sunshineverse | [open] Vacation is where I shouldn't be

As annoyed as she'd been to be sent off to another village on a "vacation", she couldn't entirely hate it. Here there were vendors with goods she couldn't get at home without spending a fortune. Like the gilded fan she'd been eyeing so many months before. The owner of the little cart must of remembered as he offered a wide smile and motioned her to come closer.

He was holding a small folded fan in jade green a silver tassel at it's screw. Her eyebrows went up curious as she wandered over.

Free time was a luxury that came rarely to her schedule. Between training, and research, and missions, there wasn't a point in the day that could be spared. But such limitations were self-imposed. There was a goal to achieve, and improvements to be made every day, after all. - One day more, one day stronger - And Tenten had a game plan to follow if there was any hope of catching up.

Even now, as she wandered around the market place, it was still with a purpose. Some of the best treasures she had found on her travels were from searching through the stalls and small vendors that lined the streets. Why not apply the same principle to her own home market?

So it was with a careful eye that Tenten scanned over the wares, picking up some to take in the finer details, and putting back others when they ending up being nothing more than pretty trinkets for display. And that was when her eyes settled on an interesting looking fan - iron-framed with elaborate detailing at the base. And what looked to be specially made steel-thread laced in the embroidery...

Tenten wasn't the only one admiring the fan. It might seem cliche for a tessen user to be looking at all, but Temari tended to keep an eye out when she travelled. The different villages usually had something for display purposes or entertaining to be found at the very least. And she enjoyed adding those to her collection even if they weren't useful for much more than hanging on a wall a few months out of the year. Similarly, it was rare to actually find one that might be useable as a weapon.Even if it couldn't, well it was still a pretty fan. One that she might be tempted to purchase before the end of her forced vacation.

She's somewhat aware of the other girl, and her attention on the same item, though. It's minor and while it tugged at her to know someone else was looking she was equally aware that as of now it was not her fan. "Can I take a look at that fan?" she asked the merchant after flagging him down.

He was a portly man who smiled at Temari cheerfully as he passed it across to her. His eyes gleaming with the potential for a sale. Temari mumbles a thanks and lets the weight of the fan sink in. Flicking her wrist slightly to close the blades and then again to open it once more. It was a little slow for her liking considering that most of the weight was in the outer blades. That was fixable though, it was probably just still anyway from being on display.

She could not begrudge the girl for taking a liking to it, really. This particular vendor had always had a fine collection of trinkets and bobbles from around the shinobi nation. Tenten, at the very least, always made sure to stop by when the merchant returned from his travels. Her only regret was in not snatching up the fan quick enough before it drew the attention of other wandering eyes.

Wandering eyes and practiced hands, if the other's handle of the fan was any indication. There was a critical sort of look in the way she examined it. Certainly, the beauty in the framework and detail was something to behold. But for purely display purposes, only a momentary gloss over the craftsmanship should have been necessary, even for shinobi who had very little need of such decorations. This girl, on the other hand, was making almost making a deep study of it, which led Tenten to believe that, perhaps, there was more to her than what she originally realized.

Finding that she had a new-found interest in this fan - or more importantly, the person holding it - the kunoichi gave a casual quirk of her lips. "That's a good choice."

"I thought so." She turned her attention to the speaker. Dark hair and eyes, athletic build, she doubted they were strictly civilian. Civilians seemed to have a kind of portliness to them in Konoha that the girl lacked.

"Last time I cam through these markets there had been a lovely emerald fan. I'd almost bought it until my escort found me." She pauses, "I didn't think there was much interest in non-decorative fans here." And against she snapped the fan closed, the motion smooth on the hinge. That pleased her. It was a rare thing to find a fan as well made as if she'd made it herself.

"I remember seeing that..." Reaching far back into her memory, Tenten recalled the exact item mentioned with crystal clarity. Mostly because it had managed to find its way into her possession not long after. "That's too bad, though, it was a really nice one too. Well-made and structured."

Noting the way the other held on and continued to study the current fan of interest, Tenten was assured that the same would likely not happen this time around. You only allowed one of the merchant's wares to slip through your fingers before you learned your lesson for the next time. "Kaede's always good for a hidden treasure or two when he comes back from his travels. I rarely stop by and NOT buy at least one thing from him before I leave."

Here, Tenten slid her attention to the man in question, flashing him a playful smile and wink as she continued the friendly conversation. "And he's pretty easy to bargain with once you get into his good graces."

