endgames | 021 -- [Action]

[Today when Shikamaru woke up to his morning routine of journal stalking, there was a mission notice waiting for him. Fantastic. But you reap what you sow with these things...

Shikamaru spends the next few hours going over everything he thinks he'll need for this mission before heading out of his apartment. Most of his plans for the week are on hold (again) but there's still a few things he wanted to take care of; people to see.

In particular, he'll seek out Ino and Naruto, stopping to talk to most of his friends from home too, if he sees them. Give them a heads up on where he's at for the next week or so. After that he'll head into the square in the mid-afternoon in search of one Albert Silverberg. Masaomi is next, though Shikamaru will actually bother hailing him over the journals if he doesn't see him. Same for Sokka, if he can't find him at the smithy or the Avatar House.

Even if he isn't seeking anyone else out, he'll still stop to speak to people he knows if he runs into them today. Especially if they came along into the tunnels during that last experiment. Curiosity, mainly - he wants to know if anyone's doing better now.

Feel free to catch him anywhere in town this afternoon. Until he finds Albert, he'll be the guy carting around a shogi board under one arm.]

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[When Shikamaru comes looking for Sokka at Casa de Avatar, Toph is milling about in the front yard, bending slushy, gross snow mud. It's worse than rain mud. Really!]

Can't Katara just bend this stuff outta here? It's ruining my favorite sculpting spot!

Aa, didn't know you were an artist.

[Toph, we should bond sometime over how much the snow sucks. No one agrees with him!]

[...Oh, sup, bro. Toph sets down the snowy mud. She's barefoot as always, buuuuut it is pretty cold.]

It's just earthbending practice. It's not like I'm trying to make stupid statues people will want to put in their yard.

[Because she's pretty sure no one else wants Bosco the bear in their yard but her.]

Still wasn't something I'd expect you'd bother with at all. [He shrugs.]

Oi, is Sokka here?

Do you have any idea how boring it gets here sometimes? [Seriously, is it just her?]

Nope, he's off at work. Why, you asking Katara on a date, or something?

[He likes boring. It's less troublesome. Unlike that question, because whut. 8|]

No. [Not missing a beat here.] I wanted to talk to him about that mission he went on.

[Pfft. It was a totally reasonible question.

And don't mind the way she just...turns away a bit and goes back to her bending.]

Yeah. It was fine. [SHE DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT HIM OR ANYTHING, OKAY.]

[Uh huh. Because that's totally what he asked.]

I guess I'll go track him down at the Smithy.

[Well, after he takes a break to sit and eat a granola bar he brought with him. It was a long walk out here, okay.]

[She just stops.] What are you doing?

Eating. [Just matter-of-fact.]

...Yeah, obviously. But why are you doing it here?

Felt like taking a break. Been walking around most of the day.

Yeah, but can't you go...take your break somewhere else?

[You're throwing off her groove, man. Don't make her slime you.]

I'm sorry. Is me sitting here for two minutes gonna be a problem?

[Like it takes forever to eat a granola bar.]

Yep.

[She's gonna make it a problem, at least.] Not like you didn't come and interrupt what I was doing.

[But he's sitting all the way over here-- Ugh, nevermind. He just sighs and gets up to go, stuffing the granola bar back into a pocket.]

Whatever. How troublesome...

[That's right, you troublemaker. Off her lawn!]?

Yeah, yeah, quit your complaining.

[He just rolls his eyes and steps back onto the path. It's really annoying, but not worth getting riled up over at all.]

Aa, before I go: you been doing okay?

[She crosses her arms.]

I'm fine. [Not. She took Yue leaving pretty hard.] And anyway, I don't need you to worry about me.

[Her mood seems to contradict that statement. She's pretty snappish today, huh.]

That's good, because I wasn't. [He yawns, still seemingly laid-back with this conversation.] Sometimes people ask questions like that just because they wanna catch up.

[Toph is the queen of hiding her feelings. Except for the part where she's pretty terrible at it.]

Yeah, way to shoot the breeze. This is the best conversation I've had all day.

Sorry, I can always change the subject to picking our noses if that's a more appealing topic.

[She considers this, before grinning.]

That's a lot more like it! Picking's great. Noses, toes, ears...

[He's torn between exasperation and dubbing Toph the coolest girl he's met, even if he won't admit it.]

...heh. Not what I was expecting, but I can't say I'm disappointed. [Rather, he sounds amused.] Most girls think that stuff's gross.

Yeah, well, those are sissy girls. I don't see what's so wrong about having all your nooks and crannies cleaned out! If anything, that's better hygiene.

[Says the girl covered in dirt.]