031 -- [Action | Voice]

[endgames]

[Today is an understated awesome day, ladies and gentleman. To everyone? Okay, maybe not. But Shikamaru sure is pleased as punch. After a month's stay in the Battle Dome clinic recoveries from the injuries he got in his fight with Hidan, Shikamaru's finally cleared to check out today.

Before he gets the all-clear, he can be found in - brace yourselves - one of the Dome's simulation rooms. He's actually been using them for the past week for his physical therapy. If he's going to be doing a lot of walking, might as well change up the scenery.

Namely, he's replicated parts of the Nara Clan's forest. At its opening, the sky is more open, but the further in you go the thicker the trees grow together. Wandering will reveal easter eggs - old statues, broken and ruined, or a path of moss-covered stone lanterns. Maybe a young deer if you're lucky.

Other parts of the forest seem to be swallowed by shadow completely, offering nothing but pitch black that no amount of light will ease and the sense you're being watched if you step into them.

He'll try and clear up some stuff with Law before he goes, but after that he hits the journal.]

[Voice]

For those of you who saw that Vaskoth place... I figure it's been long enough. Name something you liked about it, if you can recall.

[Filtered to Molly (NPC) || 100% Unhackable]

You must be made of sterner stuff than I.

[/end voice]

[Feels like forever since he's been back in the swing of things. Shikamaru can be found at CH1 of course, in or around his apartment. Throughout the days following, he'll also be at the place formerly known as Azzip's, getting back to turning it into a convenience store.]

Comments

[herotypical]

Variety, y'know, is the spice of life.

[endgames]

Get me salt and pepper and I'll be satisfied.

But that the crux of it?

[herotypical]

It's cruxy. All in all? Not my vacay resort of choice.

[endgames]

I was trying to think of it in a different light from that. Things that could be applied here.

[herotypical]

I know we owe our electricity to it and all, but I'm no longer amazingly fond of all the wide and wondrous things we can trade our souls for. Y'know? With the Malnosso?

Which just makes me wonder how much of their stuff we can manage on our own steam.

[endgames]

That's half of what I was getting at. When I talked to some of the soldiers from there, they were pretty proud of how much they'd accomplished without the Malnosso's help.

I'd like to do something like that here, but my skills don't lend well to such branches.

[herotypical]

[ she remains unconvinced, however-- ]

I'd say the town hall wasn't such an unenviable thing but -- please, we both know how that'll go down.

[endgames]

[He snorts.] Faster than an old lady down a flight of stairs?

[herotypical]

...Well, that imagery got a little dark a little fast.

[endgames]

[HIS BAD.]

Point is I get it.

[herotypical]

Or you hate old ladies.

[endgames]

I don't mind old ladies. I helped one across the street once.

[herotypical]

And they say the young folk no longer have a sense of civic duty, these days.

1/2

[endgames]

It was technically a mission...

[endgames]

We're getting besides the point.

[herotypical]

Perhaps my point was to get besides the point. Did you consider that, Mister Einstein?

[endgames]

Naturally. Because of course I would get an intelligent person to comment only for them to go off-topic.

[He laces that with plenty of opportunity to divert from the subject again, mind.]

[herotypical]

Ah. See. There's your error. Thinking you were talking to an intelligent person.

[endgames]

So you're a natural blonde.

[herotypical]

...Of course I'm a nat--

[ huff. ]

That's it. I'm banning you from all future topics even remotely close to hair care. It never ends well.

[endgames]

[Smirk.]

Based off of what? All of two times?

[herotypical]

As a conversation topic, it is persistent. Like a bad case of bronchitis.

[endgames]

Heh. All coincidence, I assure you.

[herotypical]

[ to her credit, she does slip slowly back to the conversation they'd previously been having. ] All in all? I'm not sure a world of commerce is one I'm anxious to rejoin, unless it's my very own.

[endgames]

Heh. That I get.

[It was different from his own world's take on it. And more than that, he's generally uninterested in those things to begin with.]

There's such a thing as having too many comforts of home, isn't there?