038 -- [Action || Voice]

[endgames]

[September 22 - 25]

[On the 22nd - his birthday, though he never says as much - a nine-year-old Shikamaru walks into a bedroom that looks nothing like his own. The whole rest of the world isn't exactly like what he's used to, actually, but he adjusts! Because hey, at least he doesn't have to go to school.

For these first few days, despite much grumbling and complaining he does try to behave. He reads the journals. He doesn't go anywhere without permission, and stays indoors for the thunderstorm. He keeps to the rec center and the Flame Building, or climbs trees just outside both when the weather's good. Gets pretty high up them too. Like really high. Tippy-top high. ...He's a stupidly good climber, okay. (Getting DOWN from them now... ha...)

So that's satisfying for a while. But after four days of it, he's bored.]

[September 26]

[Today there is a small child (think about 4'4/130 cm) wandering around... well pretty much wherever this butterfly takes him across the village. The going is slower when that same butterfly turns into a caterpillar, at which point Shikamaru stops wherever he is no matter how inconvenient, focusing on something moving around in the grass, or standing right in your way.

Rarely when he does strike off on his own, he can be found wandering curiously around from building to building in the Square, his hands always cupped at chest level. You'd think the ghost-like people that seem to show up constantly would warrant surprise, but Shikamaru kinda ignores them. He's wrapped up in his own little world, and whatever's in his hands gets more attention.]

[September 27 - Voice]

[ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM. WHY. YOU'RE THROWING OFF HIS GROOVE, WEATHER.]

What's a good spot where it's not raining? I have paper airplanes I want to test.

[September 28]

[The sunny weather sees him set off for the Battle Dome, though it takes several hours to get there. From 9 AM to noon he can be spotted at several points alongside the dirt road, lying with arms spread in the grass and watching the clouds. He looks very serious indeed.

Eventually he gets to his destination, and admires the Battle Dome's twelve rooms upon arrival. He thinks about securing one for himself, but eh... It could be way more interesting to check out what other people are doing. He might even crash anything that doesn't look like an intense battle scenario.

It was a fun week, overall. Which is cool, because the moment he steps out of the Dome, he'll be an adult again.]


((ooc: so for the time shift event, this is a aged-down scenario with a twist! cliff notes are here, and replies will come from middlegames!))

Comments

28th

[yourhatred]

[Itachi might have run into Shikamaru sooner, but he hadn't been keen on leaving Law's side for the past couple days after the previous shift. He felt the need to let the man know he was alright and that he wasn't going to revert back to how he'd been any time soon.

It's only today that he's allowed himself some much needed time at the battledome. With his eyesight as bad as it is, he needs to continue honing his other senses to make up for it. ...Though the matter he'd discussed with his husband the other day still weighs heavily on his mind.

The program is set up with targets of various sizes, each moving differently and making a different series of noises as they approach. Once he gets better at this one, he intends to work with more realistic targets - ones representing living creatures - but for now he's content to toss kunais at wood, paper, and holograms.

For someone who'd seemed in such poor health only a couple days ago, he certainly seems healthy and agile now.]

28th

[middlegames]

[Shikamaru hadn't missed those coughs when they had talked on the journals, and so he also doesn't fail notice here that Itachi seems to be doing better now. The way he's hitting his targets, you wouldn't even be able to tell he was sick.

It reminds him of watching Sasuke, in what few memories he has of going to school at the Academy. Only Itachi is a million times better.

It'd be kind of scary if he didn't know most everyone uses the battle dome to train, so that's... normal... For a ninja it'd be even more normal. That thought makes him feel better, and while he decides he won't forget it, he also determines he won't worry about it either.

Just to be safe, he doesn't think he should interrupt. Unless there's a good place to watch from the inside where he wouldn't get into trouble. Shikamaru leans forward to examine the terrain Itachi's programmed in, as if the view will be any clearer by moving in scant inches than it is now. To pricked ears there's an audible sound - a light thunk - when his forehead presses up against the thick glass.]

28th

[yourhatred]

[A couple more tosses of kunai and Itachi pauses, head tilted. The program, noticing a pause in his activity, slows the movement of the targets as though on hold. The ninja turns in Shikamaru's direction, but his eyesight is so poor he can't make the figure out against the glass.

He frowns, uncertain if he'd just been hearing things or not and not wanting to ask out loud if anyone was there because of this. It could just have been someone knocking into the wall on the way to their own program.

He must just be too hyper focused right now. A kunai is flipped idly in one hand as he contemplates just moving on and forgetting about it.]

28th

[middlegames]

[Oops. Holy crap, did he hear that from all the way down there?

