So It Begins

Rika walked through the shopping district, carrying herself differently from her normal public appearance. She had no time for games, no time to pretend to be a sweet innocent girl. There was business to attend to. She received word that war has begun, Kaosgakure and Ibaragakure being offensive against the shogun. It was... Revolution. They had two allied villages, while two remained neutral for the time being, but everything was subject to change. As a Blade Rika had to take action, she was needed on the west continent, but there was business she had to attend to first, she needed to increase her effectiveness for the shogun. She cursed at herself for not doing it sooner, but it was too late for remorse, now was a time to act. Rika was looking for a particular person, someone she knew that would be a of help. She just hoped that the war ended before too much damage was caused, war was never a great thing. It isn't a battle between good and evil. It is a battle between opinions, both sides have their rights and wrongs, which is why the death numbers in war are so high, both sides believe firmly in what they are doing. The idea of cutting down Ibara and Kaos shinobi was unsettling to Rika, she hoped it didn't come to that.

Jasmine was walking in the shopping district her goal honestly was simple she was hoping to run into that Shogunate shinobi that had helped her gather materials way back when, perhaps she would be lucky and find her roaming around. Oh speak of the devil. Jasmine thought to herself spotting Rika before walking so that she would possibly bump into her, she noticed however the woman's presence was a bit different as if she was the shinobi she truly was rather than the seemingly pleasant to be around woman. Then again Jasmine was the observant type albeit seeming as if she was a ditzy slut, so she never truly let down her guard around Rika to begin with, regardless she was the person she was seeking out in the first place so it was quite lucky for her to have at least spotted her today who knew if she had been off by another couple of minutes she might of never been able to see her ever again, after all shinobi tended to die off early.

Hey there stranger. she would pipe up before actually colliding with Rika assuming her target didn't dodge out of the way without realizing it as shinobi tended to do, something about their combat instincts and the like or more technical jargon that really wasn't important to be thinking about at the moment.

As Jasmine crossed paths with Rika, she was still deep in thought, her eyes cast slightly downward while she bit on her lip gently. The collision happened for sure and Rika, being a much shorter and younger girl, faceplanted directly into Jasmine's chest. Rika dropped down and realized what had happened and stood up quickly, recognizing the voice that greeted her. Her face was red after the incident and realizing where exactly her face had landed. "It's you..." she said in her natural voice.

Was this a coincidence? What were the chances that Jasmine literally walked right into her. Surely it was a coincidence, no one knew of Rika's plans except for Rika, and soon Jasmine. "I was actually searching for you, it is quite a surprise to run into you here... Jasmine" she said, not bothering to revert to her childish voice, she had no reason to hide her true side from Jasmine anymore, it was very necessary to make her a close ally at this time. Rika paused for several moments as she thought about how she would approach the subject at hand. At last she drew a breath and spoke, "How do you feel about the Revolution?" she asked. While Jasmine was in Dipu, she was a traveler, and civilians were more random as far as choosing sides went. Rika had a hunch, or maybe it was blind hope, that Jasmine was an ally already.

Jasmine would resist the urge to smother Rika in her bosom but pushing away her slutty tendencies she would merely giggle as Rika righted herself before her smile would fade slightly as she spoke. Revolution? Oh...that, ah are you worried that my genius would go to the enemy. Heh, no worries Rika I'm a friendly and even if I wasn't I'm a Master Blacksmith, even if I picked a side it doesn't mean I'd stop making stuff for the other side, wherever the Xel flows I'll follow. But personally, I like the fact that the Shogun-bossman is in control of this place. Besides, I hear if you support him you get shipped money to produce stuff for the war effort, honestly to someone like me, it's perfect. Jasmine said moving her hands before placing them on the back of her neck and stretching out a bit as she was still stiff seeing as she had woken up just a couple of minutes ago, she was thankfully a quick walker. She did notice in addition to her presence that her voice was in that oddly mature tone she had used when she was actually being serious instead of the sing song one she had used when they first met.

But why do you ask, love? Does someone like you require my services, I'd be happy to help of course for a price, though possibly lower than what Becca would charge you. Jasmine said with a small a laugh at the end when she thought about how Becca would probably chew her out later if Jasmine sold things while she wasn't present something about how she was much nicer to people she already knew and that money doesn't fall out of the sky. Speaking of Rebecca..she hoped Flame managed to steer her the right way, it would do to spend hours looking for her yet again..

