Pink Cherry Blossoms

[Tenko]

Jumping to her own defense, Ino took the offered branches before pointed out several more, fighting to push her blush a little paler and not completely succeeding. "Nervous?!" She cried. "How dare you - no - not - I'm not -"

Breaking off and gritting her teeth and clutching a hand to her hair, looking almost as though she wanted to pull her hair out, the kunoichi was silent a moment with her indignance before letting out a feeble admittance. "...Okay." It sounded almost pained, like the breaching of her own pride caused her to suffer. "Yeah, I'm nervous as hell." With a weak smile, she looked back at the other, expression softening slightly with reluctant curiousity as she noticed the shade of his eyes. "Where'd you learn to do that?" She inquired, distracted.

[Cloud-chan]

"Lots of training." Saryou said, watching as a breeze caused more petals to fall off, drifting down, silently.

"Spring's almost over." he thought, out loud. "They'll be gone soon."

[Tenko]

"I'm surprised you stil have all your limbs intact," Ino responded meekly, seeming amazed. "But not by yourself, right? You had a sensei...?"

Trailing off she shook her head and laughed again, seeming a little stressed. "That's what Sakura are known for," she added quietly, shrugging through her smile. "Tragically short lives; that's why I'm taking a few... They're..." She struggled, thinking of a former best friend, her show of vapid arrogance and snobbery feeling the backlash of her honest-to-truth opinion. "Beautiful. Precious, almost.... Almost."

[Cloud-chan]

"No. Self taught."

He nodded, but didn't reply, almost like he was sensing what she was thinking of.

There was a small pause where nothing was said.

"Do you miss them when they're gone?" he finally asked, perhaps the longest thing he had said all day.

[Tenko]

Surprised by the apparently random question, Ino studied him a moment, trying to gauge what he meant; fideling nervously with the branches she'd carefully poised into the vase, she swept them to the other side of her face so tha she could see Seryou probably. "I was going to ask you a question, but I think that's the longest thing I've gotten you to say, so..." Seeming quizzically stunned she opened her mouth several times to answer, but couldn't seem to.

Chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip, her expression seemed to soften slightly, and there was a bitter, almost doubtful look in her face - but for the life of her, Ino couldn't place why. "Yeah..." She admitted. "Yeah, I do. But I don't get why you'd think that important."

[Cloud-chan]

"Just thinking." Seryou replied.

"Your question is?"

[Tenko]

“Thinking, yeah?” She responded skeptically, shrugging it off as she mildly fawned over her sakura branches as though they were her children. “You think too much.”

Clearing her throat, she questioned in a mild enough tone, “Well, I was maybe wondering why you’re so strange.” Laughing nervously at how rude the statement sounded, Ino elaborated, knowing how innocently she’d meant it. “I mean, your eyes – they’re, well, almost red; you’ll never see that kind of color, I think, not unless it’s a clan thing. And your face… why’re you wrapped up like that? All these little things… I mean, it’s not every day you see someone with equipment like yours and handling them like boomerangs.”

Not really knowing how to express her bewilderment, the girl shook her head apologetically, minding her blossoms with tender care but clutching the vase protectively. “It’s just, you’re not run-of-the-mill. But thanks for your help…” Sneaking another unsure glance at his face, she added with an unsteady grin, “I mean, I don’t know what to really say or ask first to deal with you; I’m… unnerved? That’s it… But thanks.”

[Cloud-chan]

He blinked, then listened to her whole speech.

"I guess... I am weird." he said, slowly. Not sure how to reply or what to say.

"As for the cloth around my face... I just like it." he said, and then gave a small shrug.

[Tenko]

Staring blankly at him a moment, Ino felt a small chuckle escape her at Seryou's admission; trying desperately to supress her bemused laughter she turned away as he confessed the true secret of his facial cloth. "Well," she stated, not really knowing what to do and brushing her bangs back again. "I guess I didn't expect you to really say anything about it."

Pausing a second, she tucked the vase carefully into the crook of her arm and did her best to clasp her hands, bowing lightly in the fashion of someone giving their thanks - though she didn't say anything, figuring action alone was obvious, and that she'd already pointed it out enough. "Well, I'm - um - going back to the Flower Shop; now that this is all sorted out, I've got some work to finish before training with Tabito-sensei."

Backing up slightly and still holding the vase, she added, "It was - er - nice meeting you, Mitsami-kun; you're a real gentleman, even if you're a total freak." Flashing him a cheerful grin, she turned to go again, but found something dashing at her memory. Eyes widening, Ino looked back at him before adding, "By the by... I hear Kaji Tsuyoi's looking for some genin - Team Fourteen, y'know? So... check back with your academy sensei, or they might have a scroll delivered... Maybe Sandaime-sama assigned you to his team, right?"

Glancing at his face as though trying to gauge if this was good enough by his eyes, Ino quickly turned away, sorting over her newest vase-full of flowers and feeling altogether dazed.

After all, it wasn't like she was expecting a reply.

[Cloud-chan]

Saryou smiled, under the cloth. She'd taken the bait. Brilliant.

"I'll do that, Ino-san." he said, making the same gesture as she did.

"We'll see each other again?" he asked, though it was more of a statement then a question.

[Tenko]

"I guess," Ino replied, still not entirely at ease as she raised a hand to him in a cheeky wave. "I mean, it's not like I'm hard to find, and I might just be in your way again, since you like the flowers so much." Another apologetic look and she turned away, glancing back over her shoulder as though she didn't like turning away from him; though Seryou seemed pleasant enough, it was definitely something to boast about if you were so lacking in instinct that you'd completely turn around to a stranger armed that way.

"Sayonara, Mitsami-kun. I hope you get the team placement." With that she turned around, striding stiffly but unable to - after she was out of earshot, lower her head and give a slightly awkward sigh. "That was just... That was weird." And laughing at that to ease up her tense state, the Yamanaka girl carried on as brightly as ever, nose back in the air and already calming down.

[Cloud-chan]

ooC: Errm... board closed then, I guess, if nothing else is going to happen.