It was and Temari still felt mildly annoyed that she'd let the bauble escape her, but at the time she hadn't been in need of a decorative or even a new weapon, and thus it had remained at the stand. Her only hope was that whoever had ended up purchasing it, knew what to do with it. It had the craftsmanship to make an excellent weapon in a pinch.

"I don't get out to Konoha as often as I like, and I don't think he stops where I could easily frequent." Not that it's particularly important, nor has she made a point in searching him out in Suna's market either. She didn't have a great deal of use for most common trinkets that the merchants sold.

Temari glanced between the two a moment, getting the sense that the girl seemed to be setting her up. Perhaps she was a plant for the merchant masquerading as a kunoichi of the Leaf. She wouldn't be entirely surprised if the merchant used such a ruse to increase his profit margins in the shinobi villages. "Perhaps I'll try my hand if he and it are still here when it's time for me to leave again."

Shrugging at the thought, Tenten shifted her attention to a number of his other trinkets. Because if Temari passed on her opportunity, then the kunoichi did not want to be the reason the Sand-nin missed out on it now, as well. For her part, as a weapon specialist, she had plenty in her stock to be fully satisfied with. What was one less to add to the collective? Especially if it went to someone who knew how to fully appreciate the special quality of the tessen in question.

"Risk and chance is the spice of life," she offered, sparing the other a glance over her shoulder, "Personally, I hope it is still there for you."

Edited 2015-04-07 09:08 (UTC)

And isn't that just what she needs to hear for the moment. Not that she needs another tessen considering the giant one she wielded with deadly accuracy and was so rarely without even in Konoha's peaceful markets. She runs a finger over the spine, as if that one motion could make the decision for her. She lets herself teeter on that edge for a moment. Running numbers against needs for the remainder of her stay and travel back to Wind Country. She could make it work if she wanted to.

With a sigh she shakes her head. "We'll see what happens in a few days."

"It's hard being a responsible kunoichi, sometimes, isn't it?" She chuckled, knowing and recognizing the familiar struggle. Because, yes, there was always money in the budget to splurge on specialty items of personal interest. But would it be worth it later on when finances were just that much tighter? "There are days where I just wanna be impulsive and just go for it, but... girl's gotta eat, right?"

Tenten was just fortunate that she had the skills and means of creating her own near endless source of weaponry rather than rely on the need to constantly purchase more.

"Maybe on occasion." Though generally speaking, by virtue of being the Kazekage's daughter, there wasn't much she had to worry about financially all that often. A budget was more common when she was away on missions, but she did try to avoid taking advantage of the purse strings her father had access too. She liked being able to maintain as much of her independence on her own as possible.

But like the other girl she did have the means to make her own tessens. Suna typical, but that couldn't be helped. Though if she had the time to study an exotic design she could probably replicate it well enough. She just didn't have the hours to spare needed for the study. "Impulsive would be spending the hours needed to study it for replication."

The kunoichi shrugged at the last comment as she picked up a dagger from the table spread, understanding first hand the issue with spending so much time over memorizing the details; knowing the most difficult parts was in the little things that made it unique and desired.

Still, it was like any other skill that a person could possess. The more practiced the hand, the faster the process. Eventually, it would become nothing more than an excuse. "It gets easier after the first time."

But then, not everyone had the patience or drive to cultivate such a skill.

It isn't a lack of patience or drive. It's a lack of time. Temari's visits to Konoha or any other village for that matter are so full of pre-scheduled meetings and schmoozing dinners and lunches that just the fact that she was able to slip away into the market at all was a miracle. Nevermind that she had only another twenty minutes before her next appointment. Something she fully expected her escort to drop out of the sky to remind her of at any moment.

She sighs. "Unfortunately the first time will have to wait." And it seems her escort was going to choose that moment to make his approach. She doesn't pay him any mind despite knowing he's there. And he seems just as content to hang back for the moment. "It seems that my time to browse is coming to an end, thank you for discussing the fan with me."

Another time, indeed. Because even as she examined the blade in her hands with an ever careful eye, the young woman caught a bit of movement just behind the other, a single blip of energy pressing against her senses for a single moment before it dissipated completely. It was about as good a signal as any that their conversation would not last for much longer.

"Those ANBU definitely know their work and know how to do it well," Tenten scoffed, "I guess we can take comfort in that."

It did little for them now, of course, but that was more an issue for the other to be concerned about. Tenten's free time was still mostly her own even if a majority of it was spent in rigorous training. Which was a lot more than the blonde could say.