...no way. It had to be a coincidence or something. Uchiha are known for their eyes, not their bat ears (that's mom stuff). Just because Itachi looked this way doesn't mean anything. Or at least it doesn't look like he spotted him (weird, with the aforementioned eye thing). He looks more puzzled than anything. Definitely a coincidence.

.....

This conclusion needs to be scientifically tested. Shikamaru hesitates for a moment, then raps his knuckles thrice against the glass this time.]

[27th]

[savedtheworld]

[Aang's in the Avatar House, checking his journal and staying out of the thunder storm when he sees the message. That's... a very familiar kid. Oh well, he'll just take his casually and see how it goes.]

Paper airplanes? Sounds like an important mission! I might be able to help you out there.

[27th]

[middlegames]

[AANG. For a moment Shikamaru is excited, but he makes himself reel it in. If he plays it cool, this will be more fun.]

I have twenty of them. [JUST TO WARN YOU.]

[27th]

[savedtheworld]

Whoa! You've sure been busy. [He gives an impressed whistle.]

Buuut I might have some ideas in mind to make sure all your planes get home safely! If it wasn't raining, where would your first choice to use them be?

27th Voice

[windandrain]

[Okay, Saori cannot help but laugh at this broadcast. Shifts that revert people to a child-state are never really worrisome and Shikamaru's (presumably) younger self is actually somewhat cute. Not to mention the question is amusingly right up her alley, as far as actually fixing the problem goes.]

Where would you like there to be a sunny spot? I can arrange for it, if you want.

27th Voice

[middlegames]

[WELL if she's offering...!]

The whole village would be great. Rain sucks for paper airplanes, but it makes it hard to watch clouds too.

27th Voice

[windandrain]

[If this were home...maybe she could make that happen, but here? Well, she can laugh at least.]

That's a bit beyond me inside the barrier. Maybe give me something smaller to work with and I'll do what I can.

25th You get two this time. It's been a while...

[thefinaljedi]

[Shikamaru isn't alone in his tree-climbing endeavor today. It's been a part of Luke's physical training routine for a while, and it just so happens he's scrabbling up a nearby tree at the same time as the boy. Pausing at the top for a quick breath, he's about to jump to the next one over when he realizes there's someone else over there.]

Oh! Uh...Hi.

[Blinks...]

Shikamaru?

25th works for me! /o/

[middlegames]

[Shikamaru blinks back at him, looking equally surprised to see Luke up here.]

That's me. Need help, or something?

[CASUAL CHATS AT FORTY FEET IN THE AIR.]

[thefinaljedi]

[Oh, lovely, another child shift...]

No, I'm alright. [Just...hanging off the treetop like a monkey.]

You're out here alone climbing trees?

22nd

[generalflirt]

I'm making fish today, for the record! [ Masaomi says this as he hears someone coming out of a room over there. He's already up, in an apron, messing around in the kitchen. It's a day or two before he's supposed to be off for a mission, so... ]

22nd

[middlegames]

[Shikamaru had been examining the room he found himself in with some puzzlement. About as clinically as you can get for a nine-year-old, really. He doesn't recognize any of the items in this room, other than a Konoha flak jacket thrown over a chair in the corner, but it's spartan enough that he can identify the layout as being the same one that all Luceti apartments share.

Did I get teleported to someone else's room? Shikamaru edges out into the hall, peeking at the living room. That too looks similar, but different. That's happened before. It was an annoying experiment...

Masaomi's comment startles him, just for a moment. It's less that he didn't realize another person was here (he heard the sounds from the kitchen), and more that he couldn't place the voice right away. Once he steps around into the kitchen, however, he's relieved he can recognize the person. Sorta.]

Oh. It's you. [...he's blanking on a name. Masasomething?] You're Gold's friend, right?

22nd

[generalflirt]

Ah, yeah? [ Why would someone say - wait. Shikamaru's voice was a lot deeper. He turns now, with a flat look to see-

To see a young person. He frowns, and then turns off the stove by force of habit. The fish can wait a little bit and he didn't want it to burn for him not paying attention, because this clearly will be a bit ]

... Ah.

22nd

[stilldontgotit]

[On the morning of the 22nd, Riku is out doing his daily training exercises in the Battle Dome. It's in the late morning that he returns, suitably bushed from fighting simulated enemies.

It's on his way towards his room that he spots Shikamaru and does a quick double take.

...Did he get kidnapped? Well, time to investigate.]

Hey, uh... Is everything okay?

[Was he mentally affected? Just physically? Always worth checking into.]

22nd

[middlegames]

[Shikamaru was just sitting on the couch, kinda bored and looking like he owned the place when Riku comes back and-- huh, he sounds... worried, or something? It's a reaction outside the norm to