Dreaming Small Dreams [Open]

[Shinrya Riko]

Another day in the academy. Watanabe Ai had spent most of the day in class, but today she couldn’t help but gaze out the window with a blank expression. There was just something melancholy about everything. She couldn’t quite pin down the source of that feeling. Classes came and went and finally she was dismissed by the bell. She went back to the track for some extra practice but her heart just really wasn’t in it today. Finally she found a shady spot that had a bench and set down outside of the school. The shadow of the waning sun cast upon her from the walls of the school. Ah.. Thats when she remembered. Today was her birthday.

She briefly remembered all the spent birthdays of years past and couldn’t help but remember the wonderful parties. The activities like apple dunking and gold fish scooping. She smiled briefly as she recalled her father… Ah… thats it. They were all dead now. In her mind’s eye she watched the people of her hometown vanish one by one until it was just her brother. Such a dutiful man. He was working his hardest and didn’t have time for her birthday. She hadn’t really made a lot of friends in Cloud either, so she was really beginning to doubt if she would be able to pass the loyalty test for the genin exam.

Did that mean that all of this time she had just been training to be a killer for no reason? What’s more...she had been training to be a killer this whole time! To take lives… just like those bandits had - but not for gain. Yes. That was the difference. She had trained hands and this wasn’t for gain, it was simply so that she could protect the things she loved. She thought back to her chance encounter with Tatsuo and couldn’t help but think about possibly becoming a medic instead. His brief bout with her had piqued her interest as he demonstrated what jutsu could do on joints of a big girl like her.

She hadn’t been expecting presents or anything of the sort. Its just that she didn’t think she would feel this lonely not having someoen to spend the day with. She leaned back on the bench and looked over the field of the school. She missed her family and her friends back in the south, but that place didn’t exist anymore. She cupped her hands and placed them over her face as she tried to focus instead on what she wanted for the future.

To defend the weak? She didn’t have a reason like that to go on… it was more like, revenge on those bandits. Hmm… Maybe that was too much of a dream to accomplish.

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

Re: Dreaming Small Dreams [Open] - Doi

Akimitsu Doi sighed and stretched his arms out to the side as he left the academy building. He had just finished another day of classes and was feeling a bit tired. Doi usually would've left the school premises as soon as the bell rang, as per his routine, but he hadn't today. He had some questions to ask his teacher that pertained to the day's history lecture.

After clearing up some of his most important questions with his teacher, Doi made to leave the academy. He didn't have any plans for the day, so Doi was debating between getting some more training in or going home to take a nice nap and relax for the rest of the day. His parents wouldn't be home until late at night, so that left him plenty of undisturbed and much-desired sleeping time. On the other hand, if he did decide to squeeze in some more training today, he wouldn't have to worry about getting home before it got dark for the same reason. Doi scratched his head in thought, he figured that there really wasn't anything stopping him from combining both options. He could make it work by taking a small nap prior to training, and then going home immediately afterward.

Now the question that remained was where exactly Doi was going to nap. The academy is closer to his usual training spot than his home is, making napping at home and heading to the training field afterward very tedious in his mind. The best solution he had to his little predicament was to find a comfortable resting spot around the academy. Doi figured he could nap under the shade on one of the benches around the outside of the academy.As such, Doi began walking around in search of a bench in the ideal location to nap.

Doi's search of a pristine resting site led him to the academy's field where he finally saw the perfect spot. The only problem was someone had already gotten to the bench before he had. There was a younger girl sitting on the aforementioned bench under the shade. His first thought was to turn around and look for another spot, but Doi noticed something unsual about the child in question. It was fairly common to see students staying behind to train in the academy's field on their own but the girl wasn't training and something was seemingly troubling her. Doi usually wasn't one to intrude, but he figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to at least check on the younger child before he continued his search. Doi made his way towards the bench where the girl was seated and greeted the girl upon arriving at the bench.

"Um...Hello, is everything alright?"

 

[Shinrya Riko]

"Um...Hello, is everything alright?"

