tampered | Log; Ongoing

Normalcy was good, and while she'd have rather it meant she still had all her chakra abilities, she didn't mind enough to honestly complain about it. She still had the rest of her skills to rely on, after all, so even if the person at the door wasn't who she was expecting, it didn't matter as much as if she'd been, oh say, completely unarmed and powerless.

But since it was who she was expecting, it didn't matter at all either way and with a smile she opened the door, glad for company that wasn't hungover or anything like it.

Hungover hardly! Thought he might have had the faintest scent of alcohol on his person considering the company he kept. Daniel offered a winsome smile to Tenten regardless, one hand tucked in a pocket the other waving to her.

"Hi, I hope you were expecting me," he said in a chipper and bright manner.

"Of course," she responded, her own smile still in place as she held the door open for him, stepping out of the way.

"It's always good to have company over. Especially when there's cake to be finished," she added, laughing slightly. It was good to be able to relax, after all.

"Thanks," Daniel returned a grin as he walked through the doorway. Before he got any farther he paused thoughtfully. To remove his shoes or not? Somehow he recalled that to be a custom in homes of eastern descent. "Yes, you mentioned cake, I'd love to share," said the blonde followed by a soft laugh.

"I doubt there's anyone who could turn cake down, to be honest." She let the door shut before moving quietly into the kitchen, letting him chose to follow or not as she finished preparing the green tea. The cake was already waiting on the table, a large portion of it missing from the various times it had been attacked by the people living with her, especially Naruto.

But there was enough left to offer Daniel, and that was what mattered as she poured the tea carefully, getting the honey out just in case he preferred it that way.

Keeping the shoes on he followed Tenten into the room with that not-so-immaculate cake. Daniel hid a chortle over the way it had clearly been attacked by a few sets of chompers, whoever had baked it must be a popular one. Rather than take a seat he remained standing, ready to offer a helping hand with plates, utensils, the tea, anything else.

"Honestly I would have come with or without the cake. I haven't been out too much these days so I felt I especially compelled to do something today," he nodded, "do you need any help?"

"Then I'm honoured you chose to spend your time with me," she smiled, glancing over her shoulder and shaking her head slightly. "I think I've got it under control."

Moving the tea, honey, plates, and all other items needed in order to enjoy cake properly onto a tray, she set it down on the table. Pausing only to pull out a chair for him she claimed one for herself, able hands taking the knife and resting it over the cake. "Although I am inclined to question exactly how much you'd like. That, I'm afraid, I can't tell without help."

"Ahh... well all right," he replied then settled in the chair she pulled out for him, "thank you."

As for how much cake, it looked so good he was inclined to say they split the rest of it between themselves, but no need to appear like such a selfish guest so soon. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully then pointed at a corner of the cake.

"Just a slice for now if you don't mind, better to underestimate," said the blonde with another grin. "Would you indulge me in telling me more about your... home world," Daniel asked as politely as possible.

"I don't mind at all, but Konohagakure? Or the whole world in general?" she questioned, cutting a fair slice and moving it onto a plate for him before cutting a smaller slice for herself - the dark haired ninja had already had a part of it, after all.

She couldn't help it though, smiling again as she moved her tea closer, offering the honey wordlessly. For whatever reason it was easy to be normal around the blonde boy, and there wasn't the constant pressure to keep in mind that some people liked her dead or that information wasn't to be said. Always a bonus, that she mused, taking her fork with care.

"Anything, your home I suppose. I mean, I've been here for a little while now but I feel like the others want to keep me sheltered, for my own safety..." he nodded again, "I don't know very much about these other places, but they sound so interesting."

Daniel smiled and offered a nod of thanks for the honey. He stirred it into his tea in slow circles, feeling just as comfortable with her. Regardless of the curse day he felt like nothing more than the average curious teenager in her presence. There was no fathomless shadow of the former Lord Shaper behind him or the eyes of a raven on his trail and the teeth of a nightmare to guard his steps. Daniel was none the wiser about her own difficulties.

Hmm, he forked a generous piece of that cake for a bite.

"Well... I guess a land full of shinobi is pretty interesting to people who don't have us in their world. I always get asked if we really kill people," she laughed, hoping she wouldn't have to once again admit that. It may be part of the job, but it didn't make it something she enjoyed doing.