Rika eyed Jasmine as she spoke and listened carefully to what she had to say. it made sense, it seemed she was for the shogunate indeed, making Rika's life a bit easier. It seemed Jasmine already knew what she was getting at, but there was one bit of information Rika could give her that she would likely have never guessed. Rika trusted her for some reason, there was something about Jasmine that made Rika feel comfortable in situations she would otherwise be skeptical. She didn't have any reason to doubt her trust in Jasmine, although there wasn't much to back it on either, considering they hardly knew each other. She hoped she would be able to keep Jasmine around for a long time.

"I trust you. I can't really explain it but its my reasoning behind telling you this." she paused, taking a breath and considering her next few words. "I'm not exactly a normal Kunoichi, in fact I'm not aligned with Dipugakure at all. I am a shogunate Kunoichi, stationed her for the time being. Although the time is drawing close for me to deploy, due to the revolution. Also I'm not a normal shogunate either. I am a member of a small group called the Blades who serve directly under the shogun and serve as... Elites, you could say, among the Shogunate shinobi." she said. She wanted to be honest with Jasmine about her life, Rika considered her a friend and wanted her to be wary of the situation. "Of course this means my duties in this war are a little more complicated then I'd like them to be, and I'm not happy with my combat potential. I use Kugujutsu, and I've been designing some puppets that will greatly aid me in this, but I lack the skills necessary to create them... but I believe that you do. I've come to you for you aid, of course I'll pay whatever you charge me." she finished, observing and waiting for Jasmine's reply.

Jasmine would listen to Rika despite her usual bubbly personality she knew when it was time to be serious and this was one, she would tilt her head to the side before closing her eyes briefly opening them when she got a mental picture of what Rika was really asking her. Not to mention this new information actually worked in her favor, if Rika apparently was part of some elite group headed by the Shogun it meant that if she made things for her the other members might also seek her out and it could even possible directly reach the Shogun's radar and then money would pour in. She was by no means crazy about money after all she wasn't Rebecca she was more concerned with the fame that would come from her making things for the Shogun and his right hand people. Though she could call it into question whether Rika was telling the truth but...she didn't seem like she would really need to lie to Jasmine anyways after all she wasn't exactly the type to blab, now steal her boyfriend or girlfriend yes, but impart secrets not really.

Hmm so you want to commission me to make things for you, puppets huh, usually I'm not exactly fond of making weapons as you know I like making armor but, recently I've begun to dabble into puppetry so you are actually in luck. I have a couple in stock right now actually but...the way your talking you want something special, it'll cost you though and I won't be able to do it right away, after all true art takes work and as skilled as I am I'm not nearly as good as I want to be. So how about this, I'm going to be in Shigakure soon, I need to gather some things and deliver something to my cousin once I'm done there I'll be heading to Paradox for training as a scholar. The reason why I'm saying this now, is that while I can make you puppets now, they'd be good but not great, if you tell me what you want though and let me get to Gakusha I know I can make you something great. Jasmine said while she actually thought to herself that depending on the selection of materials by the time she finishes her training in Gakusha on advanced weapon creation she could potentially make Rika a legendary set of puppets like the Zodiac Line of Teresa Yaju. Actually...no, not something great, something better than great after all, I am the greatest blacksmith in the world. Okay perhaps not yet but with a pedigree like this come on.

It seemed Jasmine knew what she was talking about, and Rika was lucky that she had gotten into puppet creation lately. That made her life alot easier. Rika actually had a whole set of puppets in mind, and she had an idea of how to make it work. And some of what the things she needed would be. Of course, being a true-kugu kunoichi, Rika knew a great deal about puppetry and how to make them, however not as well as a master blacksmith. Rika thought for a moment, there were six in total that she wanted made, but it would likely be a long-term project to create all of them, so she would start with one. But which one... She considered it for a moment, but it didn't take her long to decide, she would have her personal favorite made first... Invidia.

"Perfect then... I have several I'd like to make, six in total, but it'd likely be better to start with just one for now. For the puppet I have in mind we're going to need the basic framework components needed to have a chakra system in a puppet, for the inner layer we'll need materials for a highly durable structure, and also we'll be able to use the wires of my weapon, Nuibari, in the inner layer. As for the outer shell, more highly durable materials and an onyx coating. The puppet will also have a pair of wings which will be the most durable and resistant part of the puppet, I'll leave you to decide the best materials for this part. For the weapon get some extra materials similar to the ones used in the puppet, but the main structure of the weapon I'll have to fetch on my own time." she said. She wasn't too specific on the materials because she figured Jasmine would know the best ones to get for the durability that Rika was looking for. "I'm sure after hearing those components you'll realize the puppet in question is a human puppet... I hope working on one of those isn't too dark for you, I'm assuming it isn't. As for the live samples... Leave those to me." she said, ending the last part with a slight wink.

