endgames | 032 -- [Voice || Action]

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032 -- [Voice || Action]

[A ninja walks into the bar.

Okay, that's getting ahead of the story. Let's backtrack then. Not too far. Everything he's been through in the past two weeks doesn't need to be said. At least, this isn't the place for it. What's important to mention is that on March 27, Nara Shikamaru left Luceti, gone back to home and to war. He returned on the same day and got thrown into another, and coming back to day-to-day life in this village after has felt almost unreal.

It's been nearly two weeks, but it wasn't until today that any of it definitively sunk in. All of the deaths. Everything they've lost - that he's lost. That the fighting is over, even if the war isn't.

You wouldn't think moving on with your life would be the scariest thing about that.]

[Voice]

Yo. [The greeting comes after he's gotten a grip on himself, so lackadaisical you wouldn't know the difference.] Some of you might've noticed that old pizza place was being remodeled. It's taking longer than I thought, but I've been working on turning it into a convenience store since November. It can probably open soon.

I'm gonna stock it with the basics. Milk, bread... staples like that for when no one wants to walk all the way to the grocery. So what snacks and drinks do you guys want? I'm not going to the trouble of getting things it turns out no one likes. That way, they'll just sit on the shelf to collect grease and dust. That's gross.

[He waves lazily, like he gave up on the motion halfway through, and reaches over to switch the feed.] Lemme know.

[Filtered to Trafalgar Law || Unhackable]

Hey. Got what you asked of me too.

[/end Voice]

[Several hours later... A ninja walks into a bar, and for the first time orders not Mountain Dew, but Genshu sake. A whole bottle.

Convincing himself to drink is more difficult than ordering it, however. Shikamaru sits at the bar for a while, spending more time staring into his cup than lifting it to his mouth. It's not like he's in a rush. He made a point not to tell anyone what he was up to, just that he would be back late and would get dinner on his own. Eventually though, he does get to drinking. It's a lot easier once he's started, and he loosens up. He won't be at the bar long after that, called away on an errand which leads him down toward House 22.

(ooc: threads with Law and Masaomi will be canonically last for this part)

The next day... he has a hangover. And it sucks. 8|

But he has people to talk to. Sakura and Asuma are both on his list, if they're home. Ino is last, and not without Chouji to go with him. Anyone else in the building is welcome to run into him on this day too, of course.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Muuuch later into the night, Shikamaru's had a change of heart. About a few things, actually, which is why he slaps together a filter. It is not as a good as he thinks it is.]

Hey. Masaomi.

[After waiting all of sixty seconds...]

...are you asleep or something?

[Thirty seconds.]

Ughhh... Wake up already if you are. How troublesome...

Ma-sa-o-mi...

[Paaause.]

Masaomi.

[...SIGH.]

[And this is the part where he just starts repeatedly chanting Masaomi's name until he trips over the syllables, with the sounds slurred together. He tries to get it right again at one point only to break out laughing.]

It's like a stupid tongue twister...

[Another snicker. AND WELL, HE'LL JUST KEEP DOING THAT THEN UNTIL HE GETS A RESPONSE.]

[And then there's a, after a slight moment, a groan and then a tired-] Yeah?

[He's still going.]

Masa- Oh. [...grin.] There you are.

Yeeah, I'm here.

[Good. That's great. He pulls his journal up so he can point at the page, finger tapping loudly against it.]

Come hang out with me.

How late is it, dude? [That said, he's still sitting up, rubbing his eyes and itching his chest.]

[It's still night?? The sky's deeply dark, so late night, but he doesn't have the interest to determine it past that.]

Dunno. [Another tap.] Come hang out with me.

Kaaaaay? [He's still out? He tilts his head curious at the book before standing and stretching. He goes to put on some clothes, setting the book on his dresser]

[He'll hear a loud clap. It's a yes, right? Close enough. It's the answer he wanted.]

Awesome. [The excitement is obvious, but then as an afterthought:] Right wait. Don't, uh. Don't tell Chouji, though. 'kay?

[Muffled somewhat, but speaking up, he replies through the shirt he's rolling on-] Uuuuh, sure?

[Sounded affirmative enough.]

Knew I could count on you... You're a de-pen-da-ble guy.

Emphasis on the pen, riiight? [It's a tried joke, now that he's dressed, he goes to (as quietly as possible) go out and get his shoes]

[There's a lengthy silence from the other end. Eventually he gives up, responding back puzzled.]

I don't get it...

[With the sound of him sneaking out the door, book in hand] You know, like how a pen is straight and narrow. I'm that sort of guy.

You're straight?

Exactly.

[He sulks, having missed the reaction he wanted. Slouching back with his arms folded, off camera there's a groan of metal squeaking on its hinges.]

I thought it was funny... [Mutter mutter. He perks up again just as suddenly, loud in his enthusiasm.] Oh hey! No one got the germ joke either. You believe that??

What?! [With mock shock, now making his way to ... wait where is he going] No one has a sense of humor! That one's a modern classic!

So where am I going?

Haaa- [He didn't say? Huh. Who did he say that to then...] -aaah. Playground.

[He rocks his foot and the roundabout creaks on its hinges again.]

...Weird. Okay, okay, I'm gone.

[For there. And he shuts the journal to just head there instead]

[Whenever he opens his journal again, he'll find about three minutes worth of Shikamaru rambling on the other end: useless, inane things not worth detailing. Eventually he stops, realizing his audience is gone.

He's still on the roundabout when Masaomi shows up, legs hooked over the edge and keeping himself upright by leaning forward against one of the handle bars. One cheek against the metal, he finds himself staring at the slide across the way, focused on it and only it entirely. Dredging up memories of when he was small enough to play in a place like this. He'd walk himself home, usually. Every once in a while, though...

"Dad... Can you let go of my hand already?"
"Oh? Are you embarrassed?"

He smiles into the handlebar. What a stupid kid he was. Should've just held his hand.]

[Filtered to Masaomi | 67% Unhackable]

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