Ai was pulled out of her stupor of thought by the appearance of another student. Creamy chocolate like skin. His hair was white like snow with eyes that were bright despite their cloudy grey color. He wore a concerned expression. Ai brought a smile to her face, feeling a wave of embarrassment in her chest at suddenly being the center of attention. ”H-Howdy!” She shook her head and stood up, the extending the fullness of her own height. The girl, who may have seemed smaller sitting down was actually surpassing six feet in height when she was fully standing. She looked down at the concerned young man, with a deepening rose color to her face as she gave a shallow bow to him. ”Ahm fine, Ahm sorry to have worried you.” She lowered her eyes so that she gazed at the pavement in front of her instead of the shorter boy’s eyes. She didn’t know what to say and let the awkwardness stand in the air between the pair until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

”Actually...” She felt her sense of loneliness was overpowering her fear of rejection. ”Ah was wonderin’ if yah would like to come to mah birthday party today.” Her southern Lightning Country accent was lathered on her words. She decided to lift her eyes up to meet those friendly eyes of his. It gave her the feeling that he couldn’t possibly say no. Besides… the more she looked at him, didn’t he look like one of the boys in class? She was pretty sure that she had seen him around the academy before. ”Say.” She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. ”Aren’t ya in class 213-B ?” She thought about someone with a similar appearance she had seen enter that classroom before. ”Yer a second year right?” She hoped to confirm her suspicion that she had seen him around the academy somewhere… then again maybe she hadn’t. The academy could be a big place when one wanted it to after all.

She held her hands in front of her in a girlish manner as she waited for his answers.

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

Doi smiled as he watched the short haired girl nervously return his greeting. She didn't look much taller than him while sitting on the bench, but he soon realized that wasn't the case when she stood up. Doi wasn't very self-conscious when it came to his height, but she did make him feel a bit small. He wasn't used to seeing someone younger than him being so much taller than he was. The tall girl in question bowed and apologized for worrying him. Doi could tell she was from the southern parts of Lightning Country from her accent. It was very noticeable, and Doi found that rather amusing.

"It's alright, don't worry about it."

She wouldn't look him in the eye, so Doi wasn't sure if his presence was making her uncomfortable. A few moments passed by in an awkward silence with neither one of the two saying anything. Doi didn't want to pester her any further if she didn't feel like talking to a stranger. He accomplished his task of making sure she was doing well, and thus Doi had his mind set on parting ways and continuing his search. He was about to say goodbye when the girl suddenly broke the silence.

It appeared that today was the girl's birthday and she wanted to invite him to her birthday party. Doi didn't show it externally, but he was quite surprised by the sudden invitation. The boy was sure he hadn't met her before, and he doubted she knew who he was. Even so, he didn't really have any plans for the day, and he really wouldn't mind taking part in a birthday celebration. Doi smiled at the girl and congratulated her before graciously accepting the invitation. "Happy birthday!" he said. "I'd love to come to your birthday party, thanks for inviting me."

She then hesitantly asked him if he was in class 213-B to which he shook his head in reply. "I'm Doi from class 314-C actually," he responded, "I'm a 3rd year."

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Nice ta meetcha! She bowed deeply to Doi. ”Mah name is Watanbe Ai.” she introduced herself to Doi. ”Ahm a first year. Don’t mind how tall Ah am. Pa used to say we was related to Akimichi’s in leaf or sumpin’.” Doi had agreed to come to her party but the truth was that she didn’t have any kind of birthday party planned. Well if she hadn’t planned it and her brother didn’t plan it then no one had planned it considering that she didn’t have any friends or family here. But since he had agreed to join her for an impromptu party she began to think about what would make a good party. She tapped her temple once, and then twice, but failing that she couldn’t come up with any useful ideas.

”Well-- Ah am happy that ya are gonna celebrate with me but now we have ta think about what we should do for the party? What do ya think? Have any fancy thoughts about what we could do?” She brushed her hair behind her ears as she continued to think about where they could go. ”Ah well ah don’t got any ideas. Maybe we could just hang around here for the day. Seems about as good as anything else to me.” She gave a sigh. And then looked up at Doi with a smile on her face. She sat down and then patted the bench seat next to her.

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

Doi sat down on the bench next to Ai and began to ponder over possible ways to celebrate. He'd originally thought that Ai already had plans when she invited him, but Doi didn't mind coming up with something to do.Ai suggested staying where they were but Doi wasn't too sure about that idea. It was nice and quiet where they currently were but he felt that celebrations should involve some sort of fun activity. Besides, they'd been at the academy all day. Why stay there longer than you absolutely needed to?

