Looking for Something [Renjaa/open]

[Hoshirei]

Frustration was just the tip of what Mio was feeling right about now. Six stores, six! and she has yet to find what she was looking for. Sure, she had found some cute things that looked good on her, but nothing was calling her name. There was a reason she hated shopping. Either nothing seemed to fit her, or something was cute on the hanger and looked terrible on her. She sighed and leaned up against the wall of the store she just exited. Seriously though, how hard could it be to find a shirt that would show off her new tattoo?

Mio watched the busy shoppers go by with a soft look. How carefree they all seemed to be. If only they knew that monsters dwelt in their midst. During the past few months, she had gotten rather curious. While there were few people in the R&D department, she had taken a DNA test and was less than surprised to find the results. However, now that she knew, she could better understand her varying homicidal moods. After understanding what she was, came the knowledge of how to control herself and her reactions to things. Oh, and the excessive amounts of therapy helped as well.

It was her first full day out of the make-shift hospital in a long time, and she felt like a new person. Part of why she was so frustrated was because she hadn't seen Saemon in a while, and she wanted to look good once she found him, wherever he was. Confidence back up, she put her game face on and headed into the next store.

 

[Yamazaki Chizuru]

Speaking of monsters...as Mio made her way through the shopping district she'd run into the Yamazaki's own Chizuru and Sunako. The pair were out on a shopping spree of their own, though it was more or less an excuse for Chizuru to dress Sunako up in a number of various outfits. The short 4'3” tall Chizuru was dressed in white and red (nearly pink) outfit that had a shorte hemline that was above the knees but her legs were covered with white stockings that went down to meet her cute pair of mary-jane style shoes. Her earrings and choker sported crosses and in her hair was a red hairband that sported to large bows on either side. Chizuru had her hair straight and just let it all hang out like a cape draping down her back.

“Excuse me, madam.” She'd say to Mio after nearly bowling the woman over...or rather nearly getting bowled over.

In the process of bumping into Mio, the overly excited med nin would drop the bag she had in her hand and plop down onto her rear end. She looks up at Mio with such an apologetic look on her face.

Spoiler

 

[Hoshirei]

Mio felt someone run into her and immediately bent down in her heels to help the girl with her bags. She somewhat recognized the sound of the girl's voice, and looking up, recognized her from someone she'd seen out the corner of her eyes.
"Hello, young one. I'm sorry for running into you. I'm rather distracted. I can't seem to find anything I like today."
As soon as the bag was cleaned up, she reached out a hand to help the girl up.
"I have a new piece of artwork that I would like to show off, but can't seem to find anything. The name's Mio, Wakahisa Mio. What's yours?" she asked them with a soft smile, her bright blue eyes shining gently.
The over jacket she had on came off and Mio swept her hair over one shoulder in case they asked about the art work.

(((ugh, short post)))

 

[Kiriyama Sadako]

Sunako would become distracted as she walked along the Golden Crystal District with Chizuru, finding herself standing in front of an electronics store display. Like a little kid she would press her hands and face against the glass, marveling at the neat equipment and items on display, not paying attention that Chizuru was leaving her. The woman could sometimes have a pretty short attention span, especially when technology was involved, giggling softly as she spotted something she liked. "Hey Chizuru! Let's go..." She would blink a few times in confusion as she saw that the girl was further away now, and apparently having been knocked over by another person. Forgetting the store she would hurry over, smiling as she saw that Mio seemed to be a pretty nice person,or at the very least she wasn't yelling at Chizuru.

"You should watch where yer goin', lil bit!" She would laugh as she moved to stop next to the younger girl, a hand moving to pat her on the shoulder. "You ok? Ain't hurt nothin' didja?" She would ask before looking towards Mio, overhearing the woman introducing herself. "Nice to meetcha. The name's Yamazaki Sunako and this here's Chizuru. Say Hi to the nice lady, Chizuru." She would giggle as she looked down at the shorter girl.

