A meeting of chance [Diana and Praise]

“Well this was a bad idea.” Diana muttered to herself as she made her way through the dense foliage somewhere in the Island of Lost Beasts. The reason she was here was that she wanted to ensure that the Conga that her and her teammates had chased out the village gotten home safely as she felt a bit guilty for almost slicing its foot off. It had made its way home to its tribe seemingly thanking her for her kindness but now Diana was completely and utterly lost. The Conga had tried to show her the path back to the village but of course since she couldn’t understand what it was trying to say which was why she was now in her current predicament. “Well, at least I won’t starve to death…” She said as luckily for her she found herself in a section where there were fruit-bearing trees. Of course, food wasn’t the major concern, she needed to make her way back to the village before nightfall as who knew what kind of monsters lurked on the Island and she had no intention of becoming monster food. With that said she would continue to head north, using her tanto to cut down anything hindering her path.

Praise had travelled quite a bit in search of rare materials to aid in her medical research and according to her reports it was quite possible that she'd be able to find what she was looking for on this very island. She was searching for some sort of fruit which when eaten was capable of providing pain numbing capabilities and she felt that it would be very useful for her if she managed to harvest some for some medical salve. Who knew when being able to numb pain would save one's life on the field, especially since her career was prone to getting into dangerous situations. Either way what she didn't expect was to find another kunoichi roaming about at least not one who also seemed to be a lowly genin like her, at least she as she didn't see a flak jacket. Still she wouldn't say a word instead opting to observe her from a distance as she didn't exactly know what someone else was doing here and was curious to see what the other girl would do. Still there was a chance that she wasn't as quiet as she thought she was and the other kunoichi would have heard her approach but if that was the case then she would be forced to interact with her and figure out her intentions.

Wiping off the sweat from her brow, Diana continued to trudge rather aimlessly through the forest that seemed never-ending. Not only she had the feeling that she had been going around in circles, and in actuality she was, she also felt as if she was being watched. It would be after noticing that she had passed that same shrub covered in red berries she decided to take a breather. Picking what seemed to be an orange off the nearby low hanging branch, she would sink her teeth into it before spitting it back out a second later. “Ew, that’s nasty.” She muttered to herself hoping that the sour taste would leave her mouth. Resisting the urge to scream she would instead of slam her fist into a nearby tree. “Wait a minute….” It was right then and there she recalled a fundamental technique from the academy, the tree climbing technique. Instead of wasting time and energy wandering around in circles she could just look for an exit from a higher vantage point. Grinning, she would gather a small amount of chakra on the bottom of her feet before making her way up to the highest point of the tree. Her pink hues would scan the immediate vicinity and she would seem to have spotted what would be her way out of this God-forsaken jungle but there seemed to also be someone watching her if the young woman had turned and faced the direction that Diana was now in their eyes would meet.

Praise would continue watching the other girl noticing how she seemed to be lost judging by how she aimlessly wandered with her eyes looking about. She was going to say something but the girl would reach out and pluck a fruit that even Praise didn't know if it was edible or not, she would peg it as inedible seeing as the other girl quickly spat it out and angrily lash out. Well it seemed they were similar in that lashing out allowed them to actually think seeing as the girl would then tree walk upward to try and get a better vantage point with Praise trailing her movement with a slightly bemused smile. "You really shouldn't just eat fruits that you don't know of, that's the type of thing likely to get you poisoned." Praise said when her eyes met the unfamiliar kunoichi her smile turning into a smirk as she said the blunt comment though she really didn't mean any malice by it. She just didn't see the point of sugar coating something so dumb, since they were in the Land of Malice were lots of things wanted to kill you on an hourly basis. She would put away her notes and then tree walk up another tree so she too could scan the treeline a bit as she knew what she was looking for but didn't exactly know where it was.

