Lunch Break [Open]

With the mid-spring bringing in the mild humidity and warm temperatures throughout the mountains. It isn't surprising to find that most would spend their days inside or working outside. Morikawa Mikiri decided to take this opportunity to invite other Genin that are still within the village to eat at the local cafe. Where he promised to pay for their tab as Morikawa plans to train the sudden increase of fresh Genin. But first things first.

Morikawa enters the cafe as it held some aromatic scents that can make a hungry stomach grumble. It was like Morikawa can already taste the food without him being near it. Ayano's Cafe really isn't such a bad place to be. Still Morikawa managed to obtain a large table as he was expecting at least three of the genin to appear. A couple of them were his kin even albeit younger cousins. He's already read their files so Morikawa got the basis of what to expect, but still there is only so much the paper can tell of a person. Morikawa orders the Cheeseburger and Fries with some tea. Once the dish arrives at his table Morikawa begins to eat his provisions as he waits for the genin to arrive.

[Purchased the Cheeseburger & Fries entree | +2 adv to Sta and Con, +1 adv to Str | 10 Countdown | 15 Duration]

Yui had gained an unexpected invite from Mori he was a Jounin in the village and it seemed he had taken some interest in her. She had not been assigned to any Jounin as she simply figured no one wanted a monster like her on a team with other genin. If he had read her file he would understand she was extremely manipulative and did whatever it took to get what she wanted. People hated and despised her because of it but she had a hard life growing up as a demon always bullied and beat up for being a freak and not a human. She learned to cope with this by simply taking advantage of anyone she could, her heart had grown cold and unempathetic as any empathy she had shown had always backfired for her.

She would step inside seeing Mori and smiling taking a seat across from him, she wondered if he understood her human appearance was actually a Genjutsu hiding her true form. She would simply wave and smile as she began to study him, looking at the structure of his body along with the tones of his muscles. A lot could be learned by simply reading someones physical build, looking to see if the hand had callous to see if it meant they were into Kenjutsu, seeing almost perfect hands showing they likely were either medical or a supportive type. Many things could be observed when one didn't care about formalities or what people thought of them.

"Hello Mori, I am sure you know but I am Yokai Yui and it is my pleasure to meet you, so I am guessing you invited others as well to this little party. I hope they are entertaining, I have been quite bored lately and could use some excitement."

"Honey schnoodlebumpkins...."

Isaribi Yuhara was a patient woman. No matter the challenge she always believed that persistence and time would win the day. She'd held onto this philosophy for fourteen years to the day, through every political spat of the Hidden Cloud and her son's teenage melodrama. Tiredly, she sighed and sipped, no gulped her coffee as if it were the fountain of life itself.

"Schpiddlypoodleeee..." She trailed off, fishing for words in her maternal lexicon. "--skittlepops..., this time knocking the coffee mug against the door to her son's room. Isaribi drove the last clunk  hard against the wood.

"....IRUI!!" She barked. "You're going to be late, and the Hidden Cloud hates tardiness!!"

A bang, a crash. Something behind the door fell. Fabric rustled, footsteps danced in a panicked jig across the floor. Another crash from the right side drew Isaribi's green eyes, and she could only drink her coffee with exhausted disdain. The racket came and went in waves, the occasional "Shit shit shit!" escaped the room.

Another loud thud, the sliding of metal through a frame, the rush of cold air, and quiet.

"... I don't get a 'Good Morning', or a hug... Not even a 'thank you mom for saving my ass', he just throws on his clothes and leaps out the window...." Isaribi muttered as she shuffled down the hall.



Irui  skittered and sprang through the skyline of the Hidden Cloud. A freshly minted Genin, with only the scantest of technique, his movements were anything but refined. That was the whole objective of today: meet his peers at the Cafe, make some friends, and hopefully attach himself to a Jounin Instructor like glue.

He touched down briefly on an outstretching ledge to get his bearings. The Hidden Cloud stretched out across plateaus and ridges, bustling with color and sound, a garden of multicolored buildings, glass, and steel. Its namesake clouds pooled at lower elevations in the valley below, obscuring the village from sight. He took a deep breath, the crisp air biting his nose and filling his lungs with ice. Mountains stretched to the horizon, dusted with snow and deep green pine.

