sunshineverse | [open] Chasing him down

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[open] Chasing him down

Where: Konoha
When: May 25th
Notes: After the auction.

Sitting at the table, Abel calmly sipped his tea as he waited for his food to arrive. After having lost out on his two bids at the auction, he decided to cut his losses and treat himself to dinner. A few questions posed to one of the guards at the auction had brought him to this nice restaurant where the various shinobi could 'let their hair down' so to speak.

He gazed around at the other patrons as he thought back to the auction, and he had to wonder what that one shinobi's problem with Abel was. He had never seen the man before, but the features were close enough to Itachi's for him to have been a clan member. Perhaps the other was just highly protective of Itachi. Anyway, Abel hoped that he could get a message to Itachi to see if it was possible to get together to just talk before the Chunin Exams when everyone and their sister were going to be busy in Konoha.

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While Itachi intended to seek Abel out and apologize for Shisui, it was chance that lead him by the little restaurant that evening, but a quick scan of the building showed him that his target was conveniently here. Well, there was no reason to delay. Itachi carefully slipped up to Abel's table.

"Abel-san." Itachi bowed at the waist, long black ponytail sliding over his shoulder. "I would like to apologize for what happened at the auction."

Abel smiled up at Itachi before gesturing to the other seat at his table, silently inviting the other shinobi to join him.

"It's all right," he remarked with a slight shrug. "But was that other shinobi a relative of yours? The one glaring ice at me?"

He hoped Itachi had time to join him and wasn't just running through at the moment.

It would probably serve Shsiui right if Itachi had a meal with the foreign shinobi Shisui had been trying to keep away from without the man having to pay for the time. Itachi might even arrange to pay for Abel's meal. Itachi slid into the seat and tried not to grimace.

"That was my cousin." Of course, cousin could be a very broad term for someone in a clan. Best friend/honorary older brother would have been more accurate. "He is slightly over protective." Perhaps for good reasons, but Itachi was a little injured Shisui didn't think Itachi had learned his lesson. Hopefully Abel had missed Sasuke and Shisui almost coming to blows later in the bidding.

"Please do not take that as the accepted attitude towards strangers here," Itachi added.

"And all he saw was a foreign shinobi bidding on his cousin," Abel remarked with a nod eve as a trace of wistfulness flashed across his face. He tried to forcefully shove the 'what ifs' to the back of his mind where he might entertain them at a later time in private.

He chuckled. "I hope someone to your liking managed to win your time?"

Itachi nodded. He caught the flicker of emotion, but didn't chase after it. He didn't know Abel well enough to pry into anything.

"Well..." Itachi ahd mixed feelings about Sasuke actually bidding on him. He knew Sasuke hadn't meant it that way, but it felt like a reproach for how little time he spent with his brother. "It was my younger brother." Itachi wondered how dysfunctional that made his family sound.

"Then I salute him for a sneaky way to get time away from both your duties in able to spend some quality time together," Abel said with a laugh.

He cocked his head and looked at Itachi. "How much time do you have free right now?"

Itachi doubted that was what Sasuke had done at all, but he wasn't sure he wanted to enlighten Abel about how awful an older brother he was. "He's always been clever."

Itachi considered. He really had nothing to do until his "date" with Sasuke, evidently this was the calm before the storm. He expected everyone would be intensely busy in the upcoming weeks.

"My evening is open." And the night to, if he didn't feel like sleeping tonight.

"Then why don't we put these aside," Abel suggested, tapping the hitae-ate he still wore. "Along with our positions as shinobi of our respected villages and talk as two men who may be advancing from acquaintances to possibly friends?"

It was an offer of comrade re as well as one to not speak of any missions or training that might dance into 'classified' or 'forbidden' territory.

Itachi hesitated. He had no reason to. Ame and Konoha were friendly at the moment, so there was really no reason not to talk or even be friends with one of her shinobi. Still, he'd just been burned by getting to close to someone he enjoyed talking to. He was hesitant of making connections that weren't purely business at the moment.

All the same, he could not, as the Hokage's cousin and the Uchiha heir, be unfriendly to a visiting shinobi.

"I think that would be a very welcome break," Itachi admitted. It would be, and he would just have to watch himself.

