Starring:
Date: August 25, 2013
Summary:
Renai is in the marketplace and receives a strange envelope that sends her on a series of quests to experience Konoha, all at the whim of Miyo!
"Konoha Tour Guide"
Konoha Marketplace and Hotsprings (female section)
Rain. Thank god. Renai pauses in her walk to look about the market place. It's still busy despite the rain, it seems. Lunch time. The Kirigakure nin sighs contently and takes in the cool, moist air. It almost seems to revitalize the girl.
Her fingers move deftly around the handle of her umbrella, giving it a quick twirl. Water splashes carelessly off in every direction and a few people cry out in exasperation. She doesn't really seem to notice. Her eyes fall down to a list in her free hand. "Rice and…" Her voice trails off as she tips her head back to look at the stall signs. One step, two, and she steps up to a covered counter, lowering the umbrella as she converses with the owner.
The owner of the shop speaks with her, but after a moment, he reaches into a pocket and pulls out an envelope which he hands to her. "Here, this is for you." It seems a random gesture, one that someone like him may not do very often. However, the letter is sealed with a little pink heart. An admirer? Perhaps… She'd have to inspect it, if she wanted to find out what it truly contained. The shop owner, however, gives her a bit of a look, as if encouraging her to open it.
Renai accept the letter and looks down at the seal. Her eyebrows furrow. What in the world… The only letters she's received while in Konohagakure have been ones with the official seal of Kirigakure on them, usually implying a chore list.
The green-haired girl completes her transaction with him, placing the small sack of rice and a few sauces into a shopping bag she brought with her. Turning away from the stall, she lifts the umbrella back over her head and slips a thumbnail beneath the seal. She reads…?
The letter is written in a nice, flowing handstyle, which is obviously that of a girl, probably a young one too, judging by all the smiley faces and hearts and things punctuating it and taking up extra space. The letter itself reads: "So, you've met Mr. Mugi, he has the best rice in town! Guaranteed! However, if you really want to experience more of the better things Konoha has to offer, you should go visit Ms. Sakamoto, the veggie seller and ask her about her specialty. It's a stuffed pepper, probably some of the best you'll ever have. Oh, also, make sure you get two, because you'll need another for the next step in this tour!" The letter ends with a big happy face, and true enough, Ms. Sakamoto is off on the other side of the street, peddling her vegetables.
Renai lifts her head and looks to the veggie seller. What in the… She hesitates, looking back down to read over the letter again. Yeah, she's not dreaming. This is so strange.
Hoisting her bag on her shoulder and tucking the letter inside it, Renai walks tentatively over to the vendor. "Excuse me," Renai waits to be addressed before continuing, "I was informed that you have an excellent stuffed pepper…" She let the words hand in the air for a moment to gauge how the woman will respond.
The woman, Ms. Sakamoto, looks up, when Renai comes to her stall and greets her with a big smile. "Ah! Another one… But yes, I do. I have two of them prepared just for this occasion." She reaches down into the cart she has and opens a door, pulling out two stuffed peppers wrapped in a foil to keep them warm. But that is not all, she hands her another letter. "You can have those two, have a nice day."
Renai just stands there, holding the two peppers in bewilderment. She looks down to them, certain that this is some sort of genjutsu trick. After a long moment, she breaks from her trance and lifts a pepper to nose to sniff at it. Not bad. She places the pair in her bag in a manner that they won't get crushed.
The letter is held for a brief moment as she debates just laying it somewhere. This has got to be some mistake. Sighing, Renai slips her thumbnail beneath the seal to pop the missive open.
The letter is obviously written by the same person who wrote the last one, and reads: "Awesome! You're still with me… and I hope you enjoy that pepper! They are deeelicious! Anyway, I also hope you got two, because you'll need it for the next step. Nearby should be an Aburame, he is really easy to pick out. He has a cart where he sells sweets. He makes these super delicious honey-stuffed roasted apples. You'll need to get two again, however, he will also trae you two for the pepper, since he loves them so much!" As one would figure, the Aburame man was nearby, selling treats to a gaggle of kids, bouncing up and down as they recieved the delicious apples.
Her lips purse as she reads. Her head lifts to find the Aburame man. Brows furrowing, the Kirigakure genin sets her intent. Renai reaches into the bag and pulls out the peppers. She stalks over to him through a couple of rain puddles and sets them down with the letter, "Can you tell me what this is about?" Her arms cross over the handle of her umbrella and she looks fairly upset about the ordeal. She's even pouting! Her eyes set on the man, expecting a direct answer. Whether or not she'll get one, well…
The Aburame man looks at the two peppers and the letter placed on his cart and reaches down and pulls out two of his apples and hands them to her, as well as another letter. "You'll want to read this one…" He states in a somewhat awkward voice, as if he is not really comfortable talking to people, which might be the case with how bundled up her is, hiding away from the world! He does, however, take one of the peppers and unwraps it and begins eating it. "Thank you."