Finally, he thought, today could be the start of a journey beyond these valleys.

He dropped from his perch, and continued to the cafe, slipping through a market and down side streets, until signage brought him to the cafe's front door. Tentatively, he glanced at the directions and the name of the organizer, and pushed his way inside. Blinking hard to stamp out the sunlight and adjust to the change in light, he squinted and eyed the seated guests; numerous Kumogakure headbands glinted back at him.

Irui frowned, and nervously looked at the directions again, hoping he wasn't at the wrong place. 

Mom is going to kill me.... He thought fidgeting with the paper. All he knew was he was meeting a Morikawa, a distant relative of his. Irui breathed in, trying to settle his nerves and scanned the crowd. 

"--Behind, hot." A waiter warned as he passed. “Who are you looking for…Oh,” He paused, looking Irui’s attire up and motioned for him to follow. “Right this way, you must be with Mikiri Morikawa’s party," the man murmured as they wound their way through an aisle of tables and booths until coming to stop before a man with silver hair. 

"Mikiri Morikawa," Irui greeted, "I'm Irui pleasure to meet you." He looked to the kunoichi and smiled, offering both of them a handshake before taking his seat.

[ Respectful reminder for this thread. ]

As Morikawa is digging into the food before him which surprisingly is quite large for a single person to consume. He is approached by a woman it seems as his eyes shifted from the burger to her. Going by physical appearance Morikawa can safely assume this person is Yui Yokai as she later introduces herself.

[color=#9900cc]”Do i know you from the file? Yes. Do i know you in person though? Afraid not. But that’s part of the reason why i called you here. I don’t know if you like these kind of food or not, but you can have some if you want.”[/spoiler] Morikawa splits a good portion of the food consisting of a burger and seasoned fries. Hoping that Yui isn’t picky, as he has other plans such as training them after this.

[color=#9900cc]”When the others get here I’ll be going over some basic things that some pieces of paper doesn’t cover.”[/spoiler] As soon as he says that from the corner of his eye Morikawa sees someone just barely escape from an unfortunate accident involving one of the waiters. Shifting his attention over to get a clear view, Morikawa recognizes his distant cousin. Granted he is not exactly on the best of terms with his family, but Morikawa does try to keep tabs on who is family and who isn’t. Thankfully the waiter escorted the boy over to the table to which Morikawa thanked the waiter on that. Irui, as the young Mikiri introduced himself, greeted with a handshake to which he obliged.

”Good to see you both in person. Go ahead and dig in. As to formally introduce myself my name is Morikawa Mikiri, Jounin of our beloved city. My main question to you both is what your goals in life are. If you don’t wish to express it publicly then so be it.”

[Cheeseburger & Fries Countdown 1/10]
[Offering 1 Portion each to Irui and Yui]

Yui would gladly accept the food as another genin seemed to arrive, though they appeared to be quite stupid if they had to be guided here and maybe a clutz. She would shake his hand as she ran her fingers along the bottom of his hand. She would feel if he had a callus or not to get a judge if he used weapons or did martial arts. Judging by the way the skin felt she would understand his fighting quite well.

"Nice to meet you Irui I am Yui and it is my pleasure, so I saw you had a bit of issue just in a hurry or are you just a stupid person."

This was when Mori would likely notice why she had never been put on a team she was abrasive and said what was on her mind with no care if it hurt someone's feelings. She waited to see what sort of reaction the boy would give her before she would begin to ear her food, if he only knew what she really looked like. Her dislike of humans could sometimes show itself but mostly it was her hatred of stupidity and stupid people.

The girl clasped Irui's hand firmly, and as she pulled away, dragged fingertips across his palm and lingering miliseconds longer than needed. She'd explicitly felt out his palm, a gesture that sent goosebumps crawling up his arm.

Irui drew his hand back and stole a glance at it.

