Manuel
Quite honestly, Tarashi hadn't seen Hiroki in a while, and it was starting to grate on him. He went through periods like this with Niko-nii too, towards the beginning of his brother's rise and his own stagnation, but the feeling eventually faded after a prolonged time apart. Luckily enough, it doesn't seem that'll happen here, since his friend reached out first. He unwraps the note from an entertainingly upset sparrow, reading over and placing it where he did with the last.

Hiroki is finally going into poison. It makes sense, considering how they met, but chemistry is such a wonderful and nuanced thing — to be able to share that with someone who cares and understands, who values his knowledge — it's a warm feeling, being wanted. He brushes through his hair with a hand and slides on his — freshly washed, surprisingly enough — lab coat, walking out and locking the door behind him. 

It doesn't take long before he lands in the Garden, hopping down from a particularly large structure as he tends to do. His eyes roam over the bags of herbs as he approaches, "Are we going to be doing chemistry?" He asks, crouching before the ingredients, "You could've asked to use my equipment, you've seen it before. Unless these are the finished products?"

"Good afternoon, by the way. Did you miss me?" He teases, smiling across at the other boy, "I suppose you've been too wrapped up in training, no, Hiroki-chan?"
Gabriel
"Hello, Tarashi-san. This is the finished product for the moment, though imperfect. Restriction Concoction A - intended to be used in combination with the Quicklime transformation of Lava Release to bind problem targets. I do not recall if I had the opportunity to tell you that I had manifested an elemental Kekkai Genkai - it is the oddness I was feeling when we trained Fire Release weeks ago." It might be months at this point honestly, both boys kept themselves very busy in their respective interests. He rises to greet his friend, however, impressed that he's freshly washed his lab coat - it's a very pleasant surprise for the genin who'd been such a stickler for hygiene in previous encounters.

"Training for the next Founder's Festival has taken up much of my time, as has a number of missions that have kept me away from the village for small amounts of time." The thing about Hiroki is he didn't really *Stop* Doing his own thing - it's why he has such a bevy of techniques. And it's somewhat likely that poisons will follow. 

"I missed your presence, Tarashi-san. You are my friend, after all." The genuine kind of guy that Hiroki is doesn't really let him tease Tarashi for such a question - even if it might serve to inflate his ego just a little bit by saying it.
Manuel
Tarashi listens closely, perking up when he mentions kekkai genkai. "*Really?*" He exclaims, walking over to him as if he'll be able to see it on his face. "Ha! No wonder. That's wonderful, Hiroki-chan! You're from the frontier, aren't you? Or somewhere out there. What would a family with a combination element be doing that far... How bizarre." He stares into his eyes as he speaks, looking for some sort of answer. More than likely, they were living their lives, existing away from Nora. It's not like his friend will be able to tell him much, considering he already knows they died at his near-infancy. 

Hiroki of all people — he should be willing to test these things. He *Has* To agree with Tara's own theories about the dissemination of information and promoting a lack of secrecy. "Yes... I know how *Hard working* You are..." He says the words like they're a negative, though not chastisingly so. One part of him is glad that Hiroki is focused, because he's more likely to survive and keep up with Tara. On the other hand, he doesn't want to be left behind, or lesser than. Not that he ever would be, the mere thought is ridiculous — but still.

... 

He... Missed him?

"Aha, I — of course, of course." He responds, pulling at the collar of his coat. "Then you should bother me more often." It even shocks him that he'd decide to seek someone out, or invite someone in, but the days pass by slower when Hiroki is around. His opinions, though often in opposition with Tara's own, bring far more information than he otherwise would've had. He has more energy around him. Does that make him a friend?

He ruffles his jacket again, crouching to the ground and picking up one of the bags gently. There's no use in being distracted by such mundane things when there's something much more exciting to do. "You're trying to bind targets..." He muses, "I imagine you're targeting muscle weakness and fatigue? Something like an anesthetic, perhaps? What am I looking at, here?"
Gabriel
"If I knew where any blood relatives might be, you would be certain that I would be searching for them. As it stands, I do not believe there is a lead that I might follow to find any such relatives - so my time would be better served in learning the details of the transformation. While I have met one other Lava Release user, of the Rubber variety, I do not know if there are many of Quicklime in Noragakure." Hiroki has been disseminating several facts about his abilities among those who know him, but actually came prepared for Tarashi. Leaning back, he scoops up a small notebook and offers it over to the young man.

"This is a copy of my compiled notes regarding the combination element. You'll find details on my ability to develop techniques, the dual liquid and solid nature of the technique, and the transformative ability therein." He doesn't go so far as to offer *Himself* For testing - he couldn't guess that much.

After the notebook is taken or rejected, either or, he looks down to the concoction at hand. "Yes - this is utilizing a number of neuroactive herbal agents to induce a level of muscle weakness and slow reaction time. I have a separate document you may review if you wish." Offering it over, Tarashi can immediately see the mixture would be classed as an A-rank poison were it be registered - the herbal origin speaks of Hiroki's own fondness for plants, though there are notes of considering an ingested fungal alternative.

"I will do so in the future then - our training together has been a highlight of my career thus far." Tarashi might be able to know Hiroki's diction had slowly been turning a little more natural. Even without any contractions, there was a level of familiarity he might be able to parse from this - it *Had* Been quite some time since they met on that D-rank.