The Quest for Stuff

Kitsumi would bow his head low as he ducked under the short canopy that stood along one side of the Akari marketplace, looking at the contraptions that the vendor had to offer. Most of the man's items seemed to be broken or at the very least a state of disrepair, however one particular item would stand out to him. Or two items as it were, of the grouping that the vendor seem to have these two items seemed to be the least ruined. After haggling the man for a decent price, Kitsumi would walk away from the small stand with a large box in his hand and a smile on his face. Considering he had just left the hospital a few days ago, the fact that he had a smile on his face at all was a surprise even to him, but he would consider it warranted. It's not every day that you get your back broken and then end up with some of the best tech that he had ever seen within the village, he wouldn't open it here. After the man had boxed the two items up for him, the last thing he wanted to do was open the box and then drop them and they break before he even got to use them. Instead, he would tuck the box under his arm as he continued to move through the Bizaar scanning over the different stalls as he looked for anything else that might catch his eye.

Kitsumi usually hated going to places like this, there were always too many people around and with his Denkanryu, the electrical pulses of all the people would often times overwhelm the man. However, as luck would have it, the sky was currently blanketed with large storm clouds with rain on the way. The reason this was lucky is because the stagnate electricity within the atmosphere would be so intense that it actually short circuited his Denkanryu. While this happened to every member of the clan during large storms like this, they did not like to draw attention to it as it would lead to the fact that they were weak to their own element. Of course, Kitsumi was not worried about someone finding out that his Denkanryu was on the fritz. Not many within the village even knew who he was, and of the few that did know him, only two of them would know about his weakness. So, if either of those two were to appear, then he might need to worry. Well if one of them shows up he would worry, Kitsumi was still wary when it came to Tsumi, though he would always welcome the company of Yasuka. The woman had been nothing but a good friend for him since he had met her. He was thankful for her being so kind to him, not to mention the fact that she had also looked after his sword for him while he was incapacitated. He wasn't sure what he was going to get her as a thank you present but he was sure that he could find something around here somewhere. If he didn't find something here that he thought she might like, then there were still many other stalls for him to check out. Of course, his mind would be thinking about what was already in his arms and what he would be doing once the weather cleared up.

Yasuka covers her mouth with a hand when she yawns as she walks through the open-air marketplace. As the storm approached and grew more restless, the marketplace was actually getting a bit less crowded, though many were trying to stick around for some last-minute deals, nearly everyone hoping that with the storm so close, they would all be willing to skip some of the haggling to get out of there before the rain comes. She nearly passes right by Kitsumi before she realizes it's him, though he might have noticed her first with his eyes. She gives him a cheerful smile when she does finally see him, walking up to him and greeting him warmly.

"Good afternoon, Kitsumi. I see you're doing some shopping too."

She gestures towards the box in his hands, and she seems a bit worried; although his back had healed well enough, she still didn't like the thought of him having to carry something so soon after his recovery period, but she assumes that if he would like some help in carrying the box, he would ask. After all, it didn't seem too heavy for him to carry around, although she was a little curious about what was in it. But it wouldn't do to be nosy or prying.

Instead, she turns her attention to a man hawking over his "weaponry", although none of it looked like anything a normal person would wield, and she wasn't sure if it was any good quality, so she wasn't about to lift one up and see, especially for the prices he was charging for them.

"What silly things, they look like something an Academy student would take back to his friends to make them think he's cool."

She whispers it to Kitsumi, although with her poor hearing, she might have whispered slightly too loud. The man starts turning to look at the two, and Yasuka quickly turns away to the next stall at the bazaar.

Everyone was staring at her.

Of course Akari didn’t mind, she actually kind of liked the attention.

She sat upon the shoulder of her puppet Dominus and controlled him idly with one hand. Her legs, covered in thigh high socks, swung down idly as she rode upon her oversized puppet. He was eight feet tall and proportionally wide. That of course gave him plenty of space upon his shoulders for her to sit comfortably as he moved through the crowd. It certainly ensured that she never got stuck in the crowd. Not only that but anyone looking for her could always find her right away.

She moved down the market street, riding along as she perused the stalls and window shopped from her perch. She wasn’t actually looking for anything today. For the most part she was simply bored and looking for something to do. She wore her usual attire, red blazer with black trim, white button up dress shirt, black tights and black skirt. Her feet were clad in simple black shoes with the soles reinforced for sturdiness. But frankly she was not very fast and she did not tend to run around on her feet herself. Her perch upon Dominus’ back also had another advantage not mentioned before. It would give her an absolutely commanding view of the crowd. She looked out across the crowds looking for anyone interesting.

