The Mills' Cottage [Location]

[Ivory Deluge]

(One very short, very lacking description of the family's home. I'll work on it over time. This thread is always open, seeing as it's a house in the middle of open country, so feel free to come on by.)

Over the rolling hills of the Wind Country and settled in the tall grass, are a set of buildings.

The Mills' cottage is one-story tall, with a thatched roof of straw and a body of stone. It's a small home built a mile-and-a-half from Gohan, but it's perfectly fitting for a family of three. There are two bedrooms, one for the parents, the other for the son, a kitchen that functions as the dining area and sitting area, and a bathing area. The house has been built along the side of one of the Wind Country's many rivers, allowing the family easy access to the water and fish.

Takumi is a miller and thus owns a small watermill that's been built next to the cottage. He also owns a flock of thirteen sheep that are usually left to graze. Sorin is often left to shepherd them; although, his mother Moira keeps an eye on them as well. The flocks consists of mostly ewes with a few rams and lambs in the mix. Some of them are pretty docile while others are about as bad-tempered as a goat. In times of bad weather, they're kept in the barn. It too, is big enough for the sheep to dwell in, is built from stone, and has a thatched roof.

[ayu13]

Ahiru sighed for the first time of the day. She was in a non-festive mood today and had skipped attending TSU, something she would never normally dare to do. When she woke up this morning, she just felt doing something different and somehow, two hours later, she found herself on the north-side of the forest. The rational side of her demanded what the plan for the day was and where her feet planned on taking her but the reckless and fun side didn’t really mind nor care.

Stopping on her tracks, midnight orbs stared at the grassy road before her and then traced the sky above. It was a beautiful day. White, fluffy clouds danced the blue heavens and the air was cool to the flesh. A rabbit-shaped billow passed her vision and a peaceful sigh escaped her lips. While watching the clouds that lapsed by, she realized she never had time alone. Mornings were usually busy reserved for jogging and preparing for classes. Afternoons were spent at the academy and during evenings, she had to do her chores. When she does get a break, it’s always for a few hours and for her, it was just not enough.

Ahiru snorted at the line of thoughts that occurred to her. A thirteen-year old girl too preoccupied to have time for herself? Life of a shinobi.
Lost in thought, the girl failed to notice that she had reached a clearing of sorts. Perched on a hill, all she could see were fields of green grass and in the midst of it, was a straw-roofed cottage with a mill beside a river. A brow rose in question, only to be furrowed when a foul smell entered her nose. It reeked of excrements of livestock and she only confirmed it when she heard the distinctive Baaaas of sheep somewhere nearby. Dismissing the stink with a scrunch of her nose, she trudged down from the mount she was on and made her way to the stream. She was feeling a little parched from the walk and maybe the owner wouldn’t mind if she took a sip of water—after all, she hadn’t brought anything with her when she set out on her little escapade.

When Ahiru had drank and her throat was satisfied, she sat down from a rock and closed her eyes, slowly falling into meditation...

[Ivory Deluge]

(And here's where it gets interesting. First time ever playing Sorin, so his personality's going to be a little rigid as I try to get a grasp on how he should work. >.<)

Hey Ahiru! You're being watched, just so you know. At first, it'd only been some of the sheep -the rams, in particular- who took a moment from their grazing to keep a special eye on the Academy Student. They'd acknowledged the stranger's existence with wild, paranoid eyes before going back to gnawing at the grass.

But there was something else out there, something less . . .woolly.

Crouched within an endless sea of long, spidery blades of grass was a little boy. Feet planted firmly on the earth, arms hugging his knees, Sorin spied on the strange girl as soundlessly as he could, dark eyes glittering softly in the morning light as he observed her drinking from the river and then settling upon a rock.

Curiosity's an eternally-nagging thing to an eight-year old, particularly one who doesn't see many strangers this close to his home. He didn't think to approach her yet, as he was still gauging out how dangerous she was. The one thing that really got his attention about her was how she glowed. That's. . . not really normal, not around here anyway, and it made the boy wonder if those winged things in those books his mother would read to him weren't really real after all.

He'd attempt to close-in so he could get a better look at this chick. Ahiru would probably pick up the sounds of grass whispering as the child crawled through it and might even get a glimpse of his curly tuffs of darkening hair.