"Nice to meet you Irui I am Yui and it is my pleasure," She introduced herself. Her tone quickly soured, harboring a touch of acid: "so I saw you had a bit of issue just in a hurry or are you just a stupid person?"

He cocked his head, taken aback by the line of questioning-- so direct, and rude! And over a burger! Irui's eyes narrowed, this one would be trouble. "Well Yui," he answered her levelly with a smile, "It seems I'm not the one with the issue at this table," and took his seat as Morikawa began to speak.

"Good to see you both in person." The older Mikiri said cheerily, "Go ahead and dig in. As to formally introduce myself my name is Morikawa Mikiri, Jounin of our beloved city. My main question to you both is what your goals in life are. If you don’t wish to express it publicly then so be it.”

Irui gingerly took his portion, and chewed on the question for a moment. The fries crunched delicately, evenly fried and salted. He took a few more in his fingers and ate, letting his answer stew and rattle around in his head. He wasn't one to immediately divulge details so quickly to strangers. He cleared his throat.

"Freedom--" He said, "I-- I know the Clan safeguards itself against other nations, but a goal of mine is to see the world."

Well this Yokai seems to be blunt on what's on her mind with little regard of others' emotions. Still she ignored Morikawa's question while Irui answered something youth has in common. He chuckled when Irui spoke of their clan, but that's only because Morikawa was never on good terms with the older members of Mikiri.

"Having goals to explore is good, and I rather have you be honest with me than lying to me about something that's not who you are. Personally I don't dislike the goal, but just remember that your allegiance is with Kumogakure. There will be missions that can take you as far as the Land of Tea or Land of Wind." Morikawa responded before eating some more of the fries in front of him as he turns his attention towards Yui with an expected expression. Of course making sure he swallowed before speaking.

"And what about you?"

2/10 countdown

When she heard the boys dreams she simply laughed, so childish and foolish, there was no such thing as freedom. They would always be under the control of oppressors, as someone that was not a human she felt this even more than usual. Her clan was feared and hated because they were demons, people saw them as a bad omen and treated them like trash, slaves likely had better lives.

"Freedom is a foolish dream, you will never be free in this world, be glad you are at least a human if I showed my true appearance we may get kicked out of this restaurant. As for what I want with my future, simply put I want the world to be controlled by my kind so we can stop being punished killed and chased out of lands because we are not the might human race. Neither of you could understand what I deal with even if you say you can, I promise you have no idea how lucky you are."

She would continue to eat her food, one thing had been made clear she was like an injured animal, lashing out at others and showing fear and hatred toward others. She would be a tough person to deal with and it would take a lot of work to gain any trust from her.

"Having goals to explore is good, and I rather have you be honest with me than lying to me about something that's not who you are." Morikawa told him, "Personally I don't dislike the goal, but just remember that your allegiance is with Kumogakure. There will be missions that can take you as far as the Land of Tea or Land of Wind."

Irui swallowed hard. As far as the Land of Wind? He choked back the food and cleared his throat. The Land of Wind was a vast desert in the west, and the stories he'd been told described towers of sand higher than most buildings, a blistering sun and wind storms comprised of scouring grit. He had so many questions for Morikawa-- did people truly not drink water there? Was cactus juice the quenchiest?

"And what about you?" Morikawa had shifted the conversation back to Yui. He'd get his chance later, he knew it. After their first exchange, Irui should have known what was coming next.

She laughed. Not casually, not even a titter. No, a full mirthless, full-throated, ugly laugh. The kind crafted to drown and openly ridicule. Irui could only set his jaw, and focus on his fries. Her response, full of cruelty, formed a lump in his throat. He could feel his face flush, and he breathed in deeply, working to settle himself. He reached for his glass and cleared his throat.


"--Neither of you could understand what I deal with even if you say you can, I promise you have no idea how lucky you are--!!"

He set the glass down harder than needed.

"I for one do not welcome our new Emo-overlords," He replied flatly.  If you need to enslave something, He thought ruefully, there is an adult store on 14th street.