Jasmine listened before cringing slightly at as she continued to talk knowing before Rika even confirmed it what she would really be working on, it wasn't really that it was shudder worthy carving a body to the bone and using it to make death dolls. No it was just the mess and all that blood her sadist tendencies would run rampant before she could do it it was no problem heck that was one of the reasons she was going to Gakusha in the first place, making Human Puppets was out of the grasp of a normal blacksmith but seeing as she traced her roots from shinobi origin and was capable of manipulating her chakra system it wouldn't be difficult for her to do it. In fact the sheer seal work it would take was making her slightly wet, then again that was probably her inner Rikigaku speaking, she would nod before she mentally began to run a list of materials in her head.

Well, this can be done in three ways, either you buy the materials yourself and hand them to me so I can combine them, you search for the materials by yourself or you escort me or Becca to where they are I'd suggest Becca she has a nack for finding things or which is the best choice, would be for you to give me the cash to buy the weapons because the Land of Greed is notorious for overcharging shinobi and newbie artisans but seeing as I'm a really really good Blacksmith they know better than to overcharge me. That way you'll only pay for the craft and not the materials comprising it which is what people normally pay for puppets. Jasmine said before counting on her fingers, at the very least it would seem Rika knew what she wanted and seeing as she only wanted six it would mean they they were meant to be used simulaniously yet at the same time would still be powerful induvidually.

Alright then come let's go somewhere less...open, to discuss this more, I also want to see this Nuibari of yours so I can at least note what class of materials you want the selection to be from it wouldn't do to have only 1 good part of a puppet while everything else is shoddy.

Rika listened to her options. It was pretty obvious which choice was the best to go with from the get go. She wasn't interested in being overcharged in the land of Greed and she didn't have the time to search for the materials herself, she would hardly have time to get the living samples, of course she had a feeling the revolution would actually help her with that part. Rika breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed it was going to be a little easier than she expected to get this done, it was just likely... really expensive. She hadn't done many bounties lately so she wasn't exactly rich, but she at least had enough to get it started.

"I believe we both know the obvious choice here is to give you the cash to buy the materials, I trust you enough for that, don't worry. You'll have to give me a figure and I'll give you what you need." she said to Jasmine. The girl suggested going someplace else for further conversation on the subject, it sounded like a good idea, surely there were anti-shogunates in Dipu that Rika would rather the information not getting out to. "I agree. I'll follow you? Nipaa~" she said with a bright smile on her face.

Jasmine smirked before turning and walking off moving her arms a bit so that her elbows occasionally touched as she walked, she would turn down one of the less used alleyways before walking a bit further and bringing Rika to a small clearing. She would check her surroundings first then spinning around to face Rika while puffing out her cheeks. Not exactly the best place but private, yeah? Though you can do some shinobi-ness and check for sure if it bothers you otherwise whip out this weapon of your so I can check it out, last time we met I wasn't able to really determine it's quality other than it being rather impressive, now though..I'll be able to inspect it more throughly. Jasmine said glossing over the fact that she was trusted by Rika even though it did give her a nice warm feeling inside that typically accompanied her gaining a new friend, rather than the hot burning feeling when she found a new fuck buddy.

I'm warning you now, love. Even though you probably know this, I don't make bad stuff but unfortunately good stuff is also hella expensive, so if you aren't prepared to blow 100 K. Then tell me now and I'll minimize my ideas but if you want to go big, and are more concerned with having death machines that would be the stuff of legend then it's going to cost you. Just thought I'd reiterate it, my inner Rebecca was screaming at me to bring up that point, but no seriously your lucky she isn't here...if she was she'd jack up the price to double if she could and she has this cute eye thing she does that hypotizes people in buying whatever she says. she said with a slight headshake as she remembered the incident with the carrot.

