Espresso

Kurai was off work and doing some research at his desk. Unfortunately it was like 7:30 in the morning and he was awake. Who the hell is up at seven in the morning? Obviously him! Probably all those damn mornings of being up for missions and training. He decided to go to the coffee shop down the street and get some coffee, because even though he was up and couldn't go back to sleep, he was still tired. And damn, it was early for him.
As the rain poured down outside Kurai walked to the coffee shop and sat down at a table. His hair was soaked and he slicked it back with his hands as he sat at the table trying to enjoy being out in public, something he wasn't big on normally because even though this is Kiri, the village with the most distinct looking villagers and Shinobi, Taus are still judged!
At this point he was hoping to eventually see maybe one or two familiar people to ease his anxiety of being out in public! As the waitress brought his coffee, he added a little sugar and creamer to it and stored it as he took a sip. That helped, he began to relax and draw on a piece of paper he found on the table. The pencil was beside the paper. Now, Kurai likes to draw as well as read, maybe this is what he needed to relax.

[243]

Arbitrary information bombarded Nix; tactile contact with certain surfaces was, at this point, nauseating. She approached the statue, looming in the dense fog. Nothing concealed the terror of its pride, which elicited a whimper from Nix. As a palpable horror seized the young woman, she began to weep at the sight of his semblance. The stone obelisk loomed ominously, a national emblem that was prideful and oppressive. It was a towering effigial shadow that was indifferent in the face of those who hoped for reconciliation. Polished remnants of the tyrant's harrowingly stoic expression extracted caution from an emotionally inundated Nix. Her primordial insight gleaned over the former Mizukage's silhouette, as Nix realised that commitment to a nuanced proclivity such as insubordination, even in her heart, would have implications that could register as non-conformity.

A heavy burden encumbered her spirit, and Nix trusted her instincts. There was a certain lack of flowers and an absence of those offering commiserations or condolences. His had been the path less travelled, and few were willing to endure the turmoil and danger that accentuated the harsh brutality in the Lands of Water to visit even the memory of him. Open wounds malignantly etched into the enduring land left indelible marks on her frame of mind. Nix withdrew her apprehensive hand, concluded her pilgrimage, and thanked the heavens for the rain.

After a long moment of consternation outside, she entered the coffee shop. At once greeted by the hospitality of warm, bitter aromatics pervading the air, Nix watched as the barista immediately poured an adequately dark liquid distilled from a handful of crushed roasted coffee beans into a demitasse. Crema sat below the lip of the cup. It was a robust temptation. With a delicate embrace, Nix's cold, shivering hand held the porcelain as the barista proffered it to her. Simmered with anticipation, she gave a steady, perfunctory warning glance to anyone who dared question or delay this precipitous moment. During her baleful analysis of the barista's clientele, Nix noticed a familiar face sitting at a table alone. In this brief moment of recognition, Nix acknowledged that her sodden attire clung obtrusively to her frame. She immediately accepted that the leers of those gawking at her were for reasons more than general curiosity. Her resignation was a precariously modest act of covering herself nonchalantly with her free hand.

[392]

Someone had walked in and the red hair he saw out of the corner of his eye caught his full attention. Nix Pendragon! He knew who she was, she had done missions with them a few times and more recently, they had done one together without the rest of the guys. Kurais noticed she seemed to be in desperate need of a drink! Probably because it was so early in the morning.
After she received her coffee she seemed to be glancing around the room. Kurai gave a slight wave as she looked at him. She looked kind of cute in her morning outfit! He motioned for her to join him. Which was rare considering Kurai was normally shy due to his looks, or lack thereof! But this morning he wouldn't mind chatting with her and getting to know her. She seemed like a pretty nice person. Hopefully she joined him so they could chat. Kurai's heart began to race as though his shyness was trying to kick in, but he wasn't going to let it. He would fight it and talk to her like a normal person would do when trying to get to know someone.
“Nix Pendragon? Good to see you. Have a seat.” Wait, was this ok to say to her? Hopefully so, too late to take it back now!
[466]

