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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:33 pm
A small, out-of-the-way rest spot that never seems to close, and despite the lack of staff, as the cafe is more designed for self-service, is friendly enough in atmosphere that even ninjas and travelers at odds hardly ever come to death-struggles. This quiet little spot is meant for the profiled (and approved) characters to get to know each other. Some could say it is a pathetic excuse to attempt to bridge the divides between the Villages, but, then, why do those same nay-sayers always seems to be around for their favorite teas, coffees, etc.? You be the judge. The only person who ever seems to be at the cafe, all the time, is an old man (an NPC) named Thurin who sits in a well-crafted rocking chair, sometimes carving something, sometimes smoking a pipe, and sometimes napping, but who is always willing to lend a few wise words.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:49 pm
Owen took a deep breath as he walked up the winding path to the top of the hill where the cafe rested amidst a breif stand of shady trees. He had finally been able to step away from the nursey. He couldn't wait until the Academy reopened... It made him want to laugh. Despite the trouble he got into there, he'd rather be there, then being trapped at home doing the same old things. Never fall into simple routine, his grandfather had had many fond sayings, anything beyond variety will inevitably kill you. Oendai was starting to appreciate the old man's wisdom. A rustle in the grass got his attention. A quick glance revealed a small field mouse, nose twitching curiously as it watched him walk past before scurrying across the trail. As it dissappeared again, Owen released a small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The last thing he needed right now was another troupe of rodents following him about. He really neded to ask Grandmother more directly about that. He was certain she knew something she wasn't saying. He turned up a shorter branch of the trail, and came to the top of the rise. The cafe sat just ahead of him. Old Man Thurin was sitting out there again, napping in the heat of the day. Owen wondered, with a quick smirk, if the man even lived anywhere: he never seemed to be far from this place.
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:14 pm
Ai sat inside the cafe on a small table with enough room for two. It was in the dimest corner of the small shop since there was no window close by. She sat and sipped her green tea with honey slowly and spread some cream cheese on a plain bagel. She looked around before taking the first bite. It wasn't very crowded, in fact there was most likely less then ten, including herself. Ai probably would have never had stopped in if it was crowded. Her and Koji just weren't fond of places with too many people. She took a bite and looked down at her little fox who was asleep and curled up next to the chair. "At least I'm not traveling alone," she thought to herself.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 2:24 pm
((*dances* yeah!))
Deciding not to distrurb him, Owen stepped quietly around Thurin. He knew well that the old retired ninja was, even in his sleep, far moe aware of his surrounding then let on... on second thought, probably not. At least the old guy wasn't sneaking a bottle spirits again. Owen stepped inside, sighing as the interior was much cooler than the midday sun outside, and went to fix himself some wild berry tea. He snatched a bisquit as well, leaving a couple of bits in a collection tray. It was something visitors did to help cover the expences. Everyone assumed that Thurin ran the place, but no one really knew, but decided to leave something...usually, anyway. Owen found an open table, wich wasn't hard with the rather sparese crowd, and sipped at his cup. He really did need to find his way here more often.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:04 pm
Ai started on the other half of the bagel when she saw someone come in. She didn't really take the time to look at him and instead went back to her food and slipped back into her daydream. A few minutes passed, which seemed like hours to her, when she was interupted by Koji. He was hissing and yapping at the ninja who had just entered and was now drinking tea. But upon futher inspection Ai noticed that Koji was not acting out towrds the guy, but to a small rat that seemed to be tracing circles around him.
Ai sighed and rose from her seat to scold her pet. She reached down and grabbed the extra fat on the back of his neck and quietly scoffed him. She put him down and sent him back to her table. Ai turned to stare at the other ninja, "Sorry about that. He sometimes gets carried away at the slightest things."