As they arrived Rika looked around. It seemed private, and she wasn't that worried about it so she decided to just trust her instinct. Jasmine seemed almost excited to see Nuibari, Rika found it slightly amusing, it was only natural for a master blacksmith she imagined though, Nuibari was a very high quality weapon. She drew the long slender blade and went to hand it to Jasmine, but pausing before she did so. "This is it, careful of the wire though, it's invisible to the naked eye and is rather sharp." she said, running her finger over the wire to show where it came from. "I realize it's different from when you saw it last, it's a little hard to explain but it's not a normal weapon, I have unlocked it's ascended state through mastering it." she added as she handed it to Jasmine carefully.

Rika expected the puppet to be quite expensive, and she was right. She wanted the highest quality she could get. She was going to have to invest in it and build up money as she went, there was no way she could pay for all of it at the moment. "Unfortunately I only have 12500 xel I can spend at the moment, but I can get more. My salary is rather high, especially now that the Revolution is going on, getting xel for me isn't difficult. I'd like to get as high quality as I can." she replied. The use of words like death machines caught Rika a bit off guard though. Was that really what she was having created? They would likely be extremely powerful. She sighed... perhaps Death machines were really what was needed in order to keep peace and balance in the world. While the shogun's rule wasn't the purest, if there was one thing it emphasized it was balance, and in balance there is a measure of peace.

Jasmine was right about the type of weapon, she held it and she felt her body go slightly numb the craftmanship that must of went into this weapon..truly they were a master of the art of weapon making, not only was it made of superior qualify materials but to grant a weapon sentience.. Well aren't you a lazy one...must of been a pain to wake you up. Jasmine whispered to Nuibari while running her fingertips along it she would turn it before handing it back to Rika and smiling warmly. That weapon is one of a kind, you are truly lucky to have it, but you are right about your combat skill, you don't really have a lot of techniques for it's use do you. No matter your lucky it's so bloodthisty despite it's sleepy nature. The wire is perfect it would give you an edge...no pun intended against the competition one of the main drawbacks of a puppet are it's joints, since this wire doesn't run out..I'll be able to use it to wrap around the inner layer like a pseudo-musculature thus granting the flexibility of joints without the risk of them getting clogged up or broken. Not to mention the durability...this actually saved you a fortune the blacksmith in me is crying for getting to work with parts from such a weapon though you might want to consider it's feelings on the matter. she said before deciding to address the money issue she knew that shinobi were able to gather funds at short notice after all it was what they did but she did notice that Rika seemed to be taken a back by her comments.

Eh, don't take me too seriously I tend to over-exaggerate, well not when I say I can make you something legendary but small things. You don't seem like the mass murdering type so I'll sleep easy making things like this for you, well as easy as any blacksmith would when they make things for shinobi. You know part of the reason I wanted to be a blacksmith was to lessen shinobi deaths its why I started out making armor..now though..I realize if I do that I'm just encouraging them to create more deadly techniques while making those already difficult to kill even more resilent. I guess that's why I support the Shogun at least with him the land isn't constantly plagued with war..well bar this one...if..no when he wins hopefully it can plunge this land back to into peace..that's what I hope at least.

Spoiler:

Rika smiled lightly as Jasmine looked over the weapon. She was surprised by her knowledge of both the weapon and Rika's skill with it at just a short glance, surely she was something special among blacksmiths. She was honored to be a blade and have Nuibari, being so high among the ranks of the shogun gave her further ability to have a presence in the political situation of the world and attempt to keep peace to the best of her ability. If only killing wasn't necessary to do so, but she knew it was, and she would have no mercy when it came to that. Anyone opposing the shogun was an enemy that had to be eliminated.

"Yes it is indeed a magnificent blade, I'm honored to have it. Thank you, your knowledge on weapons is superior to anything I've ever seen. You are sure to go far, even beyond just a master blacksmith, I hope to help you achieve your goals, as I know you'll help me achieve mine. Of course thats what it means to be... friends." Rika said, the last word coming a little slowly, she wasn't used to calling people her friend it was odd. Rika listened carefully to Jasmine as she began talking about the shogun and peace, it seemed she shared similar views to Rika. "Yeah I feel the same way about the shogun. I'm more loyal to the people in the world, then loyal to the shogun. Being loyal to him just happens to branch off of that." she replied.

Jasmine would smile when Rika called her, her friend which was what she was going for the more friends she got the better not to mention Rebecca wouldn't be annoyed because Rika was a girl which was better than what had happened last time. Perfect then, I help my friends out, if I come across materials that you'll need anyways I'll let you know, seeing as I'm going to be travelling a lot anyways. Jasmine said before stopping and remembering that Rika had told her something about wanting six so she figured why not, at least know what she was getting into before commissioning them as well it would be easier for her to plan ahead with 5 more in mind than just make one and then have to make five more when she was already biased towards one.

