That Thing You Do [c]

Freedom is a beautiful thing. After nearly a year of being trapped in a cold, gray cell, with nothing but four crusty walls to stare at for company, Tatsu was not entirely sure if he could ever completely thank Fumiko properly. His little princess-- angel-- adorable mysterious Iwagakure kunoichi. They had to unfortunately part ways after so briefly an introduction, but well, there was a specific sword that needed fetching, a much needed bath calling his name, and his beloved robe to reclaim. There were things to do, places to see, contacts to dust off, and Tatsu could not very well do them from Kumogakure.

Frankly, he wasn't quite sure he would ever be able to step back into his home village ever again.

Mei is probably more than pissed by now, he thought, lips rolling a piece of sweet grass between his teeth in idle amusement, his gaze staring through the clouds rolling overhead, counting anything that looked like a bunny. After leaving Kumogakure behind, he wasted no time in putting a relative distance between himself and the Raikage's inevitable fury. It took a lot of cart hoping and merchant charming, but eventually, he thought Taki no Kuni was a decent enough place to slow his pace a little. Besides, with all the waterfalls and tourist attractions begging his attention, it would have been a waste to just skip over it in his haste to make himself scarce.

With his belly full of sweets, and his mind content on just the feeling of being free, Tatsu yawned and stretched out on the warm rocks under the famous Taki no Kuni Waterfalls, basking in all their glory where normal people probably shouldn't linger. The sound of the rushing water deafened anything else to his sense of hearing, but that was quite alright. His sensory abilities were still quite intact, so the chances of anyone sneaking up on him were slim to none. Although, holding a conversation wasn't as easy.

An old man decided that screaming at the top of his lungs from the bridge over the falls would be a good way to start a conversation. And Tatsu would not have noticed him at all if he hadn't been glancing in that very direction. The old man waved his arms, cupped a hand to his mouth to try and amplify his speech, a perplexed expression itched into his gray brows as he tried to relay something.

Tatsu frowned around the sweet grass between his lips. "What?" He shouted, sitting up and focusing his gaze on the man's mouth. He crossed his legs underneath him, and braced his arms against his knees, his floral robe fanning around him. The old man continued to shout, and Tatsu cupped one hand to his ear and squinted hard. "Huh!?"

What in the devil was the old man going on about?