Doi briefly considered pulling pranks as an option, but he wasn't sure how open Ai would be to it. Not everyone found pranks as fun as he and his friends did. He began to rack his brain but ultimately gave up for the time being. There really wasn't a need to rush, after all, it wasn't like they were short on time. The day was still young, so they had some time before it got dark. Something to do would pop up eventually.

"We could walk around for a bit until we figure out what we want to do." Doi said as he got up from where he was seated to stand in front of Ai."We could always come back here if we don't find something fun to do," he said enthusiastically.

"So, what do you say?"

They really could just stay there if Ai wanted to. It was her birthday, so the decision was ultimately hers to make.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

The tall girl glanced over her shoulder at the companion she had coerced into her birthday plans try as he might to come up with an idea for what she should do for her birthday today. She was sure that he would have an idea and ultimately his answer wasn’t what she had been expected. “We could walk around for a bit until we figure out what we want to do.” Doi stood up and stood in front of her. “We could always come back here if we don't find something fun to do” His voice was dripping with enthusiasm. "So, what do you say?"

Ai pressed a finger to her lips as she considered the proposition. Well. In the end it did seem like a better idea than just hanging around the school all day. She slapped her thighs and stood up to her full height looking down at her senior. ”Sounds good Ah guess.” There wasn’t really any other options at the moment so it was about as good of an idea as any. ”Lets go that way.” She spun around in place and then pointed in a random direction. It was heading back the way Doi had come originally. Oh well. She began to walk, pausing briefly to look over her shoulder to make sure Doi was following her.

”Doi-san, when did ya decide to be a Shinobi?” Ai brushed her hair behind her ears once Doi caught up and would began to just walk in small steps so as to not outpace him again. ”Ah was just curious how big yer dreams are. Ah think my dreams are pretty small. It makes me jealous of you hotblooded types that want to take on the world. Although it does scare me a bit.”

 

[Samsara Saito]

Samsara Saito had just been dismissed from his first Academy orientation class, his step light as his head swirled with new feelings, new hopes, new desires. A resident of Kumogakure for not even a whole week yet and he had already absorbed so much! Upon first arrival, the Academy did seem somewhat intimidating; he stood alone amongst the group of new students, and while the school's instructors warmly and dutifully assisted him with any necessary paperwork and classroom assignments, he hadn't really spoken with any other people his age, which... honestly, was not terribly unlike the young boy.

Even from his early days in the monastery, the young Saito found himself disliked by most of his peers. The boy radiated warmth, intelligence, and positive energy, which would initially attract attention from everyone around him; but he preferred his solitude over social interaction with his peers, and would always come to favor books over real people eventually. Such preference for his own company and the company of paper products often read as disdain to his peers, which rarely sat well with those who wished to follow him or incorporate him into their group somehow. A few incidents of being beaten up by groups of other boys in his monastery made Saito come face-to-face with either being more social and engaging, or withdrawing and being very careful about showing his light. While in the monastery, he eventually chose withdrawal, spending whatever time he wasn't attending to his duties either in the library or in the woods reading or training, alone.

Upon arrival at Kumogakure, Saito resolved to change all of that. He knew that all of his peers in the Academy today would be the people upon whom his life would depend in the future. It would do to put the extra effort into making friends here, taking care to forge the bonds of loyalty and camaraderie that would last until death. He knew that intellectually, but... had some trouble putting smarts into action.

Besides... Saito realized, thinking back to the orientation class and all of the new young students there. A lot of the other kids there were alone, too.

And he was right. For any number of reasons, a lot of Academy students his age group stood apart from the few groups of students who knew each other. Some seemed to handle it better than others; some looked surly, others looked placid, still others looked eager to socialize and make friends. Saito... decided to ease into the whole friendmaking thing at his own pace. Too many people in the room, too many things happening, too much to keep his eye on... Too troublesome, he thought to himself, already relieved at having made the decision to wait to meet people. I'll make friends! Just... when fewer people are around. Yeah. He nodded to himself determinedly, ready to make new friends at some point... just not right now.

Having set his mind to it, Saito left the classroom, intent on doing something social on his terms. There had to be smaller groups of students somewhere around the school. He would just find one, introduce himself, and hope he chose correctly. I don't need to be afraid, because there's nothing to it but to do it!

...where did THAT saying come from?