"But Konohagakure, the Leaf, is in the Land of Fire. It's one of the largest and strongest shinobi villages, which means we get a lot of mission requests, and normally high ranking ones at that too." Tenten paused long enough to take a sip of her tea before continuing, "There's a lot of forest surrounding it, and the weather is normally sunny. We're mostly peaceful, since we're allied with the other strong ninja villages like Suna, the Sand, but if we need to get involved in skirmishes... we do." She shrugged slightly, taking a bite of her own. Skirmishes loosely translated into shinobi battles to prevent all out war, but she wasn't really willing to admit that, instead finding comfort in the cake Kurosaki had made her.

"No, I don't think we have 'shinobi' like that," he shook his head, smiling, "I mean we have um... ninjas I guess that's the name for them." Daniel tapped his chin in thought, "but they don't live in completely foreign lands."

What an intriguing sort of place. He likened it to the different lands of the dreaming, and how they reflected each realm and culture appropriately, though Daniel couldn't say he was ever truly there. He liked to think he could imagine Tenten's homeworld anyway. Daniel sipped at his tea and took another nip of cake.

"This is wonderful, by the way, would you carry on my praise to whoever baked it," he asked her, smiling.

"Well, we live with people who are completely normal too. It's not like we're all separate. But living in the ninja village, they're protected better than those who don't, and they don't need to pay extra for our missions, since there's no travelling cost."

She smiled at his apparent interest, finally thinking to offer, "I have a map somewhere, if you'd like. I'll go find it later." It had been in her mission kit when she'd arrive - not exactly something you need in the City - but she didn't mind giving it over to Daniel.

Tenten couldn't help but giggle slightly, shaking her head. "I'll try, but Kurosaki is very averse to praise of any sort."

"That's convenient," he remarked with a grin, finding the concept of the ninja traveling fee almost anachronistic by the way she described the land. It made sense though, no need to pay for travel if the 'shinobi' were already taking up residence in the city.

"I'd like to see the map sometime when you can, though I wouldn't know when I could ever visit and make use of my learnings," Daniel smiled again, then his brows arched. Someone... who would refuse the praise of a cake well baked? The blonde shook his head, "that's a pity, I'd be proud to say I made a cake so well."

Obviously Daniel didn't know Kurosaki very well.

"Ah, but it's still good to know these things, isn't?" she remarked, taking another sip of her tea.

"Kurosaki... is what you'd call socially inept. It's endearing in it's own way, if you get used to it." She didn't mention that she was used to it because his coldness was so much like Neji's, but her teammates were her teammates, and that was nobody's business but hers, really.

"Somebody told me that the ninja they know of go around in all black, acting only at night. Is that the same for you?"

"Yes, in case I do get to visit sometime," Daniel nodded, more than happy to take any opportunity that would lead him to explore these other worlds. In contrast he thought his own world a little mundane, perhaps even too dark at times.

"Ahh... I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting Kurosaki yet, perhaps soon," grinned the blonde. Even the socially inept were not safe from his nauseatingly cheerful clutches. Hmm, then he considered her description of the 'ninja' that supposedly came from other worlds. Daniel tilted his head briefly. "No, none that I know, and I admit I know none personally, except for you that is," he nodded to Tenten, "but I believe the closest to a ninja would be hm, the Dark Knight."

"If it's possible, I'd love to show you." Ah, she really couldn't help herself. Adjusting her forehead protector with a small grin, leaning back in her chair.

"A knight? Oh, I don't we're like that at all. But if I'm all you're going off of, you probably don't have a very good inclination," she giggled, tapping her finger on the fork absentmindedly. "We're all very different people, with different skills and specialties. You can't really sum us up just by saying ninja, in that respect."

"Well I do know there are stories of people who've left this place only to come back, I guess some do call this home," he nodded, noting the way she adjusted that forehead protector. A good handful of residents wore those things, he recalled, some with different symbols, hmm...

"Oh not any knight, that's just the name his friends gave him," Daniel laughed softly, "he's.. a strange sort of character, more like a legend most of the time, but he's real. He does fit the dresses-in-black-and-lurks-in-the-shadows bill though.." The blonde tapped at his chin thoughtfully again then took a sip of his tea.