She had a pen and drawing pad out, the pad held loosely in the same hand she controlled Dominus. It didn’t take much to control him, at least not for her, and she looked for anyone interesting to draw. This was one of her favorite hobbies. Drawing people she thought looked interesting. Sometimes she gave them the picture, other times she kept them, it depended on the ‘vibe’ she got from the person. Generally she gave the pictures to those she wanted to see again. As giving it to them involved speaking to them usually.

As she searched the crowd she saw a woman with tan skin, dark blue hair, bright blue eyes and some really interesting markings beneath the same eyes. Akari’s eyes would seem to glow red a moment as she saw someone she thought looked interesting and her hand began to move across her drawing pad almost of its own freewill. She turned Dominus toward the woman and the long haired man she was talking to as she drew. She moved quickly, able to do so due to talent and practice in equally absurd measures. The picture wasn’t colored of course, she didn’t have a good way to carry very many colors in her perch. But it was finely detailed with her black pen. All in all it was a good picture if she said so herself.

She was just giving the picture a final once over as she reached them. The sound of her puppets feet hitting the ground as it walked evident. She stopped it when she reached them and looked down to them both. “Good day to you both! It’s a beautiful day isn’t it?!” She would ask happily as she looked up into the storm clouded sky. It would be coming down soon but Akari loved stormy days. The energy in the air always seemed to lift her mood. “My name is Akari and I hope you’ll forgive me miss. But I saw you from down the road and I had to draw you. I’d like to give it to you if you’d accept it.” She would say, offering the picture to her after tearing it cleanly from her pad. Hopefully she took it but if not then Akari would simply nod in acceptance and set the drawing in her pad beneath a few pages to keep the wind from blowing it away before looking to them again. “Well then can I at least interest you two in a ride? I promise the view is great.” She would say with a kind smile as she waited.

[1]

Kitsumi would be looking at a bunch of poorly crafted overpriced weaponry, simply shaking his head. He had hoped to find a small Tanto for Yasuka as a thank you, but he was not happy with what he was seeing. As he turned to venture to a different stall to hope for better craftsmanship, he would be greeted with the sight of Yasuka, his face visibly brightening as he smiled. "Good afternoon, Lady Inazuma. Yes, as a matter of fact I was, it is a nice day for shopping after all. Of course, I end up buying things that I did not even come here for." Kitsumi would open up the lid of the box to show Yasuka the items he had found for a good price, "they're called Chakra Drones, apparently there was this guy that made a bunch a while back. They don't seem to make them anymore, when I saw them, I had to have them, but they need some cleaning up." Inside the box sat two small six inch diameter Discs, as well as a small device that looked like it would go over the eye, of course all of them were covered in dust and needed a good cleaning. Closing the box back up after Yasuka was done looking at them, Kitsumi wondered if he should tell her why he had come to the market to begin with when she makes the comment about the vendors wares that he was looking at. Seeing the man look in their direction, Kitsumi would look at thim with a smile. "You know it's true, that's why no one buys your wares. Just go about your business and quit listening to our conversation." Turning back to see Yasuka facing away from the stall, Kitsumi would let out a chuckle. "There is no need to worry, Lady Inazuma. He knows his merchandise is poor quality, he just doesn't care to admit it."

Not long after he said this, he heard the stomping of feet on the ground. Looking around for the source, he was met with the sight of a massive eight foot tall armored and partially cloaked figure. A good two feet taller and quiet large, at first Kitsumi thought it was a giant man, until the woman's voice called out from above it. Looking up to see the woman on top, Kitsumi would go to reply when she introduced herself and spoke to Yasuka, so he would remain silent allowing Yasuka to speak to her to be polite. After they had spoken, he would introduce himself. "I am Kitsumi Ryuzoji, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Akira." He wondered if her name was somehow related to the market they were all standing in when the offer of the ride would come up. Kitsumi would once again wait for Yasuka to respond first, if Yasuka went with Akari, then he would join too. After all he wasn't going to leave his friend behind if she chose to stay.