Diana would frown having noticed that there was a possibility that she could’ve unknowingly caused her more harm than good eating that strange fruit, thankfully it didn’t seem as if it had any dire repercussions, maybe due to her physiology? Who knew. Regardless, whoever this girl was she didn’t seem like a foe based on how nonchalant her approach was even though Diana held her weapon and had two more fixed to her belt. “Thanks… I guess?” Diana said still a bit wary of the newcomer but decided to sheathe the weapon to show her some respect. “I don’t know how long you’ve been watching me but I’m actually lost and I’m looking to get out here before my guardian gets worried. Any idea on how I can get outta here?” She asked as she kept her eyes fixated on the north as it did seem as if making her way in that direction would get her home but she honestly had no idea.

Praise shrugged at the response she wasn't trying to help only just point out the obvious but it was good that the other girl took it that way another fortunate thing was that it seemed as if the girl needed her help which was something that she could oblige with. "Sure, I know my way back, but if I'm going to help you then you'll have to help me look for what I came here for. That's a fair trade right?" she said offering a hand for the other girl to shake so as to cement the terms of their deal, and if she agreed then Praise would continue with introductions. "I'm Praise by the way, what's your name?" she said omitting her surname as was customary of shinobi who weren't trying to grandstand or brag about their clan besides she didn't know if the girl was friendly or not so she wanted to keep any advantage she had to herself rather than reveal something that could get her killed.

Diana couldn’t help but sigh at her current predicament. She really wanted to go home as she was sick of this forest and its bad tasting fruit but her only way out wanted her to tag along for whatever reason. So it was either hanging around for a few more minutes or hours or keep wandering the forest until she was either mauled by some gigantic fauna or end up dying of hunger and/or exhaustion. “Yeah it is a fair trade, I’m game.” She said having no real choice in the matter before shaking her hand. “I’m Diana, it’s a pleasure meeting you Praise. That’s a really nice name.” She admitted as she found such a name unique. Just like her newly formed acquaintance, she hadn’t revealed her last name but the reasons were different. She never really felt as if she belonged in the Erlang clan nor did she feel a connection with anyone in the clan bar her guardian who wasn’t even an Erlang. “So what exactly are we looking for and why?”

Praise would nod and she was grateful for the compliment as not a lot of people thought her name was nice, maybe because it wasn't conventional and was more associated with a verb than a given name. Still she would point in the direction that they would most likely find what she was looking for before taking off deciding to tree hop towards the east taking care to watch where she leaped rather than disturb something that would make her it's meal. "I'm looking for a particular fruit that has pain numbing properties when consumed, I'm a Genin Medic, and I think it would be useful to harvest especially since I could try and make it into some sort of salve that could be applied to bandages. That way if one of my teammates or allies gets injured I could wrap them up with the salve soaked bandages and minimize the pain they feel. It would also be useful for my own use as my actual medical ninjutsu skills are quite lacking." she said with a slight grimace as it was kind of irking her that she wasn't all that skilled when it came to that. Sure she didn't intend on being some run of the mill member of the Medical Corps but she did expect that it would be something easy to pick up. "Have you given any thought to what corps you want to join when you rank up? I'm partial to the Hunter or ANBU Corps even though my rank would lead most to believe I want to go into the Medical Corps. I just think learning medical ninjutsu is a valuable skill and honestly it would be a shame to waste an opportunity to learn it."

Following her lead, Diana would tree hop towards the direction Praise had signaled to also watching her step as she didn’t want to get snapped up by something mean. “A medic, huh? That’s pretty neat. I don’t think I’ve ever actually come across a medic. Everyone around me is all swords, ninjutsu and fancy eye techniques.” Maybe it was because she stuck to herself but she never actually seen or heard of an Erlang medical ninja before but if there was one out there she was positive that they were probably an interesting individual. “That’s a good question.” Diana muttered under her breath as they continued to move from tree to tree. Unlike her new friend, she had future plans. The truth was she didn’t even know of the different organizations within the villages and it wasn’t because of ignorance, it was more that she had no interest and that was largely due to the fact that she felt so disconnected from everyone, well apart from Zhao and Vivaan, and everything in this village. “I’m actually just taking it one day at a time. Whatever happens, just happens.” She answered as honestly as possible as there was no point in making anything up .

