endgames | 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

[He's quiet for a long moment. Or perhaps it stretches on in head only for him.]

Pops was never much for words. You know how Nara men are. We like to sleep. [A corner of his mouth does turn up now, a smile that almost reaches his eyes.] Think I'll let him.

[He already knows. Shikamaru made sure of it. Besides, this isn't about him now anyways. He pats Ino's hand - he's fine, promise.]

[Once she felt that pat on her head, Ino already knows what he's telling her. Chouji's right - Shikamaru's never one to let his words speak louder than his actions and time and again, she's thankful of that. Because there are words better said with actions.

So she's going to do the same because while she had always been a woman of words, right now they're failing her and right now she wants her teammates to feel her words instead of just hearing them. With the soft smile she had retained through her pained tears, Ino pulls away from Chouji's half embrace and lets go of Shikamaru's hand.

This way, she can easily throw her arms around both of their shoulders to pull them closer, gently. It's an act so simple yet so important to her.

Thanks, you guys. I can never be thankful enough. You two are the best teammates and friends a girl and ninja could ever have.

A reassuring squeeze.

We'll get through this, like we always do.

Shikamaru and Chouji might not be able to read minds like she does, but she knows at this time, they don't need to.]

[Shikaku-san is sleeping, Inoichi-san is resting. Not the way they meant to, though.

Chouji doesn't care at all that he and his teammates are still sitting side by side, making hugs awkward at best. He leans closer immediately, turning in his seat as he wraps an arm around Ino again. The other, he uses to close the circle, his knees hitting Ino's as he gets as much of his arm around Shikamaru as he can manage. Who needs mindreading?

He's thankful too. So grateful he got here in time to help his teammates through this, that their team is whole and together. Chouji has no idea what he'd do without Ino or Shikamaru. He knows that he'll have to support his father as well as his teammates when he goes home.]

[This is one group hug he can get behind. Without hesitation (he's not letting himself overthink things now) he lets himself be dragged into it, hooking his foot around his chair's leg to pull it closer to theirs.

It's just me now, is what he thought when it him. It's what he thought yesterday morning when the consequences of war sunk in, finally, in the warmth of a sunny day that ultimately couldn't touch him.

I don't know how to handle this, and it's just me now.

Grief talking. It got him for a second, he can admit (we're only human). He knows better. Has always known better. And if he has to suffer twenty of these team hugs to remind himself of everyone he still has in his life...

Then that's okay too.]

[It took several seconds, maybe even a full minute, for the group hug to last before Ino decides to let them both go. Something fierce still aches within her and it's a dull pain that keeps on throbbing yet her expression doesn't give this away.

Instead, she snorts a little, wiping away more of her tears with her now free hand. It would have taken a lot for her to stand her ground like this, though with the help of her awesome teammates, it doesn't seem all that much. There will come a time that the pain will grow numb and Ino knows she'll be the only one to come to terms with it, no matter what happens.]

Alright, I think that's enough team meeting for today. [A light tease. She's fine, but somehow reverting to her default teasing is easier.] I'm feeling a little exhausted. I guess it's time to take a short beauty rest.

[Read: I'll need some time for myself now. Although, Ino doesn't stand up immediately and instead, gives both Shikamaru and Chouji a smile.]

But, thank you. [A pause, as if she's thinking of what else to say.] Thank you.

[Chouji doesn't have to be an expert in codes to interpret that one. Especially not when he knows Ino so well.]

Of course. [And since his teammates know him too, the concern in Chouji's voice is obvious even as he tries to stifle it to give Ino time and space.] If you need anything, though, later...

[Ino knows where to find him. He'll be checking on her if she doesn't stop by eventually, but that doesn't even need to be said.

The thanks are what hurt the most. How can she thank them for carrying news like this? How could anyone? They were there for her, doing what little they could in the way of comfort, but that doesn't change the fact that they delivered the knowledge of her father's death. It's all he can do to keep his tone light and a small smile in place as he answers.]

You're welcome, Ino. Always. [They're a team, and friends. There'd be something wrong if he and Shikamaru weren't there for her.]

032 -- [Voice || Action]

[Action: Ino-Shika-Chou]

[Action: Ino-Shika-Chou]

[Action: Ino-Shika-Chou]

[Action: Ino-Shika-Chou]

[Action: Ino-Shika-Chou]

[Action: Ino-Shika-Chou]