"Mikiri-Sensei," Irui began anew, trying to pull the conversation out of the mud. "How many Genin teams are there this year? Do you think if we train hard we'll make it in time for the Chuunin Exams?"

The young doctor merely blinked at Yui's answer. More so he's less impressed and finds her 'goal' to be a bit disappointing.

She more than likely won't make it past Genin with that attitude… Morikawa thought to himself as he let's the two Genin bicker with each other once more. As much as he wants to dissuade this tension Morikawa can't deny that there is going to be some people that one can never agree with. Then Irui formally addressed Morikawa and inquired about the other Genin teams. Following up with another question on if they train hard enough they could hit the Chunin Exams.

"There aren't any teams that are officially formed yet that I'm aware of. There are plenty of Genin I assure you, and I believe the other jounin Niko Kanuchi is attempting to form her team. As for whether or not you'll be ready for the Chunin Exams that remains to be seen. Strength and skill is vital to ensuring the life of a shinobi. However, there is more to it such as knowledge outside of combat and how to respond correctly under some extreme situations." Morikawa answered honestly as he let's silence fall over their shoulders. Perhaps he was overloading them with information. However he needs at least these two Genin to shape up quick. Then he turned his attention over to Yui as he wanted to address this first and foremost.

"I'm not going to pretend to know what you went through, and frankly I don't really care much about the past. Become too focused on it will only shackle you from achieving your full potential. If I'm gonna train you it is not from some pity game or sympathy. My goal from this is to train some of the finest shinobi this village has to offer Yokai or not." Essentially Morikawa was telling Yui to stop being so focused on the past and just keep moving forward. What he presents is an equal opportunity as Irui is getting now into the military life. A sigh escapes from his lips before speaking once more.

"Anyways, after this we will be conducting a training exercise that will force you into some difficult challenges. If you have any questions then you best start asking them now."

[3/10 Countdown]

[ Skipping Yui ]

Morikawa was quick to jump on the change of subject, depriving Yui of another acrid remark. ""here aren't any teams that are officially formed yet that I'm aware of," he said simply. "There are plenty of Genin I assure you, and I believe the other jounin Niko Kanuchi is attempting to form her team. As for whether or not you'll be ready for the Chunin Exams that remains to be seen. Strength and skill is vital to ensuring the life of a shinobi. However, there is more to it such as knowledge outside of combat and how to respond correctly under some extreme situations."

Other teams. 

Irui recalled the graduating class at the Academy. They'd stood on a platform overlooking the vast valleys of the Lightning Country, blanketed in white clouds. An assortment of pre-teens and teenagers, with their own accessories and oddities, all brimming with pride and bearing their polished Kumogakure headbands. He'd been schooled with the class for years, but under strict Mikiri doctrine. How far would the others come? 

As a child he'd heard of the other villages, of distant lands far below the mountains that shielded the Hidden Cloud. At the center of the continent stood Konohagakure, in the immense Land of Fire; a densely forested region. Beyond that, secreted in the cold and salty sea, lurked Kirigakure, in the Land of Waves a nation famed for its nautical prowess. There were far more spread across the continent. Every village was a master of its domain, and every village competed in the Chuunin Exams, pitting the best and brightest of their Genin against other teams. 

Legend had it that the Hidden Cloud was formed by the desire to escape the conflict of the lowlands, find sanctuary among the clouds, and master them. 

Morikawa shifted deftly from the exams, and swiftly rebuked Yui's remarks-- about her desire for enslavement, for Yokai dominance. The man was right though, they couldn't dwell  on the past, and allow it to consume them. Otherwise nobody would progress. 

"Anyways, after this we will be conducting a training exercise that will force you into some difficult challenges." The elder Mikiri continued, with a lighter tone. "If you have any questions then you best start asking them now."

Irui's throat seized at the announcement. Training?! NOW?! The boy swallowed hard, trying to choke down his burger, and wound up coughing. Eyes watering he took a gulp from his water glass and tried to coax the food down his throat. At least Morikawa had the pleasantry to wine and dine them. 

"--I'm fine!" Irui insisted, and continued sipping. "Where are we training?," he managed.