Saito exited the school and looked around. Not as many as I'd have thought... he said to himself as he looked around to a largely empty area, already giving himself excuses to just go back home -- or, even better, to go to the library!

No such luck, as turning toward what looked like would be an amazing resting spot -- a bench in a sweet little shady spot just outside the Academy -- found him walking directly toward Ai and Doi. They were actually just about to walk into interaction range, close enough that he didn't have enough time to really calculate what he was going to say... and now, not talking to them, at least to greet them, might even perhaps be insulting! Immediately Saito began to panic in his mind. I just got here and I'm already about to insult people! What should I say? OH NO I JUST MADE EYE CONTACT! he thought, just as he did so with Doi and Ai, earlier than expected. Ummm, ahhh, he looks older than me, but ahhhghhh age doesn't matter, what year is he? And she is... SOOO TALL!!!

Saito's sheer fascination with her height swept away his concerns about the encounter; I've gotta meet them now at least, because she has GOTTA be cool.

He looked in many ways like a smaller version of Doi: about 4'6" -- or about 137 centimeters -- tall, dark brown skin and a shock of straight, unruly white hair, though where Doi's eyes lacked color Saito's were a shifting blue-green. He wears a a medium-green, medium-length coat to keep him warm, unbuttoned and open in front to show a dark-colored hoodie and even darker, relatively loose pants over a lean frame. Having made the decision to greet them, he simply does what comes naturally: when within interaction range, he smiles warmly, and lets his warmth and honesty radiate.

"Hi there," he says brightly, with polite, proper bows to Ai and Doi when a break in their conversation permits. "I'm Samsara Saito, and this is my first day! Just had my orientation. I'm trying to make friends! Would you like to hang out?"

When in doubt... just go with blunt honesty, his father once told him with a sly grin during a long day without Mom in the caves. Gets 'em everytime, if you do it right.


Samsara Saito has entered the thread

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

The white-haired boy briefly paused before continuing to walk alongside Ai. Ai's questions seemed simple enough to answer, but it did make Doi reflect on his motivations. Doi has wanted to be a shinobi for as long as he could remember; in fact, he was sure there wasn't a point in time where he didn't want to be a shinobi. No other profession was as appealing as being a shinobi in his eyes. It's possible that his mother being a shinobi was what initiated his interest in this way of life.

"I'm not too sure when it was that I decided to follow this career path to be honest," Doi said as he walked. "My mother has been a shinobi since way before I was born, so I guess she's what inspired me." Doi turned his head to the side as he continued walking alongside Ai, watching as a small bird hopped around in the grass. "As for my dreams," he started once again as he turned his attention back to Ai,"I'd say they aren't that big. I just want to be a strong ninja and be of great use to the village." Doi's thoughts then turned to all the strong Kumogakure ninja he'd met through his Jonin mother. He didn't seek to be the Raikage or to hold a high social standing, but he did want to be able hold his own against Kumo's strongest. "Don't worry about how small your dreams are currently," he assured Ai. "Even if your dreams are small now, they'll blossom into something much larger in no time."

Now looking straight ahead, Doi noticed a boy that seemed to be around Ai's age looking in their direction. Once Doi and Ai had gotten close enough, the younger boy greeted them. He introduced himself as Samsara Saito, a new student trying to make some friends and asked them they'd like to hangout."Nice to meet you, Saito-" Doi said as he started introducing himself,"I'm Doi." He then waited for Ai to introduce herself.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

"I'm not too sure when it was that I decided to follow this career path to be honest," Doi stepped along side her as he then continued to explain that his mother had also been a shinobi. He explained that his dream was just to be a strong shinobi. Ai chuckled at that. "Don't worry about how small your dreams are currently," he continued.. "Even if your dreams are small now, they'll blossom into something much larger in no time."

Ai looked down on Doi with a skeptical look. ”Ah actually like things rather small.” She patted Doi’s head. ”Heh, don’t encourage me to get bigger, or Ah just might I reckon.” After all the same thing happened with her Father. He had always encouraged her to get taller and seemed thrilled that she sprouted as tall as she was at present. She was startled at the bright young fellow who then immediately stepped into their conversation. He introduced himself and asked if they wanted to be friends. Ai rubbed the side of her face as she wondered if making friends was really that simple.