Indeed most people were all about combat and things like that, it would seem that the support and auxiliary branches of being a shinobi didn't get any love from the younger generation. Then again her parents had told her the same thing about as people got older they started to realize that not everyone could be on the front lines or join ANBU and that most eventually either settled for what they could do or realized they were actually good at something other than fighting. She would keep scanning the treeline in search of the tree which she knew held the fruit she was looking for before cross-referencing her notes just in case she might of made a mistake. Still what Diana said did give her pause as she had noticed that when she posed her question towards the other kunoichi she had hesitated a bit before giving her answer. When she eventually spoke it resonated with Praise merely because even though she talked big she was just saying what was expected of her, in truth she didn't have much of a goal other than to stand out and make a name for herself.

"I see, that makes sense I'm usually just focused on learning as much as I can but sometimes I think what's the point? How can I really stand out if I'm just one of the faceless members of the Republic of Five just going through the ranks just like everyone else has before me. Even if I reach the pinnacle of ambition within the Republic namely a Kage it just means I'm yet another Kage in a long line of them..." Praise said abruptly after waiting a while after Diana spoke to reply once more she felt that she should just be truthful as she wasn't one to hide how she was feeling. "I don't know I just feel like I'm the only one who feels that way sometimes you know?" she said pointing to a tree which seemed to resemble the one she was looking for and then hopping down to ground level so they could approach it.

Diana couldn’t stop herself from chuckling at the interesting turn that the conversation had taken. Ultimately she did understand what Praise was speaking of as she, in fact, felt as if she was merely an insignificant cog in a machine that she didn’t understand nor had no hope too. There was always this lingering feeling that she was just a statistic in a village and if she had managed to have died either today or in the future no one would really mourn her loss and another would simply take her place and life would just move forward and though they felt the same way it was obviously due to different reasons. Praise it seemed wanted to be the piece that stood out from all the others while Diana on the other hand just wanted to be the piece that found where exactly it belongs. She had no interest in becoming the strongest or the most well-known kunoichi in the world she simply wanted a home.

“Funnily enough, I understand where you’re coming from and I feel the same way. Instead of falling in line I’d rather carve out my own legacy.” But in order to do that you’d need to train which was something I currently don’t do, she wanted to add but that was a different story for a different time. “Is this it?” She asked after hop ping down and standing before the tree Praise had pointed out.

Praise would nod before realizing that it could be misunderstood to mean that she was agreeing to the fact that they had discovered the fruit she was looking for. For the most part it seemed as if everything checked out but she would only know when she retrieved the fruit which she would do by walking up the side of the tree and gathering some of them. She would then pull out a scroll and promptly store them within it temporarily knowing that without a stasis seal that she couldn't keep them stored within the seal for any long period of time. "Exactly, perhaps if I can do that then I'll finally feel right with myself, create my own path and what not. You are the first person who ever shared that view of mine you know? Everyone else looks at me oddly or think I'm just 'acting out' because I'm young." she said as she tored the scroll back in her pocket.

"I really appreciate that, so how about a proper introduction? I'm Praise K. Fantom, nice to meet you." Praise said actually smiling at Diana and deciding since she had responded well to what she was saying to give her a bit more of her trust and would put out her fist for a fist bump. She typically reserved that for friendly meetings rather than official one which essentially was her wordlessly asking if Diana would like to be a friend. Of course Praise wasn't lame enough to actually ask someone that, Praise wasn't soft or anything, and she refused to be embarrassed if she got rejected if she ever said it out loud.

For Mod:

A bit tired from all the walking around she had been doing for the past couple of hours, Diana would find a large tree root and after testing, if it was sturdy enough she would sit before letting out a sigh of relief. When she got home she’d be sure to take a nice bath and have Zhao rub her feet for her, he did owe her for not getting her the ice cream he promised. “People will look at you funny when you stray from what they perceive to be the norm. While they live their lives to be followers, you should live yours to be a leader. That’s what my guardian says anyways. ” She said with a smile as she swung her legs. It was a good feeling to know someone who understood what it meant to feel out of place in this world and quite frankly the timing of all of this seemed to be odd in a sense. Who would’ve thought she would’ve found such a person in the middle of nowhere?