[ayu13]

At the sound of crunching grass, Ahiru’s concentration broke and her head whipped so fast she felt like her neck would snap in two. Confusion flashed before her eyes as she searched for any signs of life form but found none, until her eyes laid on a mass of dull blond hair peaking distinctively out of the green field. Her earlier nervousness gone, she raised a brow at the “intruder”. The girl thought that whoever it was sneaking up on her, he was making a poor job of it as she could see the top of his head. She fell at ease once more, finding no reason to be tense around someone who could not even mask his presence properly.

Settling in an Indian style of sitting, she placed her elbow on her right thigh and rested her chin on her palm. A smile ghosted over her lips while she carefully watched the bobbing head. She wondered who he was and what he wanted with her. Perhaps he was the owner, coming to give her an earful about trespassing and respecting privacy of a person’s lot. She should be alarmed by this but she wasn’t and she didn’t know why either. She could always defend herself if he charged her, she supposed.

Ahiru would wait until he or she would emerged from his hiding place and if he does, she would give him a knowing grin and a quiet, “Hello.” If he does not, she would still say her greetings.

[Ivory Deluge]

The moment that Ahiru's head snapped around would also be the moment that Sorin would try to duck even deeper into the grass. His reflexes, however, weren't quite as finely-tuned as the Academy Student's. He'd been spotted. Drat! To the boy's credit, he didn't instantly turn and run into the house for his mom. If anything, he remained very still -like an antelope caught in the bushes with a lioness- watching and examining what features of the girl's he could make out between the thin clusters of grass sprouting over him in slight arches. Through those same wisps of rich green, Ahiru might possibly catch the sight of gold ever-faintly glistening.

Whilst she shifted her position -relaxing from what he could tell- the child remained relatively still, his little heart racing away like a snared rabbit. Little motions -like twitching fingers and swallowing- that you could only really see if you were right up on him were the only signs that he was a living, breathing boy and not some puppet or life-sized toy abandoned in the fields by neglectful owners.

Eventually, the strange girl with the fairy skin spoke to him, and Sorin sat quietly, unsure if greeting her was the wisest thing he could do. He'd been taught not to talk to strangers after all, but did one really count fairies as strangers?

Mother says they're nice when you're nice. Give gifts- Magical instruments. A bunch of food. Like beans. Beans that turn into giant beanstalks. With giants that have big geese that lay-golden eggs. Gold's good. Lots of gold-

Whether it was because of that blank stare he was giving her or because he hadn't answered her right away, it was probably clear that Sorin was lost in thought.

[ayu13]

When the stranger did not appear or made no reply, Ahiru sighed in disappointment, her interest over the stranger quickly losing. If he wanted to make himself known, then whoever it was would have done so and clearly, by his lack of response, he wanted to remain anonymous. And the raven-haired girl respected that. Once again she found herself staring at the cerulean heavens above, wisps of silver and charcoal hair flowing around her face as the wind picked up, cooling her skin to her liking. It was peaceful here. This place was blissful and quiet, just what her mind needed.

A pleased squeal escaped her and she gently laid her body down the grass, spreading her arms wide open as if to embrace the world. She rolled to and fro on the emerald meadow, enjoying the comfort of the momentary serenity. When was the last time she had played out in the pasture and enjoyed herself? Ever since she was child, she had always train with her mother to become a shinobi. Day and night all her views were filled with duties she desired to be but never had she participated with the civilian children, laughing and occupying in recreation.

Now she had all the time in the world for herself. It was a nice reflection.

Her thoughts afterwards ranged from techniques to chakras and to the class she took, never dwelling too long on any particular subject. All the while, she failed to remember her little visitor out in the grassland...


[OOC: I was out of it for the whole day. IDK where this post was going. Sorry. >.<]

[Ivory Deluge]

(That's totally fine. ^^ No worries, mmkay?)

Straw of gold, golden hair, hair you can climb-

Sorin's tiny body twitched when the girl moved, settling herself in the very same sea of grass that he currently occupied. At first, he thought she was preparing to engage him in some kind of battle, hoping to maybe sneak up on him while he couldn't see her. He thought that was clever. He even found himself crouching lower to the ground when he heard the grass whisper in the area somewhere in front of him.

When it seemed that the sounds weren't getting any closer to him, the civilian proceeded to seek out the sounds, crawling slowly and cautiously, as if he were hunting prey in the jungle. The greenery around him hissed smoothly, heralding his coming for the shinobi-in-training.

I'm the tiger now. You are the deer.