Do you have any idea on the others, just so I can get a mental picture, I take it you want them to be capable of fighting alone and together so I'd rather know a little bit about the others while I make this one so I can plan accordingly. Jasmine said quickly wanting to at least get this out of the way then maybe they could get some dango because she was actually hungry thankfully her stomach hadn't grumbled and betrayed her.

Rika smiled at Jasmine's kind offer to grab materials that she sees on her travels that would aid in the creation of the puppets. "That would be great, Thank you." she said in return. The life of a civilian always intrigued Rika, especially the life of one as highly skilled as Jasmine. Both the shinobi and civilian lifestyles had a large impact on the world, both in drastically different ways. It was interesting to observe. Rika wondered if she had been a civilian, what career she would have taken up. Mostly likely she would have been a scholar or a Lady, or perhaps a combination of both.

Jasmine asked about the other five puppets Rika had in mind and she thought for a moment what the easiest way to describe all five of them would be. "Well they aren't all set in stone, but I believe I have the basic ideas of the five of them down." she paused. "Gula, the largest of the six, he is physically the strongest and serves as a tank, very defensive, crushing strength, but slow. There will be a system that sets him into a type of overdrive that will greatly increase his physical aspects and increase his speed slightly to where it isn't a huge weakness, but this overdrive will only last temporarily and afterwards he will be greatly weakened until he has recharged." she explained. Gula was an interesting one, but one of her less favorites out of the six. "Ira, another physical fighter, he is all around the most balanced physically out of the group, however there is one thing he specializes in, and that is counter striking. His reaction is made to be on levels above anything else, he is strongest when he is being attacked. Of course depending on what live samples I gather for him, he'll have a bit more in his arsenal." she said. "Acedia is an odd one, his powers are based off of scrolls kept on him, using these specially made scrolls and chakra as a medium he can create barriers that can defend against almost all forms of offensive up to a certain point. Anything these barriers defend against stores energy in the scrolls to be used for offense, essentially taking the opponents strength, multiplying it, and using it back on them." she took a breath before finishing up with the last two. "Avaritia is similar to Acedia, in that he uses mostly non-physical means for combat, however he is much less defensively based and more offensive than Acedia. The particular type of chakra-based offense he'll be using, I haven't decided on, once again, it depends on the live samples I collect when I prepare for his creation." The last puppet in the six would likely be the most difficult, and Rika had no idea how she would go about it yet, so she decided to save it for later. "The last one, Superbia, she is gonna be a bit more difficult. I'll need some more time planning her before I can explain to you how she will work." she finished. She knew it was quite long winded, but she also knew Jasmine probably wanted as many details as possible, so that was fine. "Is that all?" she asked, making sure Jasmine had all the information she wanted.

Jasmine would smile softly before her facial changed to a bit more focused as she listened to Rika's explaination as she listed each puppet Jasmine began listing possible materials to aid in their construction, the first Gula she had already run through options for his inner layers and frame work, Ira seemed balanced but a counter striker that was most interesting and she had the perfect type of wood in mind for it, Acedia scrolls, she could tell Rika was really invested in Kugujutsu so it was likely her other areas of combat suffered meaning the seal work for said scrolls would most likely rest on her, she was thinking multiple element seals, Avarita she understood the difficulty of explaining a highly offensive puppet without having the framework already predetermined and finally Superbia who she hadn't managed to get any information on. Yep I got everything, oh before I forget in case you are wondering, I'm able to make things of an intangible nature as well as forge them into things, just in case you want one of your puppets to be able to harm Entity and Prime with their "physical' attacks, I know it's not exactly normal but it is possible just thought I should add it perhaps it'll help you while choosing source materials. Jasmine said adding in that just in case before sighing and smiling once again.

Now then, are we done with work because I'm famished.

