki is the Kaguya Clan Head and queen. She’s about my age, with pearl white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Similar to myself, only her hair is glossier.” He would say with a smile as they waited patiently for her food now. “My father had always instilled into me the duty to protect the queen. It’s something I take extremely seriously. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for her if she needed it.” He would say with a small smile as time went on. “What about your clan? I know the Yuki’s used to be a mercenary group, but what are you all up to nowadays?” He would ask curiously, he knew they had ‘calmed down’ apparently, as she had told him just a bit ago. He was wondering if there was anything else worth noting about the clan.

That was the million ryo question, Kazumi thought to herself. Just what were the Yuki up to these days. It felt like all the elders were doing was waiting for a war to jump into, to show off their own set of skills they used to help found the village. She had heard of some talk about a pampered heir, being raised to take the spot as head of the clan. But, again, most of this talk came from her father, who she already considered to be a less than reputable source for such information.

"I think we're just waiting," the Yuki answered, though in a bit of an unsure tone. She was never too closely associated with the inner politics of the clan, being a young genin herself. But it did feel like they were simply waiting, be it a war, a fight, a chance to prove their worth in the eyes of the village as a whole in comparison to the other major families. A clan of warriors built for war and conquest, destined to sit anxiously in the mountains of Kirigakure until such a time arrived. "Probably something like, waiting for the chance to prove ourselves again. Remind everyone why we're in Kirigakure."

As she finished speaking Kobayashi would set a bowl in front of the girl, beef on rice topped with sliced onions. He'd give her the same warning he had given Calin before setting down a pair of chopsticks for her as well. She gave the man a nod and a "Thank you." before picking up her chopsticks, breaking them apart vertically.

“I see” He would say in response to her statement of waiting. ‘Hopefully they don’t get too bored and decide to stop waiting for a chance. Things would get bad if they decided to make one.’ He would think to himself as she further elaborated on her answer. At that moment Kobayashi would place a bowl in front of the young girl as well and give her the same warning. ‘He probably made enough rice for both meals and simply had to slice the onions and beef up to cook them for hers.’ He would think as he reached for his own chopsticks at an oddly synchronized moment with Kazumi. Breaking them apart as she had as well. It was an odd coincidence but Calin paid it no mind. Now that she had her meal as well he didn’t feel the need to wait for her to be able to eat too. With a clap of his hands and a small bowing of his head he would speak the phrase spoken by millions right before they ate. “Itadakimasu.” He would say politely, before using his chopsticks to eat in a dignified manner.

He would eat in silence, content to let the bit of their conversation hold them off until they had eaten. The meal was well made, and quite delicious, especially for such a simple meal. The time would seem to go by rather slowly and he had no particular intent to cut into the silence of their meal with questions. If his companion however decided to do so, he wouldn’t deny her the answers she sought simply because they were eating.

Continuing with their moment of being in synch, Kazumi would clap her hands together as well and give a small bow of her head before also saying "Itadakimasu.". The two's synchronization would end the second they began to eat, where the girl would proceed to eat like a rabid animal in comparison to how Calin ate. Rather than even use her utensils to pick up food, she'd simply raise the bowl to her mouth, tilt it slightly, and push it passed her lips. Saying the girl ate in silence wasn't exactly true. She wouldn't speak, but she was eating quite audible, to begin with. With her speed compared to the Kaguya, she'd finish before him, setting down her bowl, nothing but stray rice at the bottom. Kobayashi hardly reacted to Kazumi's display, seemingly used to how she acted.

"It was nice meeting you, Sir Calin," the girl began, standing from her stool. "But I should be going, I need to be home soon.". With that, she'd take her leave, pushing the curtain in the doorway aside to exit. Kobayashi was quick to try and interject. "Ah-! Kaz, tell your dad I said hi!"

[Exit]

Calin would be rather surprised at how the girl ate, although he wouldn't comment on it. That would simply be rude after all. So he when his temporary companion finished her food and bade him goodbye he paused in his own meal long enough to smile over at her and nod. "It was nice meeting you too Miss Kazumi, I'll see you around I'm sure." He would say before continuing to eat in silence before finished his meal a bit later and placing the chopsticks on top of the empty bowl respectfully. "That was delicious Kobayashi-San." He would say with a smile before paying for the meal and heading out the door with a "Thank you, come again." following after him.


[exit]