Doi was the first to return the greeting and he then seemed to look over at Ai waiting for her to introduce herself as well. “Ahm Watanabe Ai.” She returned Saito’s bow since he had deemed to bow to her so she thought she would try to be as respectful. Inwardly she did feel like despite his words of friendship such honorifics kind of put some distance between them - but still...what was she supposed to expect from a complete stranger?

”Ahm a first year too!” She announced to Saito. ”What class are ya in?” Ai walked over and gave a big ol’ country sized pat on Saito’s shoulder.

 

[Samsara Saito]

Whelp, honorifics are clearly out... was Saito's first thought upon meeting them. Doi was about as confident and chill as Saito would've expected an older student to be. Straight to first names, and no return bow as such extras weren't necessary... an informality communicated through words and body language. He's so cool, Saito thought admiringly, and knew that the only way to get cool people to respect you is to be just as calm and confident.

Ai wasn't "cool" like Doi, she let him know right up front. But her open and friendly manner further lifted Saito's spirits, made his own smile grow in size to match her country-sized pat on his shoulder. I'm not too cool either, Saito thought to himself as, within a moment of seeing Ai's hand coming down at him, he took that split second to decide not to dodge it and beamed his smile up at her instead. "Actually I still have to check my paperwork? I think it has a C in it?" He frowns for a moment, and then laughs at himself without any trace of self-consciousness. "I guess I should figure that out!" Blue-green eyes twinkle with an innate joy as he slides his hands up behind his head.

I doubt this whole walking up to people and being bluntly honest thing will work ALL the time, but it's working now! Thanks, Dad!

"Nice to meet you Doi, Ai! So what's up?"

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

Doi watched on as the two younger academy students interacted with one another. It seemed like Saito was slightly taken a back by Ai's friendly gestures, but didn't mind at all. They'd found out that Saito was a first-year student just like Ai thanks to Ai's inquiry. Doi wouldn't admit it, but he felt a bit out of place being a 3rd year amongst first year students. They looked like they were only 4 years younger than he was, yet he felt like the adult. All this despite only being 12 and being the 2nd tallest amongst the three.

It looked like the two younger kids were getting along, and Doi thought that was a great thing. Both Ai and Saito would benefit greatly from a mutual friendship. They were both first years after all, and they both seemed like they were a little lonely. It was Saito's first day so it wasn't too surprising that the boy hadn't made any friends yet. Ai just seemed like she wanted to make friends, but something was keeping her from doing so. Doi smiled as he addressed the younger child's question. "We were actually looking for something to do," he said. "Want to come along?"

Doi doubted Ai would mind Saito joining them in their little search. Birthday celebrations usually involved a gathering of a few people, so the more the merrier. The question of what exactly they'd be doing still remained. There'd be three minds thinking instead of just two if Saito accepted his invitation, though.

WC

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[Shinrya Riko]

Saito thought to himself as, within a moment of seeing Ai's hand coming down at him, he took that split second to decide not to dodge it and beamed his smile up at her instead. "Actually I still have to check my paperwork? I think it has a C in it?" He frowns for a moment, and then laughs at himself without any trace of self-consciousness. "I guess I should figure that out!" Blue-green eyes twinkle with an innate joy as he slides his hands up behind his head.

Saito seemed to be a person who was full of energy and was bubbling over with happiness. The friendliness really felt like it was oozing all over the place. Ai chuckled nervously at his answer as she was becoming a little uncomfortable with how Saito was acting. She was used to more...conservative type behavior? Well then again not even conservative by Cloud's standards. It just served to remind her that she wasn't on the farm anymore. ”Ah guess so...” Ai rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Nice to meet you Doi, Ai! So what's up?"

Ai looked over at Doi before she thought to speak, and rightly so, as she made eye contact for a brief moment he proceeded with explaining the current situation to the newcomer.

. "We were actually looking for something to do," he said. "Want to come along?"

Well she didn’t really have any objections. Even if Saito was oddly happy, at least he was friendly. It would be a different story if he had some kind of attitude problem. ”Yeah, why don’t ya come with us?” Ai reinforced Doi’s invite. She of course had no idea where they were planning on going though. Which now brought things to full circle. She tapped her foot and folder her arms as her eyes glazed over in thought. What did she even want to do to celebrate the day? Back on the farm they’d eat one of the cattle and invite everybody over. Then again… it seemed that that small farm town just wanted an excuse to have a feast.