Rika sighed after the long explanation. Luckily Jasmine didn't seem lost at all afterwards, the blacksmith's deep and expansive knowledge on the subject prior to this every happening was rather helpful, it made everything much more simple, especially considering Rika didn't even know everything she needed to make these puppets work. Either way it seemed they were pretty much done, the mention of the intangibility was a bit interesting, but Rika didn't have any ideas for it right of the bat, so she figured she'd keep it in midn for later perhaps. Jasmine mentioned being hungry, Rika couldn't help but admit she was rather hungry as well, so it would work out. "Yeah I'd say that concludes the subject." she said, ending the puppet discussion. "Would you like to join me for lunch?" she asked. It wasn't something she would generally offer, but the timing was good, and it would be nice to get a bit of time in where she wasn't working before she departed for the west continent.

Sure why not you can treat me to Dango, like a date. Kidding Kidding your much to young for me. Jasmine said while bouncing on the balls of her feet before moving forward so they could get out of this alleyway, once they got to the main road she could pretty much find her way to the nearest dango shop, it didn't help that she knew every single one but hey dango tasted good so it was worth the hours she spend exploring the village as a child sampling the stores to know which one made the best dango. So I take it you'll be heading out to the West Empire soon enough, hmm best of luck, yeah? Because it would quite dreadful if you up and died on me like you kunoichi types tend to do. she said with a slight smile although her humor had some seriousness based in it, now she wasn't one to say it bluntly but seeing as they had recently become friends she was concerned about her friend's safety. Odd considering they had only encountered each other twice now but Jasmine was one to get attached to people quickly after all it was part of her free spirited lifestyle, easy to love and easy to give love to others.

Rika laughed slightly at Jasmine's joke and then nodded. "Sounds good, lets go." she said. She had never actually had Dango before, but she was perfectly willing to try new foods, if Jasmine liked it, it couldn't be too bad right? She kept her diet pretty simple, she mostly ate foods that were quick and easy to make, and she was a terrible cook. Occasionally she went out to eat, especially after completing missions while she was still away from home. Rika followed closely behind Jasmine as they walked through the streets.

Jasmine mentioned something that had been on her mind already, so when she did it interrupted Rika's thoughts with a bit of surprise. "Yes unfortunately there are duties I have to attend to there." she replied quietly. "Don't worry I wont die. I'll mostly be there to find out what I can do for the war, I'll be avoiding fighting for now, as I'm not even close to my max potential yet. Of course if the situation arises I wont be able to avoid it." she added in response to Jasmine. It seemed she worried a bit, it wasn't the way most people showed their concern though, but Rika could see what was beneath the comment. "Besides, I'll be with the other Blades, they are likely as strong or stronger than me, it'll be hard to take us down as a group." she said confidently.

Jasmine spied the dango shop about two blocks away before turning to Rika while pointing in it's direction so she would see it as well, probably unnecessary considering shinobi were all about scouting out places and seeing underneath the underneath whatever that meant. Awesome, yeah. Hey, you know if they are looking for stuff as well try to spread my name around a bit, the more commissions I get the better. she said before they would finally get to the shop and she would rap her knuckles against the table to attract the shop keeper. Hello again Saya-chan, I'll have the usual and my friend will have....errrr a menu yeah can't exactly decide for her, that would be rude. Jasmine said before sitting down on one of the stools before pulling out a small napkin so she could dab her lipstick so she could eat without making a mess, sure she would still have to reapply after but alas, one had to make some sacrifices to look good. Her thoughts would stray briefly to Rebecca as she wondered exactly how she was doing at the moment, seeing as she would have to meet up with her later anyways.

Jasmine pointed out the shop in the distance and Rika made her way to it with her, sitting down alongside her. "If I see an opportunity I'll spread the word." she said. It seemed Jasmine was a regular, also she got a menu for Rika, but Rika had no idea what she would even order, so she took an easy route. "I'll just get the same thing as her! Nipaa~" she said. She wasn't that picky so she wasn't worried about what it would be. Whatever it was it was almost certainly better than Rika's cooking, and she could get that down, so it should be fine. She sat there and waited patiently for the food to come, she wasn't really sure how to initiate conversation, it wasn't something she was good at, so she decided to leave that to Jasmine, or just to sit there silently, whichever was fine with her.

Hmmm...so, before we sit here in awkward silence, what do you want to talk about, ask me anything I don't really mind talking about anything, yeah. Jasmine said once Saya went away to prepare their dango, she was getting her usual dish 6 skewers of Goma Dango while 3 skewers of Bocchan Dango she typically order them in multiples but she wouldn't want to empty Rika's pocket, besides she had recently come across a decent chunk of money despite Rebecca putting a limit on her spending and considering she had blown a large amount of their fortune on tools, it was only natural that she would be banned from spending anymore without Becca being present. Thinking about that though her armor would of probably set fully by now, seeing as she had let it cool overnight and it was now being held in her Coded Storage so it should be ready for sale shortly anyways, so the Xel she had spend would most likely be made back through sales.

