sunshineverse | Waterlogged

It didn't really bother her what a stranger used to refer to some foreign leader, she was merely curious about his choice to do so. Considering who the leader was to the people of the village.

She observed his body language with curiosity. Was he a new member of the village, or some sort of exception to the usual people of Ame? (Well, more than was already obvious). She couldn't tell if he were simply nervous, or also guilty.

She offered a softer expression after a moment. If he was simply nervous, then treating him kindly would dispel that somewhat. Probably. "...Would you like to sit down?"

The softer expression had Juugo relaxing, and he straightened a little. His expression was still somewhat unsure, but eventually he nodded at her question, and turned to where the nearest seat was. Some of it was wet from the rain, but the rest was enough under the overhang to be dry. Juugo chose the wet spot, and once he'd sat down, an osprey flew down and landed on his shoulder. Juugo gave the bird a big smile and smoothed down the feathers before turning his attention back to Sakura.

An explanation would help, he decided. She seemed curious, and he could tell her a little bit without making her upset. Probably.

"Nagato saved me and brought me here. I think that's why no one cares anymore if I forget."

...It was unusual to see someone choose to sit in a spot that was wet, when there was more than enough room to sit in a dry spot instead. Perhaps after staying in Ame long enough, rain and water became such a non-concern to its citizens that it no longer factored into such decisions at all. It seemed unlikely, though.

She blinked at the osprey that settled itself on his shoulder. It didn't appear to be carrying a message, so it must have been either a pet or a creature he shared a summoning contract with that he'd sent on some other mission before approaching her. He seemed...very quiet and shy, but she wasn't about to make the mistake of assuming such a quiet looking man couldn't also be a perfectly dangerous and efficient shinobi.

She inclined her head when he spoke, though, curious. "He saved you?" It wasn't uncommon for a shinobi to save someone, mind. But...adopting them to their village was rare even when it was a person with the power to make that decision.

Juugo nodded at her question and smiled at the memories. He'd been so afraid then, but Nagato hadn't let him run away, and then showed him that he could be safe. Juugo was still learning, but he was getting better, day by day, and Ame was good, safe.

"I was alone, and I was very afraid. Nagato found me on the borders and brought me here. He taught me, and now I do missions to help Ame."

He was proud of that, and sat up straighter, pleased smile crinkling the corners of his eyes a little. The missions were good for Ame, and Juugo could do them, and doing them made the people of Ame happier. Nothing felt as wonderful as that.

Well...maybe Ame was just too small to rely only on ninja they raised themselves and too poor to exclusively hire extras. Or perhaps Nagato did things differently from other nations. He was, after all...peculiar. In more than one way.

It did make her wonder what this man's particular skill-set might be, if the head of the village would choose to collect and train him personally alongside simply welcoming him into the city. Whatever skill hid beneath his gentle exterior, she didn't sense malice...so it was unlikely he was a missing nin that used careful phrasing.

But that kind of curiosity couldn't be solved with questioning him any more than she could question Nagato about how he ruled.

"It sounds as if he was very kind to you." Her voice was...thoughtful, as she said it. After all, there were people who had done the same for her. Not in the sense that they adopted her into Konoha, but they reached out to a hopeless case like her and gave her a place and a purpose, too.

If so...she could understand why he seemed brighter and happier speaking about Nagato than when he first spoke to her. "I am sure that he's proud with what you've done in return."

"Nagato is very kind to everyone. He makes sure we all have what we need and don't have to be afraid."

Juugo smiled again, happy to tell her about Nagato's kindness. It was important that their guests knew that about Ame. Nagato took care of them all. But her next sentence made him go quiet and thoughtful. Was Nagato proud? Juugo thought so, but he had so much farther to go. He wanted to live up to the confidence Nagato had in him and he wasn't there yet.

"I am getting better. Someday, I will make him proud."