Renai blinks and looks at the letter. She's sighs softly and steps away, putting the two apples into her bag. She seems completely confused by the sequence of events. The letter isn't opened right away, but instead, Renai steps out into the street, looking around. She turns twice, trying to spot whoever is sending these. Seeing nothing of interest just yet, the girl finally gives in and breaks the seal…
"Hehe!" The letter begins, followed by a big smilie face. "I was getting a little worried that you wouldn't put up with me anymore! I'm just kidding though, I have no way to know! Hehe! Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering what is going on right now… well, you're a lucky winner, is all! A nice experience of Konoha awaits you. I mean, well, you should already be experiencing some of the best foods and treats that Konoha has to offer! Now that you've had a meal, and desert, it's time to relax. You should head over to the hotsprings. Someone will be waiting outside to show you in, because everyone knows that in Konoha, the hotsprings are the best!" The letter ends with a big heart.
Her head tips to the side as she reads. "A winner, eh?" She inhales deeply, shutting her eyes for a brief moment. Release all annoyance. Like that, she's fine. Renai tucks the letter into her bag and takes a glance to her list. Yep, she has everything.
Eager to figure out what this is all about, she takes off briskly toward the hot springs. She's trying to keep an open mind about it all. Maybe, she's getting a massage? Maybe her sensei is just playing tricks? He's been known to do that after all. She pauses once or twice to recall which direction she needs to go.
When Renai arrives at the hotsprings, there is really nothing abnormal about it, but, as indicated, there is someone there waiting. It's a young girl with long, ashen-colored hair, yellow eyes, and bright smile dressed in a long black robe. She is also holding a sign that says "Welcome winner!" With a big heart on it. It's… fairly obvious from the hand writing on the sign that she also wrote the letters. Despite her being prepared, she doesn't seem to realize who the winner was, and just smiles at everyone who passes, hoping that it might be them…. how long had she been standing there? How long WOULD she stand there, if she had to?
Renai walks in and pauses briefly. She looks a little out of place in her blue-gray uniform and militaristic appearance. Her eyes glance around to take in the sight of the place. Finally, she walks forward, pulling the letters from her bag. She stops in front of the girl with the sign and waves the letters a little. "Um, thanks? What is this about?" The Kirigakure genin seems rather too serious to be a "winner," but there's the letters… Her brown eyes lock onto the yellow orbs of the sign-holder, patiently awaiting a response.
Miyo's grin brightens even more when Renai approaches her and hands her the letters. "Ah! You must be the lucky winner today!" She flings the sign off to the side and it lands in a waste basket. "We have been giving out little tours of all the good things Konoha has to offer to all the foreigners!" She claps her hands together. "I hope you've enjoyed it so far… It smells like you have treats with you." She sniffs a couple times and then licks her lips. "If you share, I'll give you the tour of our famous hotsprings!"
"Hot springs?" Renai lifts a brow and concedes. She sets her umbrella off to the side and reaches into her bag to pull out the candy apples, offering one to the girl. She doesn't want to seem rude by refusing the sugar-filled treat so she keeps one, resolving to eat it before she leaves. Sugar… bane of existence.
"Famous? So I take it lots of people come by here?" She tucks her back up against her side and waits to be led around. Well, this isn't so bad…
"Mhm…" She nods and takes a big bite out of the apple, raising her fingers to her lips she makes a little squeal of delight at the wonderful, sugary taste and then licks her lips clean. "Ah! So good." She then looks back to Renai and grins. "My name is Uzumaki Miyo, and yes, this place gets a lot of traffic, but since you are the lucky winner, I've cleared us out some space so that we can relax in peace and you can enjoy the hotsprings without any disturbances. Truth be told, Miyo had merely gone in an announced that she'd be there, and that the others should leave. The others, some regulars, knew that Miyo was… rambunctious, at the best of times, and had decided to leave and return later when she would not be around instead of put up with her. "Anyway, let's go!" She leads her inside and past reception and ito the changing room.