Smiling, Abel reached up and removed the hitae-ate before folding the straps and placing it on the table next to him. It felt strange to not have it on when he was away from a bedroom. He signaled for the waiter to bring over a drink for Itachi.

"As you are my guest for this meal, feel free to pick a topic to talk about," he invited as the waiter brought over another cup for tea and the menu, handing the later to Itachi.

Itachi took the menu. Actually, after the month he'd been having, philosophical discussions probably wouldn't help his state of mind, but he couldn't refuse. Maybe it would help him clear his head.

"I will have to start by insisting you're the guest, and that I owe you a meal." Itachi did, and while he doubted Abel could or would demand anything for that meal, he'd feel better when that small debt was paid. "And then I must ask you how you're liking your stay in Konoha, and make a comment on the weather, which is probably much to dry for you."

Abel laughed softly before inclining his head. "As you wish."

His smile turned into a small smirk. "I suppose after Ame, any place might be too dry for a person, but it is nice to dry out once in a while." He wrinkled his nose a bit. "It's rather nice to walk around without my shirt clinging to my back."

"At least you always know what to expect." And those who specialized in water jutsu should have an advantage of ample water at any given time, either in the air or in the ground.

"I was surprised to see foreign shinobi participating in the auction," Itachi added. Then again, he had been surprised that Obito had even come up with an idea like this and implemented it. "Will you be staying long?"

"Word reached Ame, and I asked my lord if I might come to see what it was about," Abel remarked with a grin and a sheepish shrug. "And I'll be staying a few days. I may come back for the Chunin Exams if my lord wishes it of me."

It was, evidently, about showing off the crazier and more aggressive side of Konoha-nin. How many foreigners had won their auctions? Well, besides Obito's.

"Ah, then you'll have a chance to see Konoha being a little more normal. I hope you will enjoy your stay, and please let me know if you need anything." Hopefully Itachi wouldn't get yanked out of Konoha for anything in the next few days.

Abel softly laughed. "I will but where should I send my requests? The mission office or the Uchiha Clan house?"

He would hate to have his message delayed until after he was out of Konoha simply because it was sent to the wrong place.

"That depends on how many curious relatives you'd like staring at you, I suppose." Either way, Itachi could let someone know he was assisting one of the foreign ninja and should be tracked down when asked for. Actually, his family would probably raise a lot of eyebrows at him doing something like that, and while they might not decide to delay the message, Itachi was certain to get an earful.

"Perhaps the mission office would be most...expedient. I'll let them know."

Abel softly laughed, but there was a wistful tone to it. What would it be like to have a family related by blood that cared about you enough to want to question the strangers that dropped off notes.

He forcefully shoved those thoughts away. He was normally so good about letting the past remain there, but apparently this week, the past wanted to rear up and remind him of what he lost. "I'll be sure to remember that."

Itachi caught the wistful tone of the laugh, but he didn't want to pry into the matter. He'd only known Abel for a little while, and asking about someone's family could be considered rude. Itachi just had the luck of having a well known family, so it didn't seem to personal to talk about them.

Itachi also wasn't sure questions about Ame would be welcome either, which left him a little short on topics. "Had we no met like this, I hope you would have sought me out anyway. I enjoyed our talk last time."

"I enjoyed it as well. It's interesting to talk to new people," Abel said before nodding towards the window. "What's it like to live in Konoha?"

He grinned, a teasing tone appearing in his voice. "Probably don't have to worry too much about flooding."

"The river can flood if we get too much rain, but it's not normally anything that gets out of hand, " Itachi admitted reflexively as he pondered the deeper question of what it was like to live in Konoha. He'd travelled a good deal, but visiting somewhere wasn't really like living there. Still, Itachi often felt he'd was lucky to live where he did.

It was comfortable, green, and home. Nothing was home like sitting by the river with Shisui, or napping in the shade after a long morning. Konoha was peace and safety for him. His ideal.

Instead of that, he said lightly: "It's very nice, unless you happen to be allergic to trees."

"Woe to the poor shinobi that's allergic to trees," laughed Abel, shaking his head even as he raised his glass in a mock toast.

He grinned. "Ame isn't that bad once you get use to the rain. I have a small greenhouse in my apartment that I grow flowers in."