[ Lots of lag, going to cut  it off here]

As she suspected neither of them had any understanding of what it was like, so she would prove it to them as she would smile and release her human guise with her horns becoming visible as well as her skin color and appearance. Many people instantly reacted jumping back and staring at her, whispering things in each other's ears and also the stares of her not belonging in this building.

"This is my true appearance and as you see people don't like it, instead of trying to understand me they fear me and would rather harm me than try to understand our kind. This is what the world is really like, it isn't full of happiness and optimism it is full of fear and hate of things not understood. Either way, we should leave soon before someone decides to attack me, it always happens some man will think he is tough and protecting his family from some devil so they try to harm me."

She would finish her food as she looked around, the tension in the air was high and she knew their welcome was long gone now. She could only sigh as this was what always happened if she walked outside like this the chance kids would throw rocks or even adults was high.

"Say what you will be I think I proved my point neither of you can understand the hatred people feel toward things not like themselves. I can try to forget my past but if I show my true self this is the result, how can I move on if they always do the same actions as what I went through in the past."

Irui looked like he was choking on the food and Morikawa looked concerned. As it was natural for a doctor so Morikawa could help on that, but Irui claimed to be fine after drinking some water and appeared to be breathing normal again. Still Yui's transformation might have caused a stir amongst the townsfolk, but Morikawa doesn't believe it is from prejudice. With a sigh escaping his lips as he seems to be a bit more disappointed than surprised.

"Yui Yokai, member of the Baku Path, I frankly don't recall people doing such cruelty to Yokai members. Your people, Outsiders as some of you have called yourselves, were welcomed into Kumogakure with open arms because your clan's population was decreasing due to the number of Yokai wandering off on their own and never returning." Morikawa countered before taking a moment to drink from his cup. Setting the cup back on the table, his eyes were looking down at the table before shifting over to Yui once more.

"As for your history, it would seem that you chose the life to survive by selling your own body. Frankly you aced the student academy with flying colors, and now I'm hearing about prejudice being used as your main motivation. As for your little display here people react to sudden change as their immediate primitive instinct is to defend themselves against a potential threat. Your actions carries weight for your own person, and to be frank the only thing I can see this being the case is rebellion against your family members. Possible parenting neglect perhaps?" Morikawa is not one to soften words especially in situations like this. Sometimes even the doctor has to be stern.

[Countdown; 4/10]

Wiping tears from his eyes, Irui's diaphragm finally settled down and he made himself comfortable in his seat. He watched, unflinchingly, as Yui's body shifted; her skin tone and texture seemed to blend and remake itself. Horns sprouted from her skull, parting her hair around them. Even her irises transformed. Yui's intent immediately became clear, hoping to goad a reaction from the people around them.

Some whispered, others made their revulsion clear with loud remarks of derision. All the while, Yui went on about discrimination, the cruelty shown to her, how people had attempted to take her life simply over her appearance.

She thought she was the only one with a Bloodline Limit, with lurking genetic powers and murky family history. It was no secret the Hidden Cloud hosted numerous families and clans with bloodline limits, many even dated back to the founding of the village itself. Sure, to the average citizen such a profound transformation was shocking, to the average ninja? It was par for the course, the nature of the occupation. Inexplicably, it seemed, the Yokai Bloodline Limit had drawn the short straw.

Irui sat back, and listened as the elder Mikiri countered Yui deftly; attributing her outlook to rebellion against her family. He folded his arms over his chest, looking to the man then to the horned woman. Nothing about this meeting was pleasant, and he could only scowl at her. Ever since he'd sat down, she'd made every effort to steer the conversation and having failed that she'd resorted to public spectacle. It was nothing short of disrespectful. Maybe she wanted the attention, to revel in the tension, craving the chaos as entertainment.

Yui had brought it all upon herself.