Jasmine broke the silence, but not in a way Rika had hoped she would. Rika thought for a moment, she wanted to ask something that would have Jasmine talking for a while so she could talk as little as possible. The whole friendly conversation thing was difficult for her. Eventually she thought of something and decided to go with it. "So where did you meet Rebecca? You two always seem to be together and are large variables in each other's lives, so I was wondering how that began." she asked. While they sat there, Rika wondered what food was coming. She was a light eater so she was hoping it wasn't too big of a meal, after years of cup ramen and toast for every other meal, she had gotten used to eating little.

Jasmine would smirk at Rika's comment she had taken the initiative as it seemed like Rika wouldn't really be the one talking a lot and seeing the question she asked it would seem Rika would get away with just saying things like "oh and I see". She would look up as Saya came back with both of their plates prompting Jasmine to inhale before swooning a bit as she was perhaps maybe a bit...enamoured with dango. Smells delicious as usual Saya-chan, thank you. Um..me and Rebecca huh, well I met her about...hmm how many years ago? Should be going on 2 years now? Jasmine said before opening her mouth and devouring one of the skewers before pulling it out devoid of dango with her cheeks slightly puffed as she chewed. She would hum a little as she ate a habit she had picked up growing up as she didn't like how it would be rather silent when a group of people ate and when she was done chewing she would swallow before continuing the conversation.

I met her while buying Flame my pet Aneka, he helps me with my forging, anyways I saw her looking for things to purchase while being really unhappy about the prices in the Land of Greed. We talked for a bit and I told her I was going to be heading to my home country and we struck up a deal of sorts. Jasmine said eating another skewer in the same method and once she was done with that one she would continue. She was a mercent and I was a blacksmith so she offered to follow me around after she saw what I made, I would handle the forging and she'd handle the sales with a 30/70 split in her favor. I know your probably thinking that's bad but I'm really horrible with money..heh...I tend to buy lavish things, a girl has needs, yeah? Anyways the deal was she'd take 20 percent of her cut to set it aside for raw materials for me, and then another 20 percent towards establishing shops for us and 30 for herself while my 30 was for me to do whatever I wanted with it. she said before taking the pause smile at Saya as she returned with their green tea, she would eat two skewers this time instead of speaking after finishing one and would take a sip of the tea before continuing.

So we made our way from Greed to Souls which could about 2 months and then after staying in Souls for a bit we managed to get on a ship. That was fun, the captain was really well hung...sex was amazing. Pity he died, oh well things happen right, anyways we were stuck on the ship for a really long while I think like five-six months we made a couple of stops along the way mainly for restocking and stuff/ Jasmine said before eating another skewer, if one was actually paying attention to her they would notice that she didn't manage to get any of the bean paste on her lips as despite the speed of her eating she was rather careful to leave not a single mess. Anyways long story short we ended up in Dipugakure, where we've been for a year, but I'm eager to get on moving to my actual home in Shigakure now that I've visited the extended family, yeah?

Rika listened carefully to Jasmine's story. While the original question itself was random and thrown out there purely to avoid awkwardness, she did care enough about the answer to listen to it. It was interesting, especially the part about the ship, she wondered how that went down. It seemed between the two of them they were creating a great business for themselves. She wished she had similar synergy with someone in her life, but she didn't need that as much, not as a Kunoichi. Her goal was to become a hunter nin, and they weren't exactly known for being in groups. This brought to mind her personal reason for wanting to go to the west continent. Sure, she had to assist in the war effort and such, but she mainly wanted to scope out a prospective apprentice. Someone slightly below her her that she would nurture and become a close ally with, something similar to Jasmine and Rebecca. Perhaps the lives between shinobi and civilians weren't as different as she had thought. Either way, the food came and Rika ate a skewer as she listened to Jasmine speak. It was actually really good and she quickly ate another one soon after. She didn't eat them quite as fast as Jasmine, but she finished up after Jasmine did and leaned back a bit more in her chair when she was done. "That cool, i'm glad that worked out so well for the two of you. I'm sure it'll be nice to see Shigakure again. I move wherever I'm stationed, but I was actually raised in Dipugakure, so when I'm stationed here it's basically like being home for me."