---

the items:

Yasuka looks into the box with curiosity when Kitsumi explains what's in the box, surprised at the size of them and their odd appearance; although they're dust-covered, she can tell that the disks are shiny underneath. But she doesn't try to clean them off, since they're not hers and she's not sure if she can do it without possibly harming them. She doesn't know anything about the chakra drones, after all, but they seem interesting. So she tells him as much.

"Oh wow, those are so interesting! I can't wait to see them in action sometime."

Then she hears Kitsumi's response to the vendor with the poor quality goods, and she has a bit of a chuckle that she hides behind her right hand to keep the vendor from noticing, not that she particularly minded if he did. Then she smiles at Kitsumi as he tries to cheer her up, and that's when she feels the ground shake a bit, and she turns on her sensory for a moment, quickly detecting the woman and her puppet. She starts to look up, then realizes she can practically see up the woman's skirt and rapidly looks down at the puppet's feet, her face flushed and darker now under her tan skin as blood rushes to her head.

Eventually, she builds up confidence to look back up at Akari after she introduces herself and asks if she wants the drawing. Yasuka gladly accepts it, though she keeps her eyes much higher so she's not still looking up the other woman's skirt. She uses the picture to give her something else to look at, though she does find the artwork very pretty, and she can't help but to think that this Akari woman sees her that way, which only makes her blush again, though she hides it under her dark blue hair.

"Th-thank you for the art. It's very flattering."

She's surprised by the offer of a ride on the huge puppet,and she looks at Kitsumi to see what he thinks before she turns back to Akari.

"Sure, I'd love to take a ride on it!"

Akari was looking down at the woman as she looked up so she noticed her look away. Of course Akari knew why, she just did not care that anyone that looked up at her while she rode on dominus could see up her skirt. She almost wanted to ask the woman if she enjoyed the view but thought better of it. She wasn’t generally quite that forward and blunt. Still, she would accept the drawing and then both she and the long haired man she was with, Kitsumi it would seem would agree to the ride.

Akari clapped her hands in delight before controlling Dominus with her threads. First it would reach down and pick up Yasuka if allowed and set her on the opposite shoulder from Akari. The puppeteer would smile over at her welcomingly as she was placed down. Then she would control Dominus to reach down and pluck Kitsumi up with one hand and set him on palm of the other before putting the second one beneath him with it. Effectively placing Kitsumi sitting across Dominus’ two hands at chest level. That would put him of about a height with Yasuka and Akari. The purpose for his placement was so that he could hold onto his box and lean against the puppet. Effectively giving him safe purchase.

“Where to?” The dark haired girl would ask ecstatically. She had never gotten to give anyone a ride before and she was fond of her puppet and her skills in utilizing him. So she was rather excited to show off the two. Probably not the best kind of attitude for a Jounin she’ll admit. But puppetry was a fairly esoteric and little used art. So it made her happy to have two people willingly ride on one she was controlling. "Sorry if I'm a little excited. I love getting to show people my work and having someone accept a drawing makes me especially happy." She would explain as she looked toward Yasuka. "May I ask the name of the model?" She would ask with a smile. Kitsumi had introduced himself but she did not know Yasuka's name yet. An easily made mistake given the shy and flustered reaction to her ability to see up Akari's skirt initially.

[2]

As soon as he saw Yasuka picked up by one of the giant hands of the puppet, Kitsumi was out of his comfort zone. Made only worst when the hand would pluck him up as well, his mind thinking back to not that long ago when his back was broken by the man that was now his and Yasuka's sensei. He would push the thought from his mind, wishing that it would stop popping up everytime something happened. Of course, it was better than the memories of the man's face when it happened, that was still giving him nightmares. As he is placed in the palm of the puppet, Kitsumi would look between Akari and Yasuka. It wasn't until Akari asked where they wanted to go that Kitsumi realized that he did not know the first thing about the village or what it offered, with the exception of his home, the training grounds and of course the Hospital which Kitsumi silently vowed he would not return to, though if he were to fall from up here it might hurt. The woman seemed quite happy that they were on her puppet with her, Kitsumi could honestly say he had never met a puppet user before, but if they were all this nice he didn't see why people avoided them so much.

As the flash of lighting flared in the sky followed not long after by sound of cracking thunder that boomed through the village, Kitsumi knew that it would not be much longer now. His mind trailing back to a memory of him and Yasuhiro standing near a lake as they watched a storm together, back when things were a little simpler for him. Kitsumi would wait to see if Yasuka had a suggestion on where to go first, considering she likely knew more about the village than he did, and the fact that he did not know where the lake actually was. Though, if Yasuka did not have a suggestion, Kitsumi would simply offer. "How about a nice, peaceful place to watch the storm?"