”Hmm...Yah know where we could find some cattle round these parts?” She asked absently, thinking that maybe having a boar on a spit over a bonfire sounded pretty good right now. Actually basically anything sounded pretty good, but she could only imagine the things she knew from back home. ”Ah don’t see a lot of animals round here.” She frowned slightly as she considered how there probably wasn’t room for livestock to graze here in the village.

 

[Samsara Saito]

"Sure, I'll come," Saito responded to them both, his world still humming with the satisfaction of having accomplished his social goals. He smiles warmly, before the smile becomes replaced with a bit of a frown as he furrows his brow in consideration. "Cattle?"

Wait... didn't I just read something about this? When was that... he quietly ponders, silent for a moment in contemplation... before he suddenly brightens and snaps his fingers, having just thought of something.

"If you want to see farms and farm animals there are always the lowlands -- the De Cevitate Attonbitus region? There's plenty of livestock out there, the land is flat and fertile. Lots of farmers and farms! I don't know how much beef the Cloud exports though, it might be just sheep and dromedaries... I've never visited, but I read about it in a book the other day." He shrugs, with a smile and upnod to Ai. "We could ask around, and find some cattle! There's probably at least one cow farm..."

Apparently reading those books on the geography and economics of the region helped him out more than he thought! Naturally the Lightning's major exports had to do with minerals, given its location in the mountains, but it certainly exported a certain amount of agriculture too.

"Maybe some farmer needs some work done out there and we can help? That might be something to do... though I'm just pitching ideas, feel free to go a different direction," the shortest one of the group finishes, looking at one then the other for their thoughts.

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

”Hmm...Yah know where we could find some cattle round these parts?”

Doi raised a single eyebrow at Ai's sudden mention of cattle. He was curious what it was that Ai had in mind; especially because it involved cattle. Cattle weren't something you'd find anywhere near this part of the village. In fact, Doi wasn't sure where too sure where to find cattle in the village at all. It was a good thing that Saito did seem to know where to find cattle. The younger boy explained how he'd read about the fertile De Cevitate Attonbitus region in some book. The boy thought it was very likely that they'd find some sort of farm in that region that had cattle.

"Maybe some farmer needs some work done out there and we can help? That might be something to do... though I'm just pitching ideas, feel free to go a different direction,"

Doi frowned a bit when Saito suggested working as a possible activity for them to partake in. Doi certainly didn't consider work as his idea of a fun time, but it was still a viable option, nonetheless. "I don't know about working," Doi said as he moved to put his hands in his pockets. "That doesn't seem like a very fun way to spend a birthday to be honest."

The Vespasian Colosseum seemed like a slightly more suitable location for the group. There was always strong shinobi training there, so they could try spectating. They might stumble upon some other sort of event there if they're lucky. "We could try the colosseum. There's usually some kind of spectacle going on there."

It was all still up to Ai, as it was her birthday. There was still the possibility that she would want to pursue the idea of finding cattle. Doi would tag along either way.

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[Shinrya Riko]

"Sure, I'll come," Saito responded to them both, his world still humming with the satisfaction of having accomplished his social goals. He smiles warmly, before the smile becomes replaced with a bit of a frown as he furrows his brow in consideration. "Cattle?"

”Ya know...like cows?” Ai cocked an eyebrow at Saito. Who didn’t know what cattle were? Everybody knew what cows were right? Right?

"If you want to see farms and farm animals there are always the lowlands -- the De Cevitate Attonbitus region? There's plenty of livestock out there, the land is flat and fertile. Lots of farmers and farms! I don't know how much beef the Cloud exports though, it might be just sheep and dromedaries... I've never visited, but I read about it in a book the other day." He shrugs, with a smile and upnod to Ai. "We could ask around, and find some cattle! There's probably at least one cow farm..."

Apparently reading those books on the geography and economics of the region helped him out more than he thought! Naturally the Lightning's major exports had to do with minerals, given its location in the mountains, but it certainly exported a certain amount of agriculture too.

"Maybe some farmer needs some work done out there and we can help? That might be something to do... though I'm just pitching ideas, feel free to go a different direction," the shortest one of the group finishes, looking at one then the other for their thoughts.

Ai brushed her hair behind her ears as she gave her response to Saito. ”Now ya seem like a reliable fella with that info in yer brain-case. Ah don’t think anybody gots the time to go to all the way out yonder and back again. Its still a school night ya know?”She shrugged her shoulders.