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:47 am
Owen, too, had raised an eyebrow at the little fox. He'd been surprised to see the little critter in here, but he glanced down, and his face reddened, with an unreadable look on his face. He wanted his reaction to be to throw a blade at the little rat, and snipe it. Or to grab it, and throw it outside...something.... Instead he lowered his hand, and made a quiet sound that made the rat stop its circles , glance up at him, and step confidently into his hand. "And why are you here, little one?" He asked in a rather stern voice as if admonishing the creature. It was the same one from the trail. Owen just knew. "You shouldn't be in here, he commnted qietly to the rat in his fingerless-gloved hand. The rat made a small chittering sound, and as Owen lowered his hand to the ground, the little rat leaped off, and made a bee-line for the door. He glanced sideways towards the girl. "You shouldn't sweat the little things." He said levely, biting back the bitterness in his voice. He still couldn't quite figure out the rat thing. It made no sense to him, and was an embarrassment. But it was what Granfather had said once. 'Don't sweat the little things...' "Stuff like this'll happen," he finished aloud, and finished his tea. He could hear a few people commenting behind his back. Twittering about 'the rat-boy'. Owen growled in his throat before stepping none-too-quietly for the door, and sat at the far end of the veranda porch.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 1:54 pm
Kaze walked up the path towards the little cafe. He greeted the old man respectibly and entered into the much cooler store, unfortunatly is wasn't as peaceful as outside. There was a tiny fox that seemd to be barking at a small rat that ran circles around another ninja. He took a seat near the corner and watched things play out before grabbing himself some oolong tea. The event ended with rat running away and a ninja that stormed out of the building. He sighed thinking that this wasn't a good day to relax. He got and made himself some tea.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 3:40 pm
Ai was shocked that the stranger left so quickly, especially after telling to not sweat the small things. She had obviously heard the people talking about him in the corner because of her large ears but was suprised to find that he took it to heart. She noticed the biscuit that he had left when he ran out. She called Koji over to follow her as she made her way to the exit. But before she reached it she looked to the people who were still chatting about the incident. Ai gave them a stern look as her ears flattened abit and her tail poofed up.
She walked onto the heated porch and looked around and spotted the taller nin. She walked up to him and handed him the napkin with the small biscuit inside. "You shouldn't sweat the little things," she laughed abit as her ears perked up. "People will always talk about those who aren't like them. Trust me, you don't normally see a girl with fox ears and a fox tail walking around, do you?" She made another cheesey grin as Koji jumped onto the seat next to the boy.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 4:06 pm
Tomas frowned to himself as he stared at the ground between his feet. He hated it when people talked about him like that...and then he caused a scene.... he started to sigh, but it caught in his throat as he was started by someone behind him. "You shouldn't sweat the little things," a girl laughed quietly behind him. He turned, eyes fierce at first, his tongue already wanting to start as his words were thrown back at him, but he saw her face. There was no malice in her words. He took a breath and settled himself again as the fox sat on the bench next to him, so the little critter's head was level with his. His mouth quirked at her additional remarks. "I suppose that's true. Though, to tell the truth, I wasn't really paying attention to your ears when I saw you inside." He spoke the words not embarrassed, but straight-forward. He didn't mean anything by them, but as he held the bisquit i hand, he frowned as he realized what it must have sounded like he'd said. His face turned red. "I'm soryy, I- that is-" He sighed. He'd spoken without thinking again. He always acted like he did it on purpose,but it was a small act he did. It was bad enough he got into trouble for other reasons. A small sqeak, almost apologetic pulled his attentoin to the small rat near his feet. "Damnit," he said a little more loudly than he'd intended, "why the hell do you have to keep following me? Why don't you just leave?!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 9:06 pm
Ai laughed abit at the boys stuttering and decided to sit besides him. "It's alright, but I do think you have a bit of a rodent problem." She pointed at a new rat the scuttled along with the first. She noticed that he wasn't amused and actually became more frustrated. Ai actually felt sorry for him, this apparently had been happening to him for awhile.