Itachi had to wonder if the flowers were poisonous. That seemed like the only reason to go through the effort of growing flowers in a greenhouse to him, but he wasn't a great gardener. Itachi tucked away the information that Abel might be a poisoner, and then realized he could ask.

"What kinds, if you don't mind me asking?" Thanks to his mother's gardens, he could pretend to know something about flowers.

"A couple of violets, a few tulips, and a small rose bush that I'm desperately trying to not kill," he said with a laugh. He didn't mention the foxglove or the lily of the valley as they were the more poisonous of his plants. Ironically, he grew them because they were pretty and smelled nice instead of for their more deadly properties.

"My expertise in roses is sadly limited to how much it hurts to fall into them," Itachi admitted. He'd tried growing tomatoes for Sasuke a few years and had barely managed such a simple plant, and Konoha was ideal for growing things.

"There's a fairly good market for plants in Konoha this time of year, if you're interested. Most of the vendors are civilian, but they have a varied selection of ornamental plants." Itachi only knew this because there were all different colors spread out everywhere whenever he passed through.

"I may have to look into acquiring a few to take home with me," Abel said with a bright smile. "Thank you for the information."

After all, he did have plenty of money with him since he hadn't won his auctions. ANd it would be interesting to see what Konoha offered in the way of ornamental plants.

With the auctions finally over, Neji could breathe again, and wandered into a restaurant to make up for the fact that he'd neglected to eat all day. Most seemed to have a similar idea, and glancing over the establishment for the least crowded table, he caught a glimpse of silver hair and froze for half a moment.

Too short to be Sephiroth's however, and the Jounin cut his way over.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but would it be too much of a bother if I sat with you for a short time? I just need to wait for my order to be prepared."

At that point, he could take his meal outside somewhere less crowded, but until then..

Abel looked up at the young man and inclined his head, gesturing for him to claim the seat across from him. "Not at all. I'm Abel of Ame, by the way. Were you one of those being bid upon?"

Neji settled down with a grateful nod.

"Hyuuga Neji," he returned in way of introduction. "And yes, I was. I can't say I'm displeased with the result. Did you enjoy it?"

Edited 2014-05-20 03:16 (UTC)

"It was... interesting," Abel decided on as he sipped his tea. "I had never experienced something like that before and am afraid I didn't bring sufficient funds with me."

He chuckled. "Not if I wished to treat any I might have won to a nice meal instead of Ramen in the park."

Neji hummed a mild note, eyes shifting briefly away from the stranger to the window. He wasn't on-duty now, but Neji wondered if Sephiroth was one of the shinobi Obito had been concerned about when it came to Adela. Once he he received his food, he'd go out and find a nice place to observe from.

"It was an interesting event," he agreed. "No matter the result, Konoha is honored to have had your participation, and hope you'll enjoy the Exams themselves if you're staying for them."

"I may be returning for them if my lord wishes it," Abel remarked with a careless shrug. "He may have something else he wishes my skills directed towards."

Abel's time and skills were for whatever the God of Ame wished them directed towards.

"You're a Jounin then?" Neji guessed by the statement.

Chuunin after all, was a pleasant middle-road rank that had all the benefits of respectable missions, and rarely the same time constraints and pressures that came with Jounin.

"Should you find yourself in Konoha around the Exams, I'll be one of those shinobi settling Konoha's higher-ranking foreign guests into the Jounin Station for the duration of their stay."

"Yes," Abel remarked with a small smile. "Then if I can make it, I look forward to seeing you again, even if it's a brief 'here's your room' sort of meeting."

The last was said with a bit of a tease as he had some idea how busy Neji was going to be during the exams. He vaguely remembered what the exams were like when he was a Mist shinobi, but he remembered a lot of preparation and not much time.

Neji returned the gesture with a small huff of amusement. He'd experienced the Exams as a Jounin in January, and he expected it would be much the same- except this time, he'd be on security detail as a member of the ANBU as well. Where he'd had some downtime while the Exams were in progress before, he doubted it would be like that this time.

"Will Amegakure have Genin participating in this Exam?"

"I'm not sure," Abel confessed with a shrug. "I don't have a team myself, and I'm afraid I don't keep too close of tabs on such a thing. It's easy to lose track of who's doing what when you're being sent on long missions."