Renai follows, just going with it. She never would have come here, otherwise. And a "hot" spring is something she's never actually experienced. Well, other than in endurance training. She sets her bag down and looks about in the changing area. It seems she didn't bring a bathing suit with her. A shoulder lifts in a shrug as she just simply strips down and grabs a towel, leaving her cloths neatly folded next to her bag.
"This is awfully nice. Thank you again." Wrapping the towel around herself, she follows, candy apple in hand and a few bites taken from it.
By the time Renai has stripped down and wrapped herself in a towel, Miyo is ready as well, her towel wrapped around her waist and her ridiculously long hair hanging lose. She still had a huge smile on her face, as well. "Alrighty, then!" She claps her hands again and gestures over towards the washing station. "They prefer if you clean up before getting into the hotsprings. It's a lot easier to keep them clean that way." Miyo wanders over, removes her towel, hangs it up, and plops down on a little stool and picks up a bucket full of water and dumps it on herself, before going about applying shampoo and soap to clean herself off while letting the bucket refill. "Do you like the apple?"
Renai pauses, looking away from the girl as she washes up for modesty's sake. She finishes the apple and looks for a place to throw away the core before returning. "Yeah, it's good. I normally don't eat that much sugar so it's a nice treat. Thanks!" Renai returns and hangs up her towel, following the girl's lead and dumping a bucket of water over her head. "I'm Touketsu Renai by the way. I don't think I introduced myself."
She briefly sniffs at the shampoo, before starting to massage it into her green hair. A quick wash and she moves to get a refilled bucket to rinse off with.
Miyo grins and giggles a bit when she informs her the apple was good. "I'm glad." She then tips her head in greeting once she introduces herself. "It's nice to meet you." Miyo runs her fingers through her hair, making sure she gets all of it nice and shampoo'd up. "My best friend has green hair like yours. It's really pretty."
Renai wiggles her fingers through her hair as she pours the water over her head, separating the strands so the soap is thoroughly rinsed out. She leans forward to refill her bucket so she can get the rest of the soap off of her body as she listens to the other girl. "Oh, really? I don't see it a lot. My natural color is a strawberry blonde-ish hue. I like this much better. One thing most people from our village have no appreciation for is color."
Miyo dumps a bucket of water over her head, rinsing a portion of the shampoo out, before refilling it. While waiting, she begins soaping herself up. "Ah, I think you'd make a pretty blond." Miyo gives her a big grin. "But you look nice with green hair too. I think Midori-chan's hair is a natural green… its pretty, but a bit weird." She looks over to her, then lifts her bucket and finishes cleaning herself off.
"Thanks," Renai listens as she lifts the bucket up and turns it over her head, letting the soap run off her body. "Natural? That's interesting." She smiles faintly and moves to get her towel, wrapping it around herself as she waits for her guide. "So do you do this a lot or just for the exams? It's a pretty interesting concept. I'm not sure that we have anything people would want to see really, except maybe our training. And maybe the graveyard." Morbid.
"Oh, I've done this for a few people… I think most of them are foreigners. Haha." She then shakes her head a little bit and stands up, taking her towel in her hand before turning to the pools. "Hum… I've done it mostly since the exams, I suppose. Not really any reason to any other time." She leads her over to one of the pools. "I imagine there are interesting things in your village. You just don't recognize them because you are always there." She then gestures to the pool. "This one is my favorite. I think it has the best temperature."
"Agreed. I'm sure someone might find the way we do things tourism-worthy." She moves to the indicated pool and pauses to dip a toe in. Not too hot. That's good. Renai lets her towel fall against the edge of the spring and cautiously makes her way into the water. She finds a seat and sits, seeming rather uncomfortable. Her eyes lower to the surface of the water, peering at it in astonishment, before finally settling. Her shoulders relax and she leans back against the wall. "Different…"
Miyo watches as Renai makes her way into the pool, keeping an analytical eye on her, making sure that everything goes perfectly! She gets a little worried when she seems unfomfortable, but she relaxes, and so does Miyo. "It definitely is different! It's really nice once you get used to it." Miyo then slips in next to her and plops down into the water. "Are you enjoying my tour so far?"
Renai emits a soft sigh as her body settles further, her head leaning back against the side of the spring. "I am. Thank you again." Her brown eyes turn to Miyo, regarding her with a rare smile. "Are these healing springs? Like you hear with minerals in the water?" A hand reaches up to pull her long hair over a shoulder, the green locks floating atop the water like little tendrils of seaweed.
Miyo lets out a long um at the qustion. "I'm… not sure? I suppose they are, a little. They always seem to help me recover aft er a long day of lots of work." She chuckles a little bit, noticing that Renai has suddenly started enjoying herself much more. "Im glad you're enjoying my tour. I keep working on making them bigger and better for everyone!"