But now that he'd answered her question, he wasn't sure what to say next. Should he tell her about how he planned to do that? Conversations could be so complicated. His expression colored with confusion and uncertainty, and he looked to her for guidance.

"He...does appear to be very kind, yes." He was certainly something like that toward her. Perhaps it explained his behavior if he was unnaturally kind toward everyone. But it made her wonder how someone so kind could lead a country successfully.

She didn't really know him, so it was difficult to find a way to further encourage him. She had the urge to do so...but she really had no ammunition to do it with.

She was quiet for a few moments, staring back at him with some measure of wariness. If he was hoping for her to guide conversation...she really wasn't the person to do that. Despite the fact that she'd been chosen as a diplomat, conversation wasn't her strength.

She frowned slightly, and then glanced away from him, finally. "I'm not used to not needing to introduce myself."

Juugo was content to sit in silence, really, but he could tell she was a little awkward, not knowing what to do. It was actually relaxing, knowing that even people with more experience felt a little lost. So when she admitted to being not used to things he smiled at her.

"Neither am I. Before, I only had my friends, and now, the people of Ame all know me. But I don't mind."

Hopefully that would reassure her, and maybe they could... well, Juugo didn't know what, but maybe she'd like to see more of Ame. Juugo could show her around, if she wanted.

Well, Sakura was usually content to sit in silence...but it was such a rarity to encounter anyone outside of an Aburame who also enjoyed silent company that, as an envoy of Konoha, she felt compelled to avoid it.

She didn't have to worry about being village famous, but she did have a little empathy for getting attention she was unused to. The peculiar focus of Nagato and her own hokage recently was unsettling, unusual, and unwarranted.

Though she'd really meant to say that as an indication that in skipping her own introduction, he'd skipped his as well.

"Well, as long as it isn't negative, it isn't so bad to be known, is it?"

It was a testament of how unused to introducing himself he was that Juugo didn't even think of the fact that he hadn't told her his name, or that she hadn't told him hers. Her chakra signature was enough that from now on he'd know her just by feel, and names were less important.

"No, it's not, but sometimes, the negative... more people end up knowing that."

Juugo frowned at that. The memories of the people it had killed, and how he'd become known for that. How Orochimaru had found him and-- Well, Nagato had saved him, and now he was known for better things, at least in Ame. Did they still know him only for it and killing outside of it?

But that wasn't a good question to ask someone he'd only just met.

Without being a sensory type herself, names were more important to remembering people for her than feel. But then, she wasn't particularly a fan of names, either. Names hadn't done her very well in life.

"...The negative has a habit of traveling with more speed than the positive." That much she'd had experience with, as well. But, not enough to answer his question if he were to have asked. She had heard nothing at all of Juugo's past, or the things he'd done. Such news didn't travel so far as Konoha, and on missions it had simply never come up.

Juugo considered that for a while, and nodded sadly. “A lot of people found out the bad things, before. But it’s better now, and I’m much safer here.”

The way he said it might confuse the issue, but Juugo was definitely referring to himself being safe for others to be around, not personally being safe from outside threats. Juugo didn’t think to clarify, and had yet to be corrected on the nuance.

“Ame is the best place to be.” There’s no hint of boasting or exaggeration in his tone. To Juugo that’s a simple fact, as true as the rain that gentle comes down on them.

The way that he said it, Sakura of course made the presumption that the bad things made it unsafe for him to be places, not that he was unsafe for others. Thus, she would not be one to correct him on the nuance either.

Instead, she simply offered him a faint smile. It was natural for the people who lived in a country to feel that theirs was the best. If they didn't, it would show signs of weakness in the country, and an indication that it wouldn't last much longer.

"It's good to be happy to be where you are."

"It is. Are you happy in your home?"

Though the question could be considered prying, Juugo only asked with simple curiosity. Some people were happier in Ame than others, but they all had different reasons for the way they were. Where people in other villages the same way? He thought they might be, but he hadn't had a chance to talk to people from other places very much.

Waterlogged

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