Ai's ears tweeked abit before folding down as she stared at him with some concern. Koji on the other hand decided to get himself more comfortable by climbing on top of her head and falling alseep again. This lightened Ai's mood abit and she tried to get the younger nin out of his rut. "Well think of it this way! Things could be a lot worse if you had elephants that followed you! Then you would really make a scene!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:34 pm
"The worst part is that I can't find myself raising a hand against them. I want to kick them, scare them away, throw a knife and end it, but I can't." A lump threatened to tear a sob out from his frustration. He found it so easy to confide in this girl. It creeped him out, but it didn't seem to matter all of a sudden. He took a deep breath before his voice broke. He was shinobi; emotion was not a part of the immediate equation. He stilled his voice to the same levelness he'd used inside the cafe. "At least elephants would give me status. Rats only seem to creep people out." Tomas smiled mirthlessly. "You know what's truly ironic? My family's crest bear's the character for 'rat' in it. I'd never really payed much attention to it before." He fixed his eye on the rat, the same from the trail, the same from the cafe. He all but glared at it. "Leave me be, little one. I don't want your company right now." The rat squeaked, then dashed off into the tall grasses. "It isn't always easy to get rid of them. They always seem to come...regardless."
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:20 pm
Ai couldn't help but gentley smile as she listened to the boy's story. Maybe because he reminded her of herself in some far off way. "You know, it's not a weakness to appreciate life, even if that life is of a grose and dirty animal. And besides, not everyone is disgusted by rodents! I have a friend who has the same problem only with scorpians. And to say the least, I have a thing with foxs!" She pointed to her head where a little red fox snoozed unaware of the surroundings. "That's how I met this little guy!"
Ai could tell by the ninjas look that he still didn't feel much better. She sighed as she tried another approach to cheer the boy up. "Well it is obviouse that your family has some kind of conection with rats so I'ld ask your Grandfather about it, he seems smart enough! And lookie!" She pulled the end of her scarf and waved it in his face. "My clan's crest is of a fox eye! That's the reason I have ears and a tail and it's all because of that Goy-" Ai paused thinking that she had said to much about her clan and about the demon that possesed her. She remembered that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone about her being a demon's host. She quickly replied with a nervous laugh. "That wasn't inconspicuouse at all," she thought to herself.
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 11:40 pm
Oendai quirked a ghost of a smile. "Fat chance of discussing anything with Grandfather. He passed on four years ago come this Spring. I think Grandmother must know something, but she'll avoid the topic whenever possible." He took a deep breath and turned to regard the girl beside him. "I apologize for bringing you this trouble. It isn't a very good way for me to be representing my Village," as he said this, his right hand reflexively reached to touch the plate hanging across the shoulder of his left arm. It had been very cleverly sewed on at the ends, and into the canvas patching at the shoulders. Despite a few alterations to make his appearance more in style with the feel of Konoha, there were still significant portions of Owen's garb that went toward displaying his respect toward the Grass Village. And although he absorbed some of what he'd been consoled with from the girl, as if to prove he wasn;t alone with odd animal connections, Owen just sort of shook his head. Though he had to admit... "I guess you're right though. It could be worse; I could have scorpions. You're not from Konoha nor the Grass Village, I can twell that much. But you don't seem to have come too far a distance, either. May I ask which Village you come from?" Owen would much rather change topics anyway. He hated to bring too much focus to himself, and he'd been allowing too much indulgence today as it was. He'd just have to try and come to a middle ground with his...strange talents.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:45 pm
Ai paused for a second thinking about what he had just ask and suddenly lept up off of the seat. "Ack!" she cried. "I can't believe we have been talking and I was listening to your problems with out first giving my name!" She started to bow insainly fast as she spat out her rapid apology.
She suddenly stopped and stretch out her hand as her ears and tail stood straight up. "My name is Ai Uragiri, 16 years old and currently living in Akugakure! It is a pleasure to meet you!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 10:41 pm
Owen sweatdropped at the unexpected barrage of apology and hasty introduction. His face broke in a wide, nervous smile. "Uh, I'm not sure that was all necessary...really...." But it made Owen realize that he hadn't introduced himself at all, either. His smile became a wide grin. He raised a hand in casual greeting. "Ah, I'm Oendai Bankou, but 'Owen'll be fine. Fourteen, Konohagakure." He mused about something for a moment. "So, you're from the Dark Village, eh?" Visions of 'Dark' evil ninjas melting out of people's shadows played through his mind. "So, I'm sure you get this a lot but.... you're not 'evil' or anything are you?" He sweatdropped again. Like an 'evil' ninja would really say if they were 'evil' or not, right?
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