Yasuka makes a sound of surprise when she gets picked up and placed on the puppet's shoulder, though she's careful not to move in its grip in order to avoid falling, and once she's firmly situated, she feels glad that she's wearing long flowing pants and not a skirt like Akari. Then she smiles down at Kitsumi as the giant of a puppet merely holds the other genin in its hands. Then she's a bit pensive for a moment as she considers where she might want to go. Honestly, she had been fine with walking along the market, but now that she had a ride on top of this giant, she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to be in any particular place, which was a somewhat awkward situation.

Thankfully, Kitsumi unwittingly helped her out by suggesting somewhere nice and peaceful to watch the storm, and Yasuka agrees with that suggestion.

"Preferably the kind of place where we're not the tallest thing around so we won't be getting struck ourselves..."

The dark skin of her face turns more dark as blood rushes up to her head, blushing darkly when she's called a model and asked for her name. She realizes she was probably pretty rude for not introducing herself and Kitsumi, and that he'd had to introduce himself.

"Sorry, how terribly rude of me. I'm Yasuka Inazuma. Thank you for the ride, and the picture... Although I'm not really much of a model, I think."

Despite herself, her legs are swinging just a bit over the edge of the puppet's shoulder, lightly tapping against the surface as she feels so nervous like this with another woman that was being so complimentary towards her.

Akari smiled at the two of them as they made their desires known. A place to watch the storm, a safe place no less. She needed her head in agreement before considering for a moment. There was a park with a fairly large gazebo in it not far. Dominus could fit underneath it with clearance for her and Yasuka for the entry and exit. Something she knew from experience. That would be safe enough and she considered something else for a few moments before nodding her head. “We still have a few minutes and I have a place not far in mind. We’re in a market, so lemme buy us some food and snacks for the storm watching and we’ll head there right after. Sound good?” She would ask, already moving toward a nearby market that would have all they’d need.

Her general energy seemed to be that of someone who was very friendly and cheerful. Someone who tended to wrap people up in whatever her social plans were without a care in the world. Or frankly, without much asking or listening in the process. Should Kitsumi or Yasuka complain however she would stop and listen. For now, she was on the way to the shop. As Yasuka introduced herself, claiming to not be much of a model Akari would shake her head. “Yasuka you’re a wonderful model, absolutely beautiful. Hell, I’d love to paint you nude if you’d be willing to model that for me.” She would say, not having a care in the world of the presence of Kitsumi in regards to the question. Now that she really looked at him, he was a pretty good drawing candidate himself. Idly she considered drawing him, but for the moment his orientation was odd due to his seat compared to hers on Dominus and she didn’t have a good profile of his face.

That would have to wait till they were at the gazebo then.

Dominus would arrive at the shop and she would have him kneel, lowering himself and giving herself a good purchase point to climb down. “Just stay here, I won’t be long at all!” She would say before running inside. Her pad and pencil were tucked into her blazer now and with a quick look around she would unfurl chakra threads from her fingers before sending them out to the shop as she moved to the register. The threads picked up bread, cheeses, meats, various bottles of sauces, chips, sodas, waters, and other such things. Collecting a veritable smorgasbord of picnic supplies, including plates and napkins, and knives, forks, and spoons where necessary. The threads would attach to the targets and pull them over, allowing her to catch up and set them down to be rung in.

The display was visible through the window if the two outside were inclined but she was none the wiser. The cashier rang in everything quickly, sensing her will to hurry from her actions and the coming storm. Then she paid without even looking at the cost before sealing everything in a scroll and running back out to the puppet. There she would jump once, onto the kneeling leg, then again, turning as she did with a laugh of glee as her threads came out to control Dominus once more. The storm she could feel was a bad one and the energy in the air could be felt as the first few drops of rain began. The light sprinkles coming down. It was going to be close, but she still thought she could beat it. “Ready?! Hold on, Dominus moves very fast!” She would call out in delight, giving them warning to hold on.