"I think I like your home's ninjas better, no need to be pigeon-holed," he smiled.

"He sounds like quite the person to meet. But I'm glad I could be a shining example for you," she laughed again as she continued to play with the fork.

"But you know, I don't think I know all that much about you." Tenten glanced at him as if measuring his response, her free hand against the side of her face. "It's fine, of course, if you don't want to talk about it," she added thoughtfully. Everybody had things they didn't want to talk about, after all. She was used to that.

"Unfortunately I can't say I've met him either, well... I have, but I don't recall what passed between us," he admitted to Tenten with an anxious smile.

"Um, what's there to share," he laughed softly. Daniel wasn't so used to talking about himself, half because he barely remembered some details about his own life and half because he knew there were those who'd like to take advantage of such details. But, he trusted Tenten. Daniel took another sip of his tea then a nip of cake.

"No no, it's fine. I mean, there are some things I can't remember. I know I'm Daniel Hall but I feel like there's a space missing between my last clear memory and my arrival here," he explained to the ninja. "I was taken away from my mother and hidden in a cottage, the Corinthian saved me from that place," Daniel nodded.

She regretted asking, since he seemed so nervous about it. But smiling warmly in response, the kunoichi simply said, "it's good you have him, then."

She didn't push any further, all too used to people keeping secrets - it was sort of her job, after all - and even more used to not hearing full explanations. She worked on what she needed to know and while Tenten would be willing to admit she was more than greatly interested in the boy across from her, it didn't mean she was going to pry for information. Especially not since he was, at least, enjoying the cake.

He wasn't nervous out of lack of trust, that was for sure, but Daniel felt a little foolish not knowing such things about himself. Normal people remembered their childhood, remembered the years that led up to their teens. Why not he? It was sort of a point of embarrassment for Daniel, as much as he wanted to know why he couldn't remember...

"Mm, I'm glad to have friends here, not just them," for after all they acted more like caretakers, "but also Guardian and of course you, Tenten." Daniel grinned.

If she was blushing ever so slightly, she attributed it to the fact that she was, in the end, still just a teenager, no matter her training. "Then I'm happy we got a chance to know each other."

Tenten sipped again at the tea, content at the current temperature of the liquid before returning his smile. "But surely you know more people here than that?" Not to pry, by any means, but questions came naturally to her in most situations, and this was no different.

If she was blushing he certainly didn't notice, and if he had he would have attributed it to the tea and not her age, maybe the cake was just that delicious. In fact, Daniel eyeballed the baked good, wondering when it would be appropriate to ask for another slice. He took a sip of his tea instead, using the cup to hide the faintest flush of rose to his cheeks. Happy they got to know each other must have been some kind of understatement!

"No, I don't really... I've met you and Guardian, and the Valentine brothers by way of Guardian, also a... Rangiku, I believe that's her name," he nodded to Tenten, referring to the shinigami swordswoman. "I've spoken to Maude and a Mars, briefly."

She nodded in response and reached for the knife, flipping it deftly over her fingers before cutting another slice with a small chuckle. "Help yourself." She might not be a mind reader, but Tenten was good at reading the little signs as any ninja should be.

Resting the blade down again the kunoichi shifted slightly, tapping her cheek twice before resting her hand there. "I know of them all, but Rangiku is the only one I've really talked with. She was mostly interested in my exploration of the barrier and information on Orochimaru, though."

"Oh... thank you," he offered a sheepish smile for not hiding his desire to gorge himself on the cake so subtly, eheh. But Daniel recovered with a grin before indeed helping himself to a new slice.

"Right, the barrier, you've been out to the sea," the blonde boy remembered thoughtfully. "I've been only to the shores, with Matthew and Corinthian. The horizon's beautiful at sunset," he nodded then tilted his head curiously while chomping down on that fresh slice of cake. "Orochimaru? Is that... the serpent man," he asked, after chewing of course.

"There's not much out there," she shot back with a small grin of her own. "Just water. No sea monsters, no islands... It was one of the stupidest things I've done, to be honest." This time the laugh was slightly nervous and she paused only to finish up her original slice of cake.

