It's so pretty...

[stillpure]

He was dressed up. Where his mother had managed to locate anything to dress him up with on such short notice with he had no idea, but it meant when he took off roaming he was a streak of dark blue and red amid those at the festival as he went here and there, utterly fascinated by the new sights.

He'd been to festivals in Konoha, yes, but those were different. This was -new-.

It also meant he wasn't exactly being the most attentive person ever, and had escaped the people he'd been with. Unintentionally, of course.

Comments

[stillpure]

"You wear them in your hair, or you put them on the wall." He stared at Neji. "I wouldn't mind a mask."

[openedthebasket]

Neji just stares back, unimpressed by something that was only useful for its aesthetic value, but only shakes his head with a sigh. "Well, if you find that place again, Naruto, perhaps the two of you will find a matching se-- now what are you doing?" He pauses when she stops and slips his hand free of Itachi's to move around behind her.

[fire_fox]

She grins and turns to Itachi:"Ita-chan, look at these! There are blues and orange and red ones! They are so pretty dattebane." She was still glued to the glass, watching the fishes swim around.

[stillpure]

Itachi blinked, then padded over and rested his hand against the glass. "Call them to your fingers. I don't know how well it will work with the glass but... Neji-nii you know how to do it right? Should I show you?"

[openedthebasket]

Neji just breathes a soft, long-suffering sigh through his nose and crosses his arms over his chest. Clearly there'd be no point trying to urge them on past distractions.

"Go on, Itachi-kun," he says instead to give the child a chance to show his own skill. "Show her."

[fire_fox]

"Ehh? You can call them? How? How do you do it?" She looked between Itachi and Neji, then back at fish tank.

[stillpure]

"Chakra. You have to be very gentle or you'll scare them though." He carefully fed tiny amounts, and when his hand on bare water didn't seem enough, upped it slowly until the fish swam to his fingers, practically kissing the glass around his hand.

[openedthebasket]

"It's a good exercise for controlling Chakra flow from the fingers," Neji explains for Naruto's benefit, bringing a hand to his chest to activate his Byakugan to watch the way the other concentrated his energy. "Too much, and it frightens the fish; too little, and there's no visible effect."

[fire_fox]

"Eeeh? Wooow," she watched wide eyed as Itachi called the fishes slowly towards the glass. But kept hands to herself:"I would probably scare them all, dattebane," she laughed nervously. Either that, or hurt them. She didn't want to hurt them.

[stillpure]

"You should try it sometime. It's nice. Especially when you put your hand in the water, then they nibble on your fingers." He beamed at her.

[openedthebasket]

"Nonsense. It's a matter of Chakra control, that is all." He casts her an appraising glance, lips quirking into an almost-invisible smile for a moment before smoothing back to normal. "I could teach it to you some other time, if you like."

[fire_fox]

She nodded at Itachi:"I will try, 'tebbane," then grinned widely at Neji. "He will teach me! It seems that he's actually a good teacher, ne?"

[stillpure]

Itachi giggled softly and pulled his hand back. "Only if you don't mind being ambushed~."

[openedthebasket]

"What do you mean by that?" Neji looks first to her, a tiny bit miffed that she'd had to qualify that by actually -- as if he would be anything other than a good teacher! -- and then to Itachi, clearly unamused. "I do not ambush you."

[fire_fox]

She sways from side to side:"Well you never taught me anything 'tebane. But you did teach Ita-chan, so I guess you are," she smiles widely. She blinks at Itachi:"Ambush?"

[stillpure]

"Yes you do. Awareness checks count as ambushes." He retook his hand then and resumed going through the crowd.

[openedthebasket]

"Hmph." Neji only gives another barely-there smirk and freely lets the other take his hand. "If you were aware, then it wouldn't be an ambush."

[fire_fox]

She pouted crossing her arms- what's this talk about ambush? "Let's go, dangos won't eat themselves," she smiled afterwards, actually remembering where they had headed to.

[stillpure]

He nodded and started towing them along more quickly. "Mm!"

[openedthebasket]

Neji just huffs through his nose and permits himself to be tugged along; infuriatingly, that small smile wouldn't leave his lips even as they walked, until he spots a nearby stall. "This should be sufficient, yes?"

[fire_fox]

"Yes! It's perfect, dattebane," she grinned widely and nudged Itachi gently. "What do you think Ita-chan?"

[stillpure]

He eyed her for the name, but pretended he didn't hear it after that. "We can try it. I haven't been here yet."

[openedthebasket]

Neji doesn't bother protesting this time as he makes his way to the counter; ordering and paying for two servings of dango and three cups of tea.

[fire_fox]

She smiles and makes her way between tables, along with Itachi, taking up one that was free next to window. "Is this good, dattebane?"

[stillpure]

He nodded and settled in, watching Neji expectantly.