[open] Chasing him down

[incubi_abel]

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.

Comments

[ghostpepper]

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."

[incubi_abel]

"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.

[ghostpepper]

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."

[incubi_abel]

"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."

[ghostpepper]

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.

[incubi_abel]

"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.