One Long Mission

Like any good observer, Sai attended the Pumpkin Festival to watch the people that came and went. He watched their interactions, the words they spoke, the greetings they exchanged. He took care to note down repeated gestures and greetings so he could practice later. The ROOT nin took part in the festivities, participating in the games by himself. There were a few weird looks, but nothing he hadn't seen before. He simply smiled and kept moving through the crowds. 

In the end, Sai stood in front of a large temple. Though most of the festivities were held in merriment, the temple had a more calm atmosphere to it. He stood outside the door, his gaze on the open door. His smile was gone by then, expression neutral. He didn't walk inside, didn't give a prayer. His thoughts were long gone from the festivities. He simply stood and watched that hollow place of stone and wood.

He walked through the market square, weaving through the bustling crowd. It was mid-day and all the birds were singing... well maybe only a few, but it was enough to catch an artist's attention; even more so, one who held an interest in them. From those flying up ahead, Sai spotted a particularly intriguing one - a peregrine falcon. Quickly, he picked up his pace, his gaze on the feathered creature above. With the crowd growing thicker as the noon day wore on, it didn't take long before he realized he was going to lose it. Determined to observe it for a little longer, Sai jumped up onto a roof top and sprinted after it.

The ROOT nin was sitting crossed-legged on a simple stone fountain with a small sketchbook laid out on his lap. Water cascaded behind him, small droplets hitting his exposed skin every once a in a while. He watched the people come and go. He didn't know them, or the village, yet he found himself trapped here just the same. A captive inside an intricate cage. He didn't like it, but accepted it the same way he accepted most things with a quiet acknowledgement. Every day he searched for a way out, everyday he failed. 

For now, he sat in the midst of a park drawing whatever caught his curiosity, while he let his chakra recover from his nightly reconnaissance. He didn't mind it, this village. It piqued his interest, but he didn't belong here. He had a mission to fulfill, but for now, he let himself examine it. Its residents, the way they smiled, interacted. How did they know what to say? What gestures to make? Always, they seemed to know just what to say, what to do to garner a desired reaction from another. Sai studied them the only way he knew how, through observation and if his hands drew a simple sketch of their interactions, it was only to practice his drawing skills, nothing more.