The perennially dank weather of Kirigakure, humidity and stretches of low visibility had taken a weary Nix by surprise. His name, poignant, sat on the tip of her tongue; would he misconstrue her aloof attitude contentiously? Distinct familiarity informally surrounded the enigmatic shinobi. She acknowledged the young man, who had been sitting alone. Beckoned, Nix hesitated, a moment of consideration followed by a brief pause. Reconciling, Nix endeavoured to avoid being rude and hearkened when he bid her welcome with non-verbal communication. First impressions were crucial. Friendly, although chagrinned by her current circumstances, Nix approached cautiously. Being offered the opportunity to learn more about the culture of shinobi in Kirigakure first-hand, the young woman cautiously sat down. Grounded, present and prying only into the superficial necessities of social interactions, Nix allowed the warmth of her beverage to wash away the apathy and chill she had earned using her Primordial Insight. The Tau appeared amicable and aware of her name. Earning a shy grin from the young woman, she enunciated with a meek lilt to her precocious cadence. "Salutations, how may I be of assistance?" Unsure how to react to the starkly distinguishable confidence, Nix accepted the appropriation of her name and resolved to at least satisfy his curiosity, if not her own.

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Word Count: 213
Total Word Count: 605

Kurai watches Nix sit across from him. Now comes the hard part. What to say! His mouth just went dry as he stared at her. She was so pretty! She was nice. Pretty didn't describe her but there really wasn't a word…holy shit! Kurai has a crush! On a girl he has been paired with for missions a few times! He finally spoke up.
“I know we don't know each other very well, but tell me about yourself, you're a Pendragon right?” He asked as he continued to scribble on the paper as he looked at her and took a sip of his coffee. He had begun to draw a picture of her! Probably wouldn't match how pretty she really was but Kurai loved to draw and he needed more experience drawing people anyways.
“If it helps I'm a Tau, not a really good name spread among the villages since most people from my clan have a bad history because they are infamous criminals or missing nin! But my twin and I prefer the village ninja life! Change starts somewhere, guess it started with us.” He said as he looked from her to the paper. The thunder rolled outside as the lights slightly flickered, as though to let the village know it was raining
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She acknowledged a peculiar discomfort registering plainly on the Shinobi's face. Not wanting to add to it, Nix glanced out the window briefly, interrupting any scrutiny he may feel under her pensive gaze. Rain cascaded down rhythmically, pitter-pattering against the glass. Lightning interrupted the cafe's electricity, and the lights flickered as she turned back to Kurai, lips curved into a small, thoughtful smile. He was a curious young man, and Nix did not want to be impolite. She responded, her voice formal despite the clattering of her shivering teeth, lilting slightly where accentuation was necessary. "Yes," she began, almost forgetting that there was more than the two of them in the room. "That's right. I am an emissary of House Pendragon. Some say that name carries weight." She wrung the water from a handful of hair, her gaze momentarily dropping to the table. "For us, it's all about duty and tradition. You're always taught to put the family and the village first."

Nix intentionally raised her eyes to meet Kurai's, attempting to wrestle his attention away from his sketching, a glimmer of sincerity behind her words. "Not that I'm complaining. I love the village, and I want to protect it. I wish I had more time to figure out who I am." Nix leaned slightly forward after the question, following it with another. "A Tau?" Shinobi's clans, bloodlines and family ties were not the focus of her study. However, their differences were interesting to pry into. Perhaps she was being nosy. She tilted her head slightly, looking at the drawing on the paper. Her smile grew, a mix of surprise and amusement. "Is that... me?" she asked, pointing to the sketch. "You're talented!" The thunder growled in the distance, filling the silence between them for a moment before she added, her voice warm, "Thank you for asking about me. Not everyone does. What about you? What drives you to change the way people see your clan?"

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Word Count: 334
Total Word Count: 939