 

[Hattori Kieren]

It wasn't that the district made him feel uncomfortable. Being from the simple life of a desert tribe and all. At least, he would never admit to it. Yet, there was something about the gaudy decadence of this place that left him feeling almost queasy. Still, he had a job to do. Someone had stolen several artifacts from one of the temples, and his contacts had finally turned up a decent lead for him. Hence how he found himself on his way to intercept a fence what was said to have come into possession of the stolen artifacts. Hood pulled low over his face, he had found himself leaning against a shop wall, waiting. Why couldn't criminals work on better timetables... They weren't supposed to arrive for almost three hours, and so with nothing better to be doing, here he was, conspicuously staking out the area. He was about to move on when something strange happened. Amongst the coordinated chaos of everyone moving, two people managed to collide. It wouldn't have been odd in the slums, where people were starved into acts of intimidation or stupidity, but here. Everyone knew each others status here, at least it wasn't hard to guess, and with status came a heightened awareness of others in close proximity. Failing to stiefel a laugh, he pushed himself off from the wall. Hands clasped in the small of his back, he smiled coolly from beneath his hood as he approached what appeared to be two women and a clumsy teenager. Appeared, simply because in this village, things are rarely what they appear.
[spoilername="Kieren"]

[/spoilername]

 

[Yamazaki Chizuru]

Suddenly, Chizuru clams up after saying she was sorry to the woman she had bumped into and being helped up by her. Quite frankly Chizuru wasn't expecting Mio to hold some manner of conversation with her and Chizuru was a bit of a clutz when it came to socializing with people outside of her family. All she could do was look up at Mio either in fear, envy or awe, it was was difficult to tell which expression was defining that cute face of hers. Perhaps a bit of all three. Chizuru would finally calm down once Sunako appears and the little one would actually move behind Sunako, hiding behind her leg.

“Uh...uhm...Y-yes! I am Yamazaki Chizuru. I'm fine, Sunako, I ran into this lady and she helped me back up. Uhm...madamoiselle, did you mention that you...needed help with clothing?”

She'd step out from behind Sunako and try to seem a bit more confident before she further announces.

“I happen to be heavily into women's fashion so...if you would like. I could help you. It's the least I could do for bumping into you like I did.”

If she hadn't been so entranced with Mio, Chizuru probably would have noticed Kiren based off his outfit alone. She had a keen eye for clothing and his was definitely something that would have caught Chizuru's eye, but she was pretty much gawking at the beauty before her.

 

[Hoshirei]

The young jounin forced her smile not to move from her face as the woman answered for Chizuru. She hated when that was done to her in the past, but if the young girl was alright with it, then so be it. She nodded her head to the woman who introduced herself as Sunako and smiled once more toward Chizuru.
"So, what are you guys out here for? Shopping for outfits like me?" Mio was certainly curious about the two women, and it showed in her eyes.

Mio tilted her head at a noise not too far off and looked in that direction. Oh, just a customer that wasn't happy with the prices. Wait- nope, nothing to possibly interfere with.

To the two women, it would just look like she was curious and intent on listening to what they had to say, unless they could somehow read her face like Saemon could. If they could, they would know that she was responding to a possible situation. She may not have been a real ANBU, but the mild training she received stuck with her, and followed her wherever she went.

The young demon would then feel a presence come a little closer to them, but brushed it off. There were plenty of people that were passing them by to be worried about much, so she mentally shrugged it off.

When Chizuru finally spoke, Mio had to smile. "That would be wonderful, Chizuru. I may have an eye for battle-ready outfits, but once you get into casual or date-worthy clothing, I'm lost." she said with a chuckle.

 

[Kiriyama Sadako]

Sunako giggled as Chizuru hid behind her, the girl always so shy when it came to meeting new people. She would find her courage and step out from behind her, a move that made the woman smile proudly. "Yeah, we were just out doin' some shoppin' The little miss here just doesn't get enough of dressin' me up!" She would chuckle, patting Chizuru lightly on the shoulder. "She may be young but she's quite the fashionista. At the very least she has a bit more fashion sense then ah think ah'll ever have!" Her lips turned upwards in a grin as Mio made mention of date worthy clothing, a hand moving up to adjust her glasses. "Heh, date worthy eh? Got a guy you wanna impress?" She would ask rather brazenly, though her attention would shift as she watched the approaching figure from the corner of her eye. A shady looking man in a hood, rarely ever a good thing. Then again his clothing wasn't the kind one would associate with sublety, though she would still keep her guard up, pulling her purse a little closer to her body.

 

[Hattori Kieren]

Stopping a few paces away from the women, the youth pushed his hood back neatly, before giving his shaggy black hair a toss as his ice blue eyes adjusted to the sun. Something about his place still made him feel uneasy, almost as if he were being watched. Had he been made already? Was the meeting going to be changed? Only time would tell. For now, a little harmless exploration would only help him. Sorry to interrupt, it's just. I, I'm not from around here, a, and I was hoping someone would be able to how me around a little. The stuttering wasn't a usual thing for the youth, but he figured seeming shy would help them to take a little pity on him, and allow him into their group easier. A single male wandering around is much stranger then one who's escorting a group of women.