"In any case, the pleasure was all mine. I don't really get to talk about specialty tools, much, with a lot of people." Flashing her what she hoped to be a friendly smile, the kunoichi turned all her attention to the other woman and offered a respectable bow. "Hopefully we'll get to again, before you leave, Miss...?"

Edited 2015-04-26 04:23 (UTC)

Temari smiles thought there's a coldness to it that hints at her uncertainty to meet the girl. At least her knowledge of ANBU and their uses very nearly rules her out as a plant for the merchant. "Temari, we'll see what happens." She offers a short nod in return and turns to follow her escort away.

It took her a split second to fully register the name. But once it did...

It was like a shock to the system the instant everything clicked into place, Tenten's expression melting from cheery calm to utter disbelief as dark eyes darted to the hitai-ate tied firmly to the other's forehead. With the Suna insignia etched deeply into the metal for all to see.

"Temari. Of the Sand..." Muscles tense and hands almost shaking under the tension she felt building up within her, the kunoichi regarded the other in a much more muted manner than before, brows already starting to knit together in seriousness. "You're Temari..."

She takes a deep breath, her fingers curling into a fist. What was with this girl? And the way she said that, like she'd heard of her. That ring of disbelief to her tone bothering her. She would have let it go but that tone bothered her, like the girl expected something entirely different of her. "I am. Is that such a big deal?"

And the clear display of animosity was met with a hard-edged resolve and pride that had been missing in their previous exchange, brows pinching sharply. Gone was the cheerful and friendly demeanour of simple market patron, replaced by the kunoichi and persona that had earned her the right to be called a soldier of the village.

Tossing more fuel into the fire burning within, Tenten's back straightening to add a few more centimeters of height to her frame as the young woman extended her hand intently towards the other. "I'm Tenten. Of Team Gai."

There's an almost instantaneous look of recognition. So this was the female portion of Neji's team. She turns partially and openly studies the girl and how she seemed to pull herself taller in an effort to - what Temari couldn't even say. They were about even in height so it wasn't even something she could consider as a disadvantage for her if she and Tenten ever got into a fight.

"So you are." She says it blandly, like this isn't something to be made out to be a big deal. She would have preferred a meeting where there was actually time to get a feel for the girl in a different way. But the exchange over the fan was so prominent in memory that it was hard to reconcile the Tenten Neji spoke of and this girl still standing in the street. The one she'd met she didn't have any hard opinions on but she wasn't entirely sure she could trust her, and liking her was miles away at present.

"It's nice to meet you Tenten."

It was, perhaps, a bit petty and cruel to think so. But previous regret and guilt over purchasing the emerald fan notably lessened at this new revelation. Because it was childish to know that Temari had a want for something in her possession. But Tenten had felt better for it all the same. Still, it showed that the sand-nin had a good eye for details, if nothing more than that.

"Likewise." Her talk with Neji was still fresh in Tenten's mind. And the kunoichi was loathed to discover that she'd been given every opportunity to find out if those claims had been true. Only to squander it away on mundane topics, all because neither one knew just who the other was. "Seems I've kept you long enough, though, so..."

Temari dips her chin quickly in a nod. Well at least there was a face to go with the name. Even if her opinion was still shaky, that was a start. "Mmm. Well another time." And just like that she's on her way again. Escort leading the way down the street. Later she would think about how this meeting went. And if she was going to do anything else to at least be on amicable terms with her. She had the feeling that Neji would prefer it if they could at least tolerate each other.

Normally, Temari made it a point to be as obnoxious to her escorts as possible. Today she just happened to be in a rare mood where she was willing to play nice. That meant that even as she roamed she always had a companion at her side. Today it was a particularly chatty jounin and she wondered briefly after his first rambling explanation about some artist or another what she’d done to have the Lord Hokage saddle her with someone so obviously not compatible with her.

Even as her fingers tap restlessly against her thigh Temari tunes the talkative man out. Teal eyes sweeping the passers bys civilian and off-duty shinobi alike and wonders what the plain looking shinobi a few feet down the road was gesturing so wildly about. Or how the plump woman in an unflattering yellow flowered dress was forced to wrangle three kids on her own all shouting about something or other that they wanted.

If this were Suna those children would get one very stern look and know to button their traps. You did not act like that in public ever, there was absolutely no reason too. Or maybe she was just misremembering her childhood for lack of something better to focus on.

[open] Vacation is where I shouldn't be

The Market

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Wandering the Village