Irui closed his eyes, listening to the voices around them. A waiter nearby mentioned the situation to a coworker-- offering to compensate a guest. A woman hurridely packed her things, her emotions running high thinking of her children. Others had simply left their tables, anxious to avoid conflict. He could feel it in the air; the electric intensity of a few dozen civilians all wondering the same thing: What next? Voices joined together, voices of alarm, concern for their wellbeing. Perhaps some guy like Yui suggested would try to make the first blow, and embroil them all in a bar fight.

He opened his eyes, looking directly at the skylight above. Bird crap and birdprints decorated it. Some cat prowled aross it, utterly oblivious to what was going on below. He sighed, thinking back to his mothers words of encouragement, about the good meeting another Mikiri would do for him, and he sank deeper into his seat.

As she listened to him belittle her and say he never saw prejudice it was clear she was angry as her glare could pierce through armor. He would further his insults by saying maybe she had family issues causing her to rage and scream out. He had no right to claim such things, no it was humans that attacked her not her family, he would suffer by her hands he had to pay for his lies.

"Let us go training then, I have much to say to you and many actions I want to do but I do not wish to harm anyone inside here. When you are done being a pompous asshole meet me outside so we can settle this. Irui, I do not hate you but understand such insults toward my family and claiming I am lying despite the obvious wounds I have on my body, no I cannot let this slide, I won't let this slide."

She would step outside glaring at all those around her before shifting into her human form, she would wait for the pair and prepare to head to the training ground. She would show him he had pissed off the wrong woman, he didn't understand anything at all that had happened in her past.

Irui was quiet on the side, but that was fine as Morikawa didn't want to drag him into Yui's line of rage. Working like a charm she scowled expressing her eyes of hatred. Every word seep into her ears like acidic poison until finally her rage burst over her limit and from her lips is a screech. To be frank Morikawa takes no pleasure in pushing Yui emotionally like this, but in order to truly get the bottom of this he has to push her. When someone is calm and composed lying can be as easy as breathing air. However negative emotions that gets the blood boiling such as hatred tends to blind them.

She truly believes her side of the story… Morikawa pondered as he listened to Yui's outburst. Unfortunately if she was trying to get any shift in expression from him she would be disappointed as his stoic expression remains the same. As she was leaving the establishment several people who decided to linger gasped and parted away from Yui. Morikawa lets out a sigh before downing the rest of his drink and setting the cup down. Turning his eyes over to Irui, Morikawa decided to use this as an opportunity.

"Looks like there is a slight change of plans. You and I will spar against Yui as we are going to practice teamwork. Although I do encourage to not go overboard. We're merely going to tire her out." Morikawa instructed Irui before he gestures to finish up eating or drinking. Getting up from his seat, Morikawa hands the waiter the payment with an extra 2k for tip.

"Apologies for the sudden disturbance." The waiter expressed concern as his brows knit together. Accepting the money, he posed a question of worry.

"Should I call security?!" Morikawa simply waved his hand to dismiss the question without much concern on his part. There he would see Yui outside of the restaurant and would on Irui to come out before making their way over to the training ground.

[Countdown: 5/10]
[Exit]

Her ranting and raving continued to accelerate, reaching a fevered climax with a horrid screech from the elder teen. He ground his teeth, grimacing and holding his tongue as best he could, further tightening his arms over his chest, while Morikawa continued to verbally spar with the girl. There was something about her presence, her emotions, they were wild, erratic-- like fire.

No, the boy considered, this seething air that bubbled and spat around her. Is her chakra so emotionally toxic that I'm detecting it?.  He narrowed dark eyes on Yui with nothing but contempt.

Last time I ever take my mother's advice on shinobi meeti--, He caught Morikawa's glance, and felt his expression slackening.

"Looks like there is a slight change of plans." Morikawa explained, slurping down his food. "You and I will spar against Yui," he continued, "as we are going to practice teamwork. Although I do encourage to not go overboard. We're merely going to tire her out."

"Ah- oh!" Irui managed, and quickly got to his feet. Suddenly, he felt a spring in his step, and eagerly followed the man out the door, his headband bouncing on his collar. Rarely, had he been able to see another Mikiri Clansmen in battle, and though this was simply a spar, he was grinning at the chance to see an elder show him the ropes.

[Exit]