 

[Yamazaki Chizuru]

If they were anywhere else, Chizuru probably wouldn't have been so trusting but here in Suna and for that matter in the more upscale part of Suna, she could stand to be a bit more trusting. The people of this village for the most part would good people and Suna took care of their own. Chizuru couldn't quite place it but she was sure she had seen Mio before, but where could she have possibly seen her? Maybe she was a patient at the hospital before? Chizuru herself was well known there simply for the fact that she was a full fledged med-nin at such a young age and the daughter of the famous Iori. Thanks to Sunako's praise, Chizuru would wind up blushing for a much longer period of time.

“Su...nako...t-thanks for such kind words.” She takes a moment to bury her face against Sunako's leg as if that could hide her blushing. “Very well madam Mio. I shall do my best to help you get what you are wanting, first I-”

Before Chizuru could get to the questioning, they were approached by a stranger which causes her to freeze up and then go right back to hiding behind Sunako, peeking out from behind her as the male explains himself.

“H-he could..carry our things...” Says Chizuru, but only loud enough so that one would have to strain to actually hear her.

 

[Hoshirei]

A melodic laugh echoed out Mio's throat when she was asked about a guy she wanted to impress. Saemon was not someone she had to impress, though looking cute for him would be a plus. "I already have him, so I don't know about impressing him. However, looking cute or hot never hurts." A soft smile graced her features.

The presence she felt earlier then came closer and spoke to them. Mio's senses were on point, checking the man for danger. She didn't find a cause for concern at the moment, but looked at him. He had similar coloring to hers and it took her aback for a moment. There weren't a lot of people with the almost exact coloration he had. She smiled at him and started to nod when she heard Chizuru's suggestion. The corner of her lips twitched upward in a smile.
"If you don't mind waiting around while this one gives a co-worker a tour on clothes, then you're more than welcome to come along. Unless Chizuru and Sunako disagree?" She asked, gesturing to first the younger woman and then the other.
She remembered where she had seen Chizuru's face. Partly from the medic-board list and partly from when she was a patient in psychiatric care. She wondered if Chizuru would remember her from the last month or so.

 

[Kiriyama Sadako]

"Ah, so you're tryin' to look good for your boyfriend, well I'm sure we can find somethin' that'll make his jaw drop!" Sunako would grin before turning to the newcomer, hands moving to her hips as she looked him over, getting a better look at him now. "Well, for starters you can introduce yourself! I don't want to just go around calling you guy, guy." She would say as she glanced back at the others, nodding to Chizuru's suggestion and Mio's assessment. "I ain't got any problems if you want to tag along since these gals don't, but you should at least make yourself useful and carry our bags. And don't try anythin' funny, you hear? You shouldn't mistake beauty for weakness and underestimate us!" Sunako felt like she had little to fear, confident in her own abilities as well as Chizuru's. And while she may have had no idea about what Mio was capable of, she was pretty sure that she could handle herself.

 

[Hattori Kieren]

Smiling meekly, the youth gave a small bow. Right, I'm sorry. My name is Hattori Kieren. Running a hand through his hair, the youth gave a little chuckle. As for carrying your bags, well. That just wouldn't be right. How do you maintain the aura of being strong independent women when you need a man to carry your bags? Giving a little laugh as he finished talking, the youth hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his robes with a little wink.

 

[Yamazaki Chizuru]

“It is a want...not a need. We do not need you or anyone else to carry our bags, but it would be a nice gesture for you to do so. It would make things much more easy when we are trying on different clothes if someone was carrying our things. Carrying our things also means that there is someone protecting them for us...it also means trusting us, as well as us trusting you.”

Of course Chizuru says this all from behind Sunako, but she begins to step out on her own once more and the confidence of both Sunako and Mio radiate around her.

“Therefore, Sir Hattori, not only is this an exercise in trust, but you'll get what you wanted in the first place, which is a bit of a guide around this rather expansive shopping district and of course if you have any questions we could answer them. All we ask in return, is that you carry our bags. Think of it as a payment, if that helps...though I would hope a handsome man such as yourself would just enjoy being helpful towards a trio of high class females within this wonderful village of ours.”

With that said, Chizuru turns to look at Mio.

“Milady, did you say, Co-worker? Were you insinuating that you work at the medical center as well? It would most certainly explain why I have a familiar feeling about you. Also, it is as Sunako says. If you are looking to impress your boyfriend then I have no doubts that I can help you find an outfit or two that will make his jaw drop.”

