Little White Lines

Konoha

Aroka trailed her fingers along the wall beside her, feeling the smooth wood grain under her touch as she moved down the walkway. After a few minutes, she paused and turned towards where she believed the garden to be. Sure enough, she found the gap in the railing and carefully descended the few steps to meet the paved stone path.

Aroka's room faced the courtyard, beautiful in its own right, but she enjoyed venturing to the flower garden sometimes, despite it being a bit of a walk.

The cool morning air was refreshing against her skin, the sun not yet having risen enough to shine into the garden. These early hours were ideal for her increasingly rare walks around the compound; during the day Mila always insisted on accompanying her and, though she enjoyed her friend's company, it was relaxing to have a moment alone.

Aroka stretched out her fingers, feeling them brush against the leaves of a small bush. This one, she recalled, should be opening its flowers soon. She gently ran a hand over the tips of its branches when she found what she was looking for: a small, closed bud. Lowering to sit on the heels of her feet, she rested a hand on her knee while the other still admired the flower bud. She could still faintly remember what this place smelled like.

She moved further down the path and came to a grove of trees whose leaves were low enough to brush against her raised hand. These trees were old and strong, they had been here as far back as she could recall, she didn't know what kind they were, though, nor if they ever bore flowers.

Aroka paused again at another patch of flowers. These ones were larger than most others in the garden, their stems long and slim, standing tall enough to reach her waist. Her fingertips found some grasses growing alongside the fully-bloomed flowers whose velvety petals bent under her touch.

"You don't have to stand so far away, you know," she called, blank gaze still lingering on the soft blossoms, "I promise I don't bite."

She watched the line move closer to hers until it stopped just a bit away.

"I didn't mean to intrude, I saw you entering this place and was simply curious," Izuna explained, his tone vaguely apologetic.

Aroka smiled and resumed walking, motioning for him to join her. Obliging, he soon fell into step beside the seer.

"Are you usually up so early?" she inquired, eager to fill the silence. She liked silence when she was alone, not so much with others around.

"There's always work to be done in the village."

"You must be busy, are you taking care of yourself? Are you eating properly?"

Izuna chuckled at her concern, "I am, thank you."

"Good, you shouldn't neglect your health." she hummed, taking a brief pause before turning to him again. "Tell me about Konoha. What's it like?"

Izuna thought about it for a moment, "It's lively, I'd say. The streets are always busy and there seem to be more people by the day."

"Are the clans settling well?"

"As well as can be expected. Fortunately, conflicts have been falling in number recently."

"It must be difficult to handle so many people."

"At times. Though I admit it is quite the sight, even recent enemies have made efforts to maintain civility."

"It sounds like a wonderful place, I can't wait to see it."

"Oh? You plan on visiting soon?"

Her step faltered briefly as she seemed suddenly to recall something.