When he got the point where he could see her shattered outline between the blades of grass, the child stopped in his pursuit and eyed her strangely, still getting a load of that weird skin glow she had going on. When at last he spoke to her, it was to get right down to business.

"Nice fairy, or evil one," he asked in muddled-accented Common.

[ayu13]

Ahiru was slow to process when the child spoke. At first, she thought it was just a strand of her imagination---she was hearing things again. The healer from the village said that from time to time she might perceived some sounds from her infected ear and so she believed that maybe this was one of those things. But then she remembered she was not alone and there was someone hiding in the fields.

So he speaks! Ahiru mused, who was now on her stomach, plucking a blade of grass and fiddling with it. Albeit a little strangely. What did he mean by ‘nice fairy or evil one’? Is that some sort of password or something? Wordplay then? Deciding not to answer altogether and hoping to find out what he meant by the question, she threw the query back at him. “How about you? Are you good or bad?”

While she waits for his answer, she would grab a lock of her hair and braid it, growing tired of playing with the grass.

[Ivory Deluge]

The morning sun gently ascended the sky, it's gentle kiss brushing against the fields of Wind. A breeze skittered over the hissing grassy plains. Somewhere behind the strange pair, the sheep's bleats rose above the sounds of broken conversation. These things failed to deter the child's attention away from the fairy lady and the possibility of gifts.

Mother says to play nice, and they'll be nice back.

"No." A small hand rose as he pointed at himself, his head shaking lightly. "Sorin," as if that in itself explained it all and defined his very essence. He was a child, innocent and naïve with just a hint of mischief and mild cruelty. It was hard to sum up a person as mixed up as that with just a single word, and yet. . .he was expecting the same from Ahiru.

Hand dropped to his side, the child shifted onto his knees and bent forward over the grass, enabling him to get a better look at the Academy Student. His dark, gold-shimmering eyes scoured the area around Ahiru, as if in search of something. "Golden goose. Where?"

[ayu13]

No? No what? What? Ahiru peered suspiciously at the concealed boy, propping both her elbows and placing her chin on one palm. Her query was not a yes or no question and yet the answer she received was a negative response. Either the child—she assumed from the shrill but cute voice—was crazy or just really special.

“Sorin is a nice name. Nice to meet you, Sorin-chan.” She did not bother to offer her name since it is not of importance at the moment. Plus, no one really asked.

Her brows furrowed more as Sorin continued to speak in a cryptic message. She wasn’t bothered with the way the conversation seemed to have no direction—she was perfectly fine with that—but the kid… he spoke differently. First, he was asking(?) about fairies and now a golden goose? She had not seen any of that on her way here. And there was no such thing as a golden goose. Maybe he mistook a goose from a yellow duckling? After all, those birds were relatively and physically alike.
Speaking of ducks, Ahiru grinned, remembering her birth name. “I don’t know about a golden goose. But I do know where you can find a duck. If you come out, I’ll show you.”

It was a good joke, she thought, but in truth, she just really wanted to lure out the boy so she could see him. In any case, it is much nicer to see a face of a stranger than a ghost.

[Ivory Deluge]

Sorin paused momentarily in his yet-unsuccessful search and watched the area from which the Academy Student's voice rang. Ahiru's compliments rolled-off the child's shoulders like rain water. She wasn't going to outwit him. No way! Not that easily. This fairy lady wasn't going to distract him with nice sayings about his name, not when there were more important things afoot. Like gifts! He continued his search, this time using his hands to push at the long, spidery-tendrils of grass blocking his sight.

Father likes it too. He says it means "sun". He says he and Mother named me after the sun because of my eyes. They were really bright gold when I was born. Now show me the golden goose, please!

He said "please"!

He paused once more -this time, his ears perking and his eyes slightly widening- when the girl offered to show him a duck. Ducks weren't geese! Buuuuut-

"Golden duck," he asked, voice soft but nothing short of curious. In his excitement, the boy stood abruptly, baring his appearance to the other child. Immediately, he began searching for this "duck," little orbs of deep, deep brown fervently searing past the sea of grass in hopes of catching just a glimpse of the golden animal.

(You tricky, tricky shinobi! XP)

[ayu13]

Ahiru was still on her stomach when the boy decided to make his appearance. Her lips parted in awe as her eyes traced the child’s outline, noting his facial features and attire. His skin, which glowed in the light, was sun-kissed and matched his golden hair very well. His flushed face reminded her of a little cherub, innocent and pure. Though if she could pick a favorite part of him, it would be his eyes. He was a bit distant but Ahiru’s eyes were sharp and she could see that they were brown with fragments of gold dancing on his irises. Truly, his name fitted him; he was a sun child. She didn’t think that by luring him out that, in turn, she would be allured by him. Funny how things work out.

