[CENTER][img]https://i.imgur.com/VCYdAYo.png[/img][/CENTER] The silence in the room was palpable, as if the very air inside the room had been coated with it. Only the ocassional clatter of a cup being set back onto the table, or the warm tone of chopsticks against porcelain managed to break through. The busyness with which the collected clanspeople consumed their breakfast suggested a soon-to-approach famine, each motion devoid of comfort or enjoyment. Yachiyo grinded her teeth for a moment before she lead her utensils towards her mouth one last time, hastily swallowing. Little bits of rice were glued to her cheek, earning her a stern gaze from her father, sitting to her left. Quickly wiping it away, Yachiyo cast her eyes downwards, keeping them fixed upon her knees. She barely breathed, the faint noises of chewing and drinking building up into an odd, almost manic cacophony, mixing with the coursing of her blood just behind her ears. She swallowed, fingers curling, hand slowly balling into fists, tight enough to turn her knuckles white. [Color=#e1cdb5]"May I please leave early to prepare?"[/Color] As if in a vacuum, it felt like even the sparse noise was sucked away, replaced by eyes burning away at the girl's face. She didn't dare to look at anyone, her bottom lip disappearing as her teeth ground into it, nervously gnashing away at the soft skin. An approving grunt sounded from her father, beckoning the rest of her siblings and her mother to return to their meal, as Yachiyo rolled onto her bare soles, and strode out of the room as fast as she physically could, each step swallowed by the ground. Ascending the stares, Yachiyo came to a halt when she passed one of the estate's rounded windows facing the gardens, her eyes narrowing, scanning for a certain someone. A few seconds passed, and the girl's shoulder slumped, before she returned to her upwards sprint, finally reaching her room. As she slid the doors closed, she allowed her back to press into the wall, sliding down until she sat, with bent knees, on the floor. Her lungs dared to deflate, muscles relaxing in an instant. The quiet up here was different; empty rather than dense. Her shelf, littered with scrolls and textbooks, loomed above her, the love novels hidden behind the facade of studious lecture luring out a smile. She beckoned a little figurine, a crow made of glass, until the artwork came to live, flapped its wing, and circled the sils for a moment; then, Yachiyo snapped into haste again, a look towards the clock urging her onwards. Without pause, the kunoichi grabbed the jacket from her chair, and flung it onto her bed, as she slipped on the cropped top with the mask. As she slid her arms into her jacket, Yachiyo approached the window sill once more, grasping the little figurine of Bijou her grandmother had made for her, her fingers closing around it. Today was the day. ------------------------------------------------------- The blabbering of the assembled genin was a welcome distraction for Yachiyo. She sat alone, legs spread wide to guard her territory from strangers seeking a space, her elbows proped up on her thighs. Her mind raced, quieting down only when she craned her neck upwards to search for her teammembers, for Kurimi, for Suzuhime, for Karu... anyone she knew. She let her eyes wander, spying a troop of genins whose village she couldn't tell due to their posture, but who all had symbols littered across their skin; the sight made Yachiyo wrap her fingers around her forearm, reaffirming her scrolls presence. She had felt warm all day, the dry, heated air in the room not helping. Transfixed onto the foreign teams, Yachiyo's attention was demanded as her baggy jacket began to ruffle, and a pathetic mewl sounded from within her breast pocket. Eventually, a fuzzy little head poked out of her half-opened zipper, Bijou squealing for his friend's affection. Her lips curled upwards behind the mask, and her eyes softened, as slender digits combed along the little bear's fur, flattening the ruffled tail, which elicited an excited little squeak from Bijou. [Color=#e1cdb5]"Excited?"[/Color] she asked, pulling the creature fully from its hideout inside her jacket, and planted it into her lap, her heels tapping rhythmically, gently rocking it up and down. The soft texture of its fur between her fingers calmed the kunoichi. [Color=#e1cdb5]"Me too..."[/Color] Yachiyo pulled her eyes away from her little friend, and scoured the rest of the assembled shinobi with steely eyes. They were all rivals, even her friends. At least she could rely on Yo and Hirameki... If only she could find them within the mess of people.