Doi frowned a bit when Saito suggested working as a possible activity for them to partake in. Doi certainly didn't consider work as his idea of a fun time, but it was still a viable option, nonetheless. "I don't know about working," Doi said as he moved to put his hands in his pockets. "That doesn't seem like a very fun way to spend a birthday to be honest."

”Gotta agree with Doi. I was just thinking that maybe we could get some beef ya know? Seems like that ain’t happenin’ so I ain’t about to go outta my way to do somethin’ like that.” She folded her arms as she thought further on what exactly they should do now that she was shutting down all the ideas that had been presented so far. She tapped her lips thoughtfully when Doi provided a solution.

The Vespasian Colosseum seemed like a slightly more suitable location for the group. There was always strong shinobi training there, so they could try spectating. They might stumble upon some other sort of event there if they're lucky. "We could try the colosseum. There's usually some kind of spectacle going on there."

”Now that.” She started pointing at Doi with a stern face. ”Is a great idea.” She grinned from ear to ear. ”Yah know I think we have a winner. Lets go check it out. I ain’t never been down there before. Oi, Doi, ya know how to get there don’t cha?” She slapped Doi on the shoulder affectionately. ”I ain’t from around these parts ya remember? Ah’d appreciate it if ya could be so kind as ta show us the way.” She glanced over at Saito as well. ”’course yer comin’ too right? We’re about ta have a party after all.”

Ai briefly dreamed about who would be fighting in the coluseum. Would it be two great shinobi? Or maybe just two huge guys punching each other. Heh. It would be awesome regardless. She could watch someone with some real talent and skill battling it out. She started dragging both Doi and Saito, heading in the wrong direction.

”All right slow pokes. Lets go!”

[exit]

 

[Samsara Saito]

"Uhh -- yeah, agreed, your idea wins, Doi," Saito laughs after Ai decidedly chooses the Vespasian Colosseum over the De Cevitate Attonbitus region. Laboring in the fields versus watching warriors fight... and on Ai's birthday, no less! Thoughts of a day working with farm animals and enjoying a nice, well-earned roast over an open flame after sunset disappeared from his mind, replaced with the ringing of metal striking against aggressive metal, shinobi versus shinobi, incredible jutsu and strategies, the sounds of battle on the shifting sands of the arena.... One could spend a day doing less fun things than watching battles at the arena. Things like working in a field all day for instance, the 9-year old thought to himself with an inward laugh.

"Happy birthday, Ai!" Saito chimes with the followup, having not realized the special occasion until Doi just mentioned it. "I didn't know! Let's... do a nice beef birthday dinner after the Colosseum? I read about an old restaurant in the Suskino District that's been there for ages and is known for its beef... We can skip the cattle part and go straight to the eating part!"

Saito allows himself to be brought along -- until he notices that they're heading in the wrong direction for the Colosseum. "Hey, wait -- isn't it that way?" the boy questions, haplessly pointing down another street while being dragged in almost the opposite way. Sugoi... he thought quietly, as hefting along both himself and Doi seemed to be no problem for the tall kunoichi-in-training.

[Samsara Saito exits the thread]


Thanks for the RP! ^^

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

Ai happily agreed to follow Doi's idea of heading to the colosseum and proceed to drag both him and Saito away. This proved she wasn't familiar with the area because she was dragging them in the wrong direction. "Uh... we're going in the wrong direction, Ai." It didn't seem like Ai had heard him, so Doi made sure to plant his feet on the ground as hard as he could. She'd have trouble dragging them that way. Doi was sure he'd be able to get her attention if he did so. His plan didn't work, though. It seemed like Ai was far too caught up in her thoughts to even notice the increase in friction. What ever it was that she was thinking about must've been amazing if it managed to disconnect her from the outside world.

Doi sighed and stopped trying to dig his feet into the ground. He'd realized that his efforts were futile. They were still being dragged in the opposite direction of the colosseum, but it didn't really matter. Ai should wake up from her day dream eventually.

At least, Doi really hoped she would.

Once he'd given up, the whitehaired academy student's thoughts turned to the colosseum once more. It really was a cool place to spend a birthday. Maybe he'd see someone else he knew there. The more people that they manage to gather for Ai's birthday the better, right? Maybe he'd make a few stops along the way and invite more people that way.

WC:250

[EXIT]