[3]

Kitsumi would steady himself the best he could as he closed his eyes leaning against the front of the puppet as it began to move, taking in slow breaths as he tried not to think about the fact that he was standing in the arms of a large puppet. It was not so much that he was bothered by the puppet, or the fact that his life was technically in the hands of the strange woman he just met. It was the height that he was at, Kitsumi was not a fan of being off the ground, and the fact that they were now moving would only serve to make it worse on him. The fact of knowing that you are moving when you are not actually the one moving had a nauseating effect on the man, and it would take all he had to keep himself from throwing up on the puppet's hands. He heard the woman say something about grabbing food or something and asked if that was ok, and he would just nod as he did not want to risk opening his mouth at the moment. Listening to the Yasuka introduce herself followed by the woman's remark of painting her nude would cause a frown to form on Kitsumi's face, but due to the fact that he was leaning his back against the puppet that they were sitting upon it was unlikely either of them would notice it. Kitsumi was absolutely shocked by the woman's remark, that was not how you spoke to a lady. It did not matter if you were also a lady or not, that was not something you just go around saying in public, especially when you first meet the person. Unfortunately, he would be silent, still trying to coup with the fact that he was moving and not moving. He would slowly slide down until he was sitting cross legged on the puppet's hands, sitting the box of chakra drones on his lap as be wished that he was anywhere but where he was now.

When they stopped at the shop that Akari was directing the puppet to, and she jumped down to go into the store to get whatever it was that she had brought them there to get. Kitsumi half considered jumping off and throwing up, while the other half considered going home and never agreeing to ride on an eight-foot-tall puppet ever again. However, that would be both rude to Akari, and inconsiderate of him to leave Yasuka alone with a strange woman they just met that was already talking about wanting to get her nude. Kitsumi would take slow deep breaths as he let out a small sigh and opened his eyes as they stopped moving, glad to see that they were lower to the ground. Looking up to Yasuka with a façade of a smile similar to the one he had given to Tsumi in the hospital, "Well, she certainly is eccentric isn't she." He would say with both a nervous and awkward chuckle, his voice not nearly as calm as it normally was. Holding a slightly elevated quickness as he spoke, as if he was trying to get the words out and close his mouth before anything else had a chance to come out. He considered telling Yasuka that he wasn't a fan of the puppet ride, but the woman would return to quickly. As she returned to her place on the puppet and it once again began to move, Kitsumi would turn back to face the direction they were heading. His eye's currently looking up at the sky watching the storm clouds, holding his breath at the woman's words to hold on. 'Oh great' would be all he would think to himself at the thought of the puppet moving fast.

Yasuka certainly didn't have any problems with getting some snacks for watching the storm, and she lets Akari know that getting some snacks is fine with her as the puppet begins making its way through the market to the store Akari had in mind. Yasuka watches Akari's fingers work to control the puppet with a great deal of interest, curious about how that works and considering looking into using puppetry herself someday. Her face turns dark again when Akari calls her beautiful, and then she has to cover her face when she hears the other woman suggest that she would want to paint her in the nude.

"No, that's not going to happen."

Despite her words, Yasuka doesn't protest much more, and she keeps her face covered to hide her embarrassment. When Akari has Dominus reach the store itself, she finally gradually relaxes a bit more, having been completely embarrassed by the offer right in front of Kitsumi, her own teammate. And she has to agree with him when he suggests that she's somewhat eccentric.

"Yes, extremely. Still, I'm fairly certain she's a high-ranking ninja, considering..."

She lightly taps the shoulder of the puppet they're both currently sitting on to emphasize her point. Yasuka isn't sure what to make of all these women hitting on her lately, although Hoshiko didn't flirt with her that much at least. She'd never really considered herself so good-looking as all that. Although, looking at her own scrawled portrait, she had to admit that Akari must have seen something quite attractive in her appearance, judging by the picture she'd drawn. Her face feels hot again, so she puts the picture away once more, although the offer for a nude painting is still rattling around in her head again when Akari returns.

Although Yasuka doesn't like how green Kitsumi is looking, she makes sure to grip tightly onto Dominus's shoulder to make sure she doesn't fall off or lose her balance too badly.

Yasuka would cover her face at the idea of being painted in the nude and Akari would sighed in disappointment. The stunning woman would be such a wonderful model. Still, Akari wasn’t about to kidnap her over it. It didn't work out well the last time she had done that with a prospective model. Still it couldn’t hurt to drive in the offer. “Well if you ever change your mind, I’ll pay you for your time.” She would say with a kind smile at the woman. Then of course would come the quick shopping trip. Now she would have to move fast to beat the storm. However Akari was not stupid, eccentric maybe, but never stupid. She had seen Kitsumi’s initial reaction to the puppet ride, and had noted it. If he did not like it that much then he really was not going to like this. Given his sitting position and height if he threw up on the way herself and Yasuka would get sprayed by the simple virtue of the wind from their travel blowing it into them.