Renai nods once and lets a few moments of silence fall between them. A grin sets itself upon her lips and she lays her head back, letting the water sink into her skin. It feels good regarless of the unusual heat; she is typically in either cold, damp or humid, hot conditions. The few days of "dry spring weather" completely dehydrated her skin.
Her voice lifts softly after a few moments to break the silence, "Uzumaki? Isn't that a clan?" She doesn't intend to inquire on all the clan secrets, but if so, she'll file it away for research.
Miyo snickers a bit. "It is! We are all over the place, apparently. I know a few here in Konoha, but there are a lot of them out there that I don't know." She raises her hands above the water and makes an encompasing gesture. "Apparently most of us are good with seals, or so my dad tells me. So, it's what we do." She then looks over at Renai. "What about you? Do you have a clan specialty?”
Renai opens her eyes and glances over to Miyo as she explains. "Touketsu.. yes. We're.. well, generalists. It's not actually a blood line, believe it or not." She pauses for a moment, not knowing if she should say anything else. "Just we're good at whatever we want to be good at." Renai nods. That's good and vague. Just how she likes it. "Do you have and kin in the exams that you know of?"
Miyo nods at the explanation. "That sounds nice. We don't have any special traits either, really… not that I know of, at least." She then ponders a moment. "Uhm, no, I don't think I do. I'm not sure if there are even any Uzumaki involved at all this year."
Renai sits up slowly, stretching her arms out over the surface of the water. She is actually starting to get a little to warm. "There aren't any Touketsu this year either." She rises up suddenly and moves around to the side of the spring to wrap her towel around herself. A look would reveal the reason why she hopped out so suddenly. Her skin is bright red, not burnt, just incredibly flushed all over. Renai sits on the edge and sticks her feet back in, taking a deep breath to hopefully get some cooler air into her body. "Maybe we can both apply in a few years and fight one another."
Renai sits up slowly, stretching her arms out over the surface of the water. She is actually starting to get a little to warm. "There aren't any Touketsu this year either." She rises up suddenly and moves around to the side of the spring to wrap her towel around herself. A look would reveal the reason why she hopped out so suddenly. Her skin is bright red, not burnt, just incredibly flushed all over. Renai sits on the edge and sticks her feet back in, taking a deep breath to hopefully get some cooler air into her body. "Maybe we can both apply in a few years and fight one another."
Miyo watches as Renai stretches out. She felt pleased that Renai was relaxing and such, but then she gets out, and Miyo catches a glimpse of her body, noticing her reddened skin. "Are you okay?" Miyo inquires, looking up at her from in the pool. She then turns around and slids up onto the edge of the pool with her before lying her towel across her lap. "You should probably be careful, or you might get a fever!" She seems really worried. "I didn't think it would be so bad!"
Renai can't help but giggle a bit at her tour guide's concern. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm just not as used to the heat. Kirigakure is usually rather cold compared to this place.. Or incredibly hot. It's just a different kind of heat though. The only 'springs' we have are ice cold." She rubs gently at her arms to encourage normal blood flow. "I'll be alright. I'm just a little flushed is all."
"That's not good though!" Miyo cautions as Renai states she is just flushed. "If your body is not used to it, it could cause a lot of trouble! We should get you home or something.. so you can rest and get comfortable again.!" Miyo turns to her, an expression of truth concern for her wellbeing written across her face. "We must!"
Renai reaches over and puts a rather warm hand on the girl's shoulder. "Miyo, I'm alright. If I can't take a little heat, how can I call myself a genin of Kirigakure?" Renai rises to her feet with a confident smile. She stands straight and tall, definitely proud. "Thank you again. I may come back later and try to sit longer." Her eyes turn to the spring. "It's a new challenge for me to work on while I'm here. I have to make my body adapt. Thanks."
Miyo smiles as Renai puts her hand on her shoulder and watches as she rises, and snickers at her comments. "You know, you look like a tomato. With green leaves!" She giggles a bunch and stands up as well, holding onto her towel so she doesnt accidently drop it into the water. "Well, if you ever want another tour, you just let me know! I need to keep practicing!"
Renai's face flushes again as she's compared to a tomato. She grins and gives the other girl a polite bow, clutching her towel around her body. "Thank you, Miyo. I'll make sure to drop by sometime for a visit. Maybe one day you can show me something I've not seen again. Till next time!" With that she turns and makes her way back to her clothes, craving any form of cold, fresh air.