Neji hummed, tipping his head.

"Well if there are, I'm sure they'll prove themselves just as they have in previous years."

"Undoubtedly. Ame has flourished under my lord's care," Abel said. It was a simple statement of fact and not the meaningless mouthing of a shinobi too dedicated to his leader to see their faults.

Kushina had been passing by with her husband shortly after the auctions when she remembered something she had to do. She stopped and placed a hand on his arm, mentioned that she had seen an Ame ninja at the auction. She told him about his cryptic words about Sephiroth during Adela's auction and that she had some questions for him.

He nodded and said he'd see her at home later. But first he'd track down the rest of their little family and teams. A short kiss was shared before they parted and Kushina began her search. The restaurant was her third stop and where she finally found her target. She crossed the crowded dining room and stopped next to his table.

"If you don't mind my interrupting your dinner, I have some questions for you."

Abel looked up as the woman with red hair approached his table and voiced her request. Smiling slightly, Abel gestured to the chair across from him.

"Please have a seat," he invited. "And I'll be glad to answer your questions to an extent." He wasn't going to reveal any secrets or personal information after all.

"Thanks."

She took the offered seat and looked him over carefully for a moment. Even if he seemed more sociable and amiable, he was still a ninja. And they all had secrets they'd carry to their graves. Even the loudmouths.

"I don't have many. But first, I wanted to ask you at the auction how you knew what you did about the Silv-- Sephiroth. You sounded like you knew him. Were you from Kirigakure at one point?"

He tilted his head and looked at her. "A rather interesting question to ask someone from Amegakure, especially a stranger."

He didn't know this woman outside of the fact that she had been desperate to keep that girl out of Sephiroth's hands. For all he knew, she was hunting bounties, and depending on the attitudes of those in Kiri, he might have a decent bounty on his head.

Ah... A wall. Typical. Then again, she hadn't met him during her trip to Ame several weeks ago. She exhaled heavily and leaned back a little in her chair. They needed to not be strangers. Maybe he'd heard of her? It wasn't uncommon that people had heard of her but didn't know what she looked like. She really hated dropping titles in what she considered semi-casual conversation, and she hoped it wouldn't be necessary.

"Maybe introductions would help. My name is Uzumaki Kushina. I've been to Amegakure a few times and it's not exactly a secret that some of their forces are made up of shinobi from other villages."

"I must admit that is the most diplomatic way of saying that Ame takes in Missing-Nins, Uzumaki-dono," Abel remarked with a small smile and a tilt of his head. "I am Abel of Ame. It is a pleasure to formally meet you."

He had heard of her, and that she was close to the God of Ame, but that didn't mean anything in the way of trust. Anyone could use that name to get information from an unsuspecting shinobi.

A smile appeared in spite of still not getting the answer she was after. But it was a start. Still, she gave his honorific to her an airy wave.

"The pleasure is mine, but please, call me Kushina. Or Uzumaki-san, if you prefer. I get enough of Uzumaki-dono or -sama in Uzushio. I don't need it here, in my home. Not anymore, anyway. Speaking of, I hope you're enjoying your time here in Konoha, Abel-san."

"That would hardly be polite, Uzumaki-dono, but I will call you Uzumaki-san if you wish," Abel replied, a slight teasing tone in his voice. "And yes, I am enjoying the chance relax a little bit away from home."

She figured a little more small talk might help before making another stab at her original line of questioning.

"I do, thank you. And I'm glad to hear you've been able to relax. I don't suppose you have a team of your own vying to be chuunin this time around, do you? Or did Nagato-niisan send you on a mission here?"

And there's the true tell for those who know her and how she acts with Nagato. In correspondence, referring to him with other people, and even face-to-face, she refused to drop that particular honorific. It had become second nature for her to use it, it came out automatically.

"There will be a team from Ame coming for the exams," Abel remarked with a slight chuckle. "And actually I came to continue an acquaintance that was started over a lunch."

He tilted his head, slightly and looked at her. "I have not heard what my lord plans for the exams himself, but should he require my assistance, he need only ask."

While he wasn't sure what this small talk was about, he knew he didn't want to talk about Kiri. He didn't know this shinobi at all, and he couldn't trust her with his past.

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[open] Chasing him down

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