Quickly she would unseal one of the bags from the store. Specifically, the bag itself not the items within. It was a serviceable paper bag and would work perfectly as a barf bag if Kitsumi needed it. Wordlessly, she tapped his shoulder and handed it to him. “Don’t throw up on us please.” She would say simply, and, assuming he took the bag they would be off. Akari of course, never one for half measures, would do it at full speed. Meaning her puppet would accelerate from a standing position to 100 meters per second. Or about 220 miles per hour for those wondering.

That of course would wake anyone up, and generally send anyone already inclined toward stomach sickness straight off the deep end. She maneuvered Dominus to the rooftops where there would be no traffic in the way and they would move over the buildings with a swiftness few could readily match. Her laughter echoed with the speed of their passage as within just a few moments the park, and the gazebo on a hill overlooking a manmade lake for the park, came into view. Dominus would dash underneath the roof of the gazebo, the entryway clearing him by about a foot and a second and a half later the rain began to pour down in earnest. Of course the sudden stop from such a speed would probably send Kitsumi into throwing up in the bag. Regardless if he did or not Akari would have Dominus set him down carefully and then have it do the same for Yasuka and then herself.

The puppeteer would stretch languidly as the sound of the rain and thunder surrounded them. There was no wind with the storm, which was a good thing for them as it meant the rain didn’t tilt into the Gazebo. Although it did mean the storm would probably last a while. Which Akari was honestly thankful for. “So, picnic time?” She would ask her tone cheerful and excited.

[4]

Kitsumi would gratefully take the bag from Akari, gripping it tightly as he nodded to her comment about not throwing up on them. The sudden movement causing him to lurch backwards from the sheer force of the movement, even if he wanted to throw up, he wouldn't be able to lean his head into the bag to be able to do it, but he felt it in the bottom of his throat waiting to come out, it was just a matter of time. Moving across the rooftops at a speed he could not imagine even if he wanted to, they seemed to arrive at the gazebo in no time and as they arrived so does something else. Kitsumi would quickly toss his head into the bag as he threw up, mumbling something about never again as he finished. He took a small cloth from his coat pocket that he usually used for his blade and wiped his mouth before tossing it into the bag and sealing it off as he was set down and began looking for a place to dispose of it, once that was taken care of and he regained his composure he would turn back to face the other two. "Sorry about that, that was really fast." He chuckled slightly, having never moved that fast in his entire life it was like someone had punched him in the stomach, which unfortunately he was used to and still didn't make him throw up like that. When Akari asked if it was picnic time, Kitsumi would force a smile despite the turning in his stomach. "You guys go ahead, I think I might just watch the rain for a little bit." he said as he looked out of the gazebo at the rainfall and the beautiful lake. His mind flashing back to the day he and Yasuhiro were at a lake and wondering if this was the same one, so much time seemed to have passed since those days when they were kids and had nothing to worry about. So much had changed since that day, and he wasn't a kid anymore but still the memory brought him peace and took his mind off the fact that he just threw up. After a few moments he would turn back to the other two and approach where they were, "So Lady Akari, that is quite an impressive puppet. I wasn't even aware that there were puppet users around here, did you make it yourself?"

Yasuka finds her face turning even more red at the suggestion that she'll be getting paid to pose nude for a painting, and she manages not to protest too much somehow, by not protesting at all. She hoped it didn't come across as an agreement, but she thinks about that too late to make a flat denial of the offer before they'd reached their destination, so she's somewhat forced to let it go and not make too much of a scene; she's too high up on Dominus to just shout down to Akari that she's not going to simply be a nude model for a stranger, even if she were paid to do so. And by the time Akari would come back, it would have been too late to bring it up.

And then they're moving faster than Yasuka had ever moved before, and she has to lean far forwards in order to keep herself from flying off the shoulder of the giant puppet. If that were to happen, they'd already be most of the way to the gazebo before she hit the ground. Instead, she manages to keep her balance and ride the puppet with some difficulty, though she nearly experiences whiplash as Dominus slows back down. Yasuka hadn't actually been able to see much of anything at that speed, they'd passed through so much of Kumogakure in a blur in order to get to the picnic spot of the gazebo. Even so, she felt relieved that she likely wouldn't have to ride the puppet back. Only now, after she had survived the speedy travel of the puppet, could she admit that the ride had been fun, if somewhat horrifying to move at such high speeds without any control over its direction.