It was quite the surprise that Praise chose to reintroduce herself, this time giving her full name. “Diana X. Erlang. The pleasure is all mine Praise. We should totally be friends though!” She said with a smile before bumping fists with the girl. It was interesting to know that she was a part of the Fantom family, which made sense why she didn’t reveal it at first but she was glad to have earned her trust.

Praise was elated when it seemed as if Diana had been able to ascertain what she meant when she revealed her identity to her and she would nod thankful that she wouldn't have to be the one to make the first step in that sort of situation. "I would be honored to be friends with you, someone who shares my world view. That guardian of yours seems interesting I hope I can meet him or her one day. Anyways since you helped me out with what I was looking for how about I lead you back to civilization, what village are you from again Mahougakure I take it?" she said and if Diana answered in the affirmative she would nod before pointing to the east and motioning for her to follow her. "The safe path I was shown was this way but with the fauna it's only good for the next hour or so, we should hurry." she said deciding to jog rather than walk the distance that they needed to cover so that the two of them could make it in time before the path wasn't safe anymore. The daily beast migrations and the chaotic weather of the Land of Malice made it perhaps the most treacherous place to live on the Origin Continent second to none to be completely honest. How anyone had managed to have a Hidden Village in such a dangerous place spoke of the power of that villages first Kage...or their insanity maybe both really.

“Umm, I don’t think meeting him would be such a good idea. He’s a bit…. Strange. ” Diana admitted as Zhao had a tendency to go off on a tangent about family heritage and all sorts of obscure nonsense but she wouldn’t mind having Praise over her place when Zhao wasn’t around of course. “Yeah, I’m from Mahougakure and thank you for showing me the way out of this dump.” She said with a smile before following Praise’s lead once more. She was quite thankful that they hadn’t managed to come across any fauna thus far and she would like to keep it that way. Then again she was interested in seeing what kind of fauna resided on the island. Maybe another time.

Praise understood how odd relatives could be, she remembered the first time she asked her mom how she had a sister that didn't have the same mommy as her and got the explanation that her daddy had slept with her aunt because her uncle was sterile. As if it would make it better her mom then added that it was just a couple of times to make sure she got pregnant and that it wasn't as if they were related by anything other than marriage anyways so as long as her uncle didn't mind she shouldn't either. But she wouldn't tell her new friend this because somethings should just be kept to oneself. "I understand and it's fine you helped me look for my plant after all, we are almost at a border outpost I've never actually been in your village proper but I'm sure from there you'll be able to get home." she said as she hadn't exactly gotten the chance to look around Mahougakure but would actually like to see it sometime. It was going to get to the point that she would have to make her travel back home at night if she stayed around though, so she felt they should split up here and maybe meet again some other time hopefully within a village next time.

Diana couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as she was finally out of that God forsaken jungle and was now in familiar territory. “Yeah I will be to find my way home from here. Thank you again Praise, I’ll never forget about the kindness you’ve shown me and I certainly won’t forget you.” She said with a smile giving her a tight hug, hoping that she wouldn’t mind her touching her. Taking a step back she would bow slightly before heading west to her village and straight home of course as she was positive that Zhao was wondering where the hell she was. “Make sure to write me Praise!” She shouted before using Shunpo to pick up speed.

"Of course!" Praise said when she was hugged causing her to blush ever so faintly as she really wasn't the type to express affection in such a way usually she would to it in a more cool manner like a punch in the arm or a smirk but that had felt really nice. She would watch Diana rush off raising an eyebrow at the manner at which she suddenly accelerated before a small smile would appear on her face as she turned away to head home on her own. "I won't forget you either Diana, after all you are my very first friend." she thought to herself before darting off in the direction of her own home she had a lot of ground to cover after all...

(Praise Exits)

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