Settling in a kneeling position, she threw her arms wide open and said—as much as she could while simultaneously laughing, “Ta-da! Here I am, the great golden duck!”

She didn’t really expect the kid to understand her actions—heck, even she surprised herself of such childish antics—but a small part of her suspected that Sorin would take it to a whole different level. He would say something uncanny and she would be stunned by it. Children were full of surprises after all.

“Are you surprised?” The raven-head would ask, grinning cheekily at him.

[Ivory Deluge]

In that moment, the child's thread of patience grew thinner as he stood there, waiting for the fairy lady to reveal to him this duck she'd promised him. Completely unaware that the girl was no fairy and that she was also taking a moment to admire him -a behavior he was uncomfortably used to seeing in the villagers- his little brow caved slightly and he began to entertain the notion that this all was some kind of trap to lure him out in the open.

Mother says Fairies also kidnap children sometime. They kidnap them and replace them with their own children. What were they called, though? The idea frightened Sorin -he hadn't really been acting all that nice to her, after all- but also intrigued him in such a way that could only be understood by other children. It was like asking to be told a scary story even though you knew you'd wind-up hiding under the covers that night.

And then. . .she appeared, arms in the air like she was preparing to fly away.

Sorin pouted, a little disappointed that there was no duck -no golden one, at that!- but also equally pleased that he could get a closer look at the girl than what the grass had allowed. He stared her down for a moment, gaze entranced by the glow of her skin. She had pretty hair too, silver and long and gleaming in the light of day. But there was one thing he felt that needed pointing out above all others. . .

"No feathers," he stated matter-of-factly, bottom lip still pushed over the top lip. Sorin moved towards her, albeit reluctantly, grass whispering against the movement. "Not a duck. Fairy." He pointed at her.

(Mmm, probably gonna bring in his mom in the next post. ^^ It'll give Ahiru someone coherent to talk to. XD)

[ayu13]

Ahiru smiled more when he announced that she had no fathers and accused her of not being a duck. Oh, but she was--he just had no knowledge of it. She remembered taunting the red-head Saigo from before and how it was similar to the situation now. Antagonizing her fellow Academy Student gave her a flare of satisfaction and atrocious delight, sadistic as it may sound. She realized that this was turning out to have the same outcome and she had to stop. Sorin was a child and saying vicious thing would only scare him. So Ahiru decided to put a halt to whatever creepy desires she had (which also made her uneasy) and tell him about herself.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a fairy either." She replied, gesturing for him to come closer with her hand. "But in a way I am a duck. You see, my name is Ahiru and it means duck." It was a simple explanation and she hoped the boy could understand the joke from earlier. Oh! Oh!

"Pfffft..." She suddenly giggled, light sounds ringing softly until it turn into a full laughter, loud and unlady-like. She thought she would die laughing because of a stupid joke she conjured inside her mind. She must have looked deranged to him and in need of medical attention in the head. Maybe she does. Because to be honest, it wasn't really funny. Just some words she put in a literal sense. But she couldn't stop laughing and she didn't know why and she felt like she would die laughing.

When her laugh finally subsided, Ahiru looked at Sorin shyly and apologized to him. "I just thought of something. It's kind of silly honestly." Hesitant to voice her mind, she remained silent only to crack seconds later. "My family name is Kawa and it means river. And my name is Ahiru. So I'm like a river duck and I'm beside a river--" Wow, she really did sound stupid. "Uh, yeah." She ended awkwardly.


[OOC: I'm awful at RP-ing D: I feel so dumb. lol Sorry for the late rep. I'm usually busy during weekends.]

[Ivory Deluge]

(Nonsense! You're doing a great job, and your style of writing is beautiful. <3 No worries about the delay. I had a pretty booked-up weekend myself. ^^)

Her beckoning did little in persuading him closer to her. The boy stood his ground, kept pouting, and furrowed his little brow when his guest denied her Fae blood. Lies! It had to be lies! More than anything, he was a little disappointed. He'd really been looking forward to getting a gift from her, but that feeling would pass soon enough.