"Y-yes, picnic time..."

Yasuka could feel that her hair had been somewhat ruined in the speed of the puppet's travel, and she self-consciously runs her fingers through her long, dark blue hair to try and get it somewhat under control now, though it wasn't really helped much by the extra humidity produced by the gathering storm. She sits in the middle of the gazebo, feeling quite sad for Kitsumi after he'd puked so heavily and so hard into the bag and even lost his blade cleaning cloth in the aftermath. She made a mental note to buy him a new one and probably present it to him at some point. Although, she'd have to ask someone that knew about swords what kind of material the cloth should be. She'd find that out later.

Instead, she watches as the rain beats a random pattern into the ground as the precipitation gradually increases in its intensity, and then she sees a great flash of lightning; Yasuka can't help but to think to herself that she'd love to be able to use the power of a real lightning bolt herself... She almost doesn't hear Kitsumi's question about the puppet, thanks to the sonic boom produced by the lightning strike, although Akari was likely to hear it better, since Yasuka's poor hearing made understanding conversation difficult.

Upon arrival Kitsumi, as predicted, would throw up into the bag that she had given him. She gave him a sad smile before unsealing the picnic supplies and laying them out on the table. The sound of the rain surrounding them as it fell into the land around them was soothing and the latent energy in the air would feel as if the world around them was more alive than usual. The puppeteer loved it and the feel of it all excited her immensely. She had a pent up energy that she couldn’t explain that demanded release. But she would simply have to reign that in for now.

As she unsealed food materials she would also unseal a hair brush and, using a chakra thread, deposited the tool directly into Yasuka’s lap. “Here, the ride frazzled your hair.” She would laugh as she paused to pull a second brush out and began to brush hers out. It was long, but Akari did not mind and as she did she used more chakra threads to lay out the picnic materials. A blanket for the table, plates, breads, meats, cheeses, spreads, drinks, chips, and other such items were laid out as she worked her hair into a sense of normalcy. The downsides to moving at such high speeds in humidity of course.

Kitsumi would ask about her puppet and she would smile at him cheerfully. “He’s an oldie actually. Passed down in my adoptive family for some time. I’m the first puppeteer in quite awhile, couple of generations actually. So he was dusted off as a gift for me when I was promoted to Chuunin. Then I used him through to my promotion to Jounin." As she worked she also unsealed another drawing pad and several packs of pencils, these with color and began to pick them up and test their colors. As she did she looked up at Yasuka, and Kitsumi for that matter, comparing the color to the real thing. Those she approved of she set aside in a pocket in her blazer. Those she did not, she put back in the box they came in. Soon enough she had all the colors she needed and then set the pad and such aside for the moment as she finished setting up the picnic too.

She still hadn’t given up on the idea of painting Yasuka, but she was patient and hopefully time would allow her to wear the woman down on the matter. Regardless, any such attempts would have to wait till they were in private. For the moment she would settle for drawings. Now that she had colors she could do far more with her efforts and she intended to do so while they were there. The view of the lake ahead and the storm gave wonderful inspiration for her to work. She was hungry though, so she would eat first. “Let’s dig in!” She would cheerfully proclaim, clapping her hands together in delight as she looked to her two companions.

[5]

Yasuka is nearly dozing when Akari suddenly exclaims that it's time to eat, and the genin squeaks in surprise at the time, she'd only been supposed to be out for a few hours! She quickly excuses herself, apologizing profusely to the two friends she'd just made.

"I'm really sorry, but I've got to go! No need for me to inconvenience you both, I'll just be away."

And with that, she scurries away from the gazebo, using her yellow jacket to protect herself from the rain.

(Exit Thread)

Not long after Yasuka left, Kitsumi feel the nausea return and rather than make Akari have to witness it he decided that it would be best to just head home. Apologizing for the inconvenience before running off home to throw up, of course he left in such a hurry that he forgot his Chakra Drones as well as his Ryo pouch of 370k that had fallen off his belt. This would not matter however as he had decided to stop his pursuit of being a shinobi.

Exit Thread