"Serpent? Mm, he's a snake alright," Tenten didn't bother offering more. If Daniel hadn't been approached by the man, then there was no need to drag him herself. She couldn't keep the dislike from her voice, however, but she hoped that it would be enough of a hint to the blonde about her stand on the older ninja.

Oh he definitely made note of the dislike in her tone regarding the serpent man, so the young king did not press the matter. He turned his attention to the boundaries instead.

"Really? Considering how the sun and moon rise here I would have thought the city itself is an island on a sphere," Daniel said with another tap to his chin, "unless the city is stationary and the sky itself is turning all around us."

Now the blonde was no astronomer but it was his curious theory on the strange place nonetheless! He'd heard about the ideas regarding the carousel, its ties to the clock, and its ties to their outside worlds, but mostly it was the stars and the endless ocean that intrigued him. Tenten had already been out there but he felt there was something more to be explored. Perhaps if she had been the one to sail outward he might be the one to hit the skies... if he could fly that is. He took another bite of cake and smiled.

"I don't think it was stupid at all, someone had to be the one to explore, right?"

[ooc: I reclaiemd space down theres XD]

"Well, the barrier is in a sphere. You can't fly too high, dig too deep, or go too far," more thinking out loud than offering the knowledge, "so maybe the sky does revolve around the City. All I know is, I've never seen those star arrangements before." It was odd to see constellations she'd never dreamed of, but she had slowly adjusted to it after a while.

While Tenten liked the stars and trying to make sense of them, it was overwhelming after a time. She would have given nearly anything to be able to stargaze at the stars she knew and understood and could explain. But then again, new constellations needed new stories to explain them. And that did pass the time.

But she was brought back to focus by Daniel's question and she smiled once more, holding onto her tea for the time being. "I suppose. I just wish I'd thought ahead and asked Luffy if I could borrow his ship. I hadn't guessed that the barrier would have a safeguard... It drains my chakra if I get too close. And, uh-" she chuckled, blushing at the thought that came with her next few words "-if you actually hit it, it hits back. Luckily, that happened in the underground, not while I was out at sea."

"Oh... that would make the celestial sphere a more plausible one then," he grinned at Tenten before sipping his tea. "I know a little bit about constellations, as they are in my homeworld though, not the ones here," Daniel shook his head, "but if these are new ones I'm sure they must have stories to them, and if not then maybe it's up to us to give them stories." Now talk about mind-reading, or rather simply being like-minded.

Now that little bit of detail took him by surprise. His green eyes widened slightly at the ninja girl. "It... it hits back? Literally?"

The dark haired kunoichi glanced at him over the raised tea mug, holding back a laugh. As far as she knew, Kurosaki was the only one who could read people in the City, but then again she really didn't know much about Daniel. "If you do want to give them stories, I'd love to help."

Her smile quickly turned sheepish though and she set the mug back down, choosing to stare at it than the boy in front of her. "I got an alert from Shizune and it distracted me enough that I walked right into it. I wound up a few feet back, on the ground, with a couple of scrapes and more bruises than before. I'd say literally."

"... That's... that's intriguing and odd," Daniel said with that same widened gaze, "a city with its own... self defense mechanism? I guess it could do much worse and we should be glad it didn't." Another thoughtful nod, the city definitely sounded like some sort of self-contained celestial sphere to him now. The deeper question would be why, which he wouldn't so rudely ask while sharing cake with a friend! He polished off his second slice and referred back to the constellations.

"Well, another time then, at night, I mean.. for the storytelling," he grinned. "The full moon is approaching, not the best for stargazing," the blonde noted with a tap to his chin, "during the new moon?"

[ooc: whut did he just ask for another date 8D]

"Well, I guess they don't want us managing to break the barrier. If we did," she paused, shrugging ever so slightly and playing with the fork again, "if we did, we'd be able to get out easily. The barrier is what keeps us here." Oh, she knew plenty about the City and the way it worked. And she knew enough about the deities to stay in their good graces so they'd tell her even more.

Sneaky, but fully within her right as a ninja. It wasn't like the deities had to answer her questions, after all.

"The new moon?" Tenten glanced at him curiously before assenting with a grin of her own, "I'm all yours. But I think it'll be your turn to provide refreshments, if that's alright."

Log; Ongoing

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