Chizuru focuses her gaze back on Kieren, to see just what his reply would be.

 

[Hoshirei]

Chizuru was getting rather bold. Mio liked that, she liked it a lot.
"Like Chizuru said, Hattori. It's not a need. After all, it would be all too easy to store the bags elsewhere, or carry them ourselves. If you would like a guide though, carrying bags could be your payment." Mio winked at him and turned her back slightly to him as she spoke to Chizuru again.

"Why yes, I do. I work mostly in the long-term care, mental and physical ward."

 

[Kiriyama Sadako]

Sunako would laugh at the responses from the other two females, shaking her head before she looked towards the man "Well, ya heard them! It's like lil' bit here said, if ya wanna join us then ya gotta carry our stuff. Nothin' is free in life, yeah?" She would giggle before turning and beginning to walk down the sidewalk. "So, Mio, you got any preferences about where to go? Or are we jus' gonna go through each store?" She would ask as she looked towards the woman as they walked, overhearing her tell Chizuru where she worked at. "Mental? Ya mean with the crazy folks?" She would ask, the woman not really all that tactful, tending to speak without thinking. "Ya ever get one of them 'multiple personality' types? From what I hear they're pretty uncreative. That other personality is always some kinda wacked out evil side or whatever, and I hear sometimes they even get red eyes or change their hair or body when they switch over. I don't think that's true though...it sounds pretty silly." She would ramble on, looking back around at the crowded streets.

 

[Hattori Kieren]

Raising an eyebrow, the man gave his head a shake. He'd tried to be nice about it. He was not a pack mule. How kind of you to offer me the chance to carry your bags for you. Yet I think I'm going to decline. You see, while I come to this village to trade the supplies my tribe needs to survive, I do not come here to be your pack-mule. I'll find my own way around. Tossing his hood back over his head, his lip gave a small scornful twitch. Turning sharply, he gave a half-hearted wave before merging into the crowd.

[Topic Left]

 

[Yamazaki Chizuru]

Chizuru was rather surprised by the mans reaction. She was quite certain he'd want to mingle with the three girls and the price for doing so was not steep at all. There were so many theories now bouncing around in Chizuru's head about why he came to that reaction. Perhaps he had some deep childhood trauma involving carrying things for other people. Maybe within his family they saw things as carrying someone elses burdens as a bad thing and thus that translated to carrying bags. Perhaps he wasn't as strong as Chizuru initially assumed and he didn't wish to embarrass himself in front of so many people. Perhaps the idea of carrying bags filled with women's clothing just made him incredibly shy. There were many more theories on the matter and Sunako would be able to tell just what was going on with Chizuru as she stopped and steer's off into space as her mind processed so much information, trying to make sense of it all with each variable. It was both a gift and a curse because when it came to something as simple as this, her mind wondered off on the many possibilities, whilst on a more complex subject she wouldn't have gotten lost in her own mind like show now currently was.

It would be up to one of the other women to snap Chizuru out of this state or they would have to wait for a bit for her to finally come to a conclusion and get on with her life.

 

[Hoshirei]

Mio sighed as the man walked off. She had honestly been kidding about having him carry bags. She didn't know if the other two were, but she was. She didn't like other people carrying her things, and that stemmed from her past. Mio looked over at Chizuru and noticed a glazed over look in her eyes. She somewhat recognized that look. She got that look sometimes, usually it was a memory, but sometimes it was because she was running through a situation.

"Uh, Sunako? I don't know how to snap her out of whatever funk she's in. Normally I'd tap her shoulder, but I don't know how she'll react to that. Not to mention, I don't want to shock her." Little did Sunako know, but Mio meant that last part literally. Being a stormcaller was a good thing, though the whole electric touch thing was annoying sometimes.

 

[Kiriyama Sadako]

Sunako couldn't help but laugh at the man's outburst, shaking her head as she watched him leave in a huff. "Goodness! What's gotten into him. Ya'd think we asked him to be our maid or somethin'! I swear, ain't no real gentlemen around anymore..." She would grin, Mio soon bringing her attention to Chizuru. "Nah, don't worry, she's just got a habit of havin' her head in the clouds, much like her daddy, actually. Hey, lil' bit..." She would say, gently nudging Chizuru's shoulder. "C'mon, you can do your thinkin' at home. We came here to shop, right?" She would giggle as she gently patted the girl on the head, looking back towards Mio. "We should get a move on before anymore creepy fellas try to hang out with us. Where to first?"