When Ahiru laughed, Sorin laughed along with her. It started with a blink and a blank stare, confusion wavering over the child as he merely watched the girl before him lose herself to a fit of giggles. Her giggling crescendo'd into loud, clear barks of laughter that made the boy smile, facial features stretching and lips parting as the expression contorted into a sharp grin. Flecks of gold glimmered strangely in his eyes. Sorin laughed, low and full of unexplainable glee. Maybe. . . maybe it had something to do with that old saying about how laughter is contagious, but for whatever reason, the child found himself tickled and joining his unwitting kin in a chorus of chortles and cackles.

The mirth composition ended, decresendoing against the sound of whistling wind. He moved to her but in his own time, on his own orders. He crossed what little distance there was between them and would bring his small, rough hands to the girl's face, placing them on either side of her smiling, glowing façade. Sorin pursed his thin lips, dark eyes reading her features -admiring the traces of silver in her hair, the abysmal blue-black of her eyes and ,of course, her illuminating skin.

Ahiru means "duck". Kawa means "river". Not a fairy. No gifts, but no kidnappings either.

"You glow. Why?"

[ayu13]

Sorin's laugh was beautiful and pristine. It fitted him perfectly and it made her glad inside. Such innocence could not be tarred with vile things. Ahiru vowed silently she would protect it. Her anticipation to know of the child grew as Sorin moved to near her. Although she was taken aback when he neared too much for comfort and placed her his hands on either side of her face. She noted his hands were calloused and rough. Hers were hardened too but it was from training and use of weaponry. He was a kid and yet... then again, he lived at the outskirts of the village and in a farm no less. Maybe he did manual labor to help his parents too.

Ahiru realized she was still being held at a close proximity and unconsciously, she stared back at. His eyes were truly captivating much closer and the urge to touch his cheek back was strong but she distantly heard her him ask something and was broken from the trance.

"Hmmm? I'm glowing?" She whispered softly, as if to keep a secret between friends. He still spoke in an odd manner and confused her greatly, though she was beginning used to it.

"You're glowing too." said Ahiru, indicating to his gleaming eyes and the way the sun reflected on his face nicely, which brought out his features charmingly. After a moment, she added thoughtfully, "You're really pretty."

[OOC: I prefer your way of writing more tbh. I'm not much of a detailed person and I don't know how to describe things that is clearly understood. IDK WHY. D: I also meant to bring the topic up of Sorin's parents but it would ruin the moment, I think?]

[Ivory Deluge]

(Bah, I feel like a windbag with my writing sometimes. >.< But thank you! Ah, the parents! I forgot about them! XD)

Eyes interlocked and there it was: a subtle tug at the boy's heart. It was as if he knew this girl years longer than he'd been alive. Somehow. Whispered tones struck the air, heard over the wind and the singing waters behind them. Sorin blinked slowly, as if he didn't quite understand what Ahiru meant by her words. Removing his hands from her face, the boy backed away from the stranger and circled around her towards the rock she'd been nestling upon only moments before.

Kneeling down, the civilian peered over the edge of the rock and at his reflection quivering in the water below. He did so tentatively, as if he feared what he might see.

"Hm. . ." Hands came up to touch his speckled cheeks, to mush them and stretch them, as he experimented with his watery duplicate. Of course, color was lost onto him, being that he was looking at his reflection in a river, but the way he saw it, something as otherworldly as glowing should show in one's reflection no matter what! Sorin's eyes squinted. No glow. Was she tricking him again?

She'd called him pretty, and the boy smiled -a slight, charmed curve of the lips. He'd heard it before -from the villagers- but it'd never made him smile before. Maybe it was because he was starting to like this stranger. She was nice, if a little tricky. "Ahiru the Golden Duck is pretty too," he said in the same small voice he'd used with her before.

"Shepherd Boy~" A voice like music drifted through the air towards the two cousins. "Come! We shear the sheep today." From the back end of the household, came a woman, prancing down the side of the house with a long pair of shears in her hand. Her ash-brown hair slithered down to the middle of her back, catching the wind on occasion and flying around her face. She was thin with a freckled face, honey-brown eyes, and long fingers perfect for what she was about to do. Her name was Moira, Sorin's mother. When she came to the front corner of her home and spotted her son down by the river with a stranger, she halted her steps and immediately began to observe the situation carefully, a frown playing at her thin lips.

Sorin, upon hearing his mom's voice, turned halfway around, his smile growing brighter. It was if he had something to share -something wonderfully brilliant- with his mother. "Mother! Look! A golden duck," he stated excitedly, pointing at Ahiru, and then laughed. Apparently, he was reusing Ahiru's joke.

[ayu13]

Just as abruptly as he held her, Ahiru watched Sorin retreat away from her and towards the stream. He was gazing at his reflection inquisitively, as if to affirm her earlier remarks. She giggled when he stretched the skin on his face, examining it in a serious manner. He must have thought he was literally sparkling with glimmers and not the ethereal radiance she meant. Still, he looked really adorable checking his reflection.

“Ahiru the Golden Duck is pretty too," he said and she chuckled softly. Even now he was clutching to that joke. How cute. She wanted to say he was prettier and was about to, when an angelic voice rang through the fields.
Ahiru turned her towards the voice and found a woman standing near the cottage, a displeased expression on her attractive face. Who was she and why was she upset?

Mother. Sorin exclaimed, answering her thoughts. Ahiru ‘oh’-d silently . Sorin’s mother. Quick to assess the circumstances, Ahiru found the reason of her distress. It was because of her. A child talking to a stranger? Who wouldn’t be disturbed by that? She was an outsider after all and a trespasser too, who may or may not have the intent of kidnapping her son. (But she won’t of course. Unless he keeps on looking so sweet.)

Ahiru mentally slapped her forehead, hearing Sorin’s name for her.

Well, crap. He would never let go of that joke, would he?

[Ivory Deluge]

(Kidnap him! Do iiit! =O XD Oh! Ahiru wouldn't happen to have anything in view that would give her away as a shinobi-in-training, would she?)

Moira's first instinct as a mother was to approach the youth nestled in the grass near her son, which she did -slowly and cautiously- the bounce that had once livened her step missing now. The one thing she noted was that Sorin didn't appear to be frightened of the girl in the slightest, which was odd. The boy tended to dive behind anything that could distance himself from a stranger, but then there he was, perched on a rock and actually pointing at the girl like she was some great find. She was interesting, being that she glowed. That wasn't exactly a common feature in people, which made Moira all the more cautious.

"Aye, she's a rare duck indeed, Shepherd Boy," she called out with a giggle, playing along. Sorin beamed proudly and climbed down off the rock, slipping to one side of Ahiru. Black-brown eyes studied the silvery gleam of the Academy Student's dark hair.

"We glow," he said privately to the Golden Duck, as if it were a secret for them -and only them- to share. A smile -small but nothing short of bright- spread across his sunny features.

Moira ,in the meantime, continued her trek through the tall grass and towards the two children, wind flirting with loose strands of her own hair. Grass tickled against her ankles and bare feet. Once more, she called out over the wind, reminding the duo that she was still there -still the mother- and that the boy was still hers.

"What brings this Golden Duck to us? Has Sorin been a good boy?"

The child beside Ahiru twitched, as if insulted by the implications. I'm always good. Never bad. Don't wanna be kidnapped by bad fairies after all. He grinned, nevertheless, and sort of bounced in place.

""Yes, Mother!"

(So sorry for this craptastic post! >.< The grey text is just to better distinguish who's talking at the moment, since both of them are using Common right now.)

[ayu13]

Ahiru watched as Sorin's mother draw near with careful steps, like a predator drawing to her prey. She was eyeing the two of them, as if she had done something wrong and strange, and the girl didn't like it one bit; it made her nervous and embarrassed. She need not worry, in Ahiru's opinion, it's not like she draws danger on Sorin; he has become precious to her even vowed to protect him. Still, she knew she was in the wrong just by being present here and should really apologized.

Sorin moved to her side and whispered something her, making her smile. Yes, they were glowing--she still had no idea what it meant--and possibly, going to be grilled by his mother. She seemed the protective type after all.

She meant to answer her first inquiry, if it weren't for Sorin's hasty response. When he was done, she bowed politely towards the woman, never forgetting her manners. Though she apparently forgot her brain on the way here, for no words came out of her mouth and was left hanging for a few seconds. When she finally found the words to say, she said them lowly and in haste. Her face was red again, flustered for sure.

"I was just passing by... I meant not to trespass, I swear! I felt thirsty so I drank water from river. Is it safe to drink there by the way? Because I really don't want to get, uh, anything from it. Not that I'm saying it's dirty or anything, I was just wondering. I live in Rikuhi." And as an afterthought she added, "And I'm a ninja-in-training too."

[OOC: Nope. Ahiru's ninja gears are hidden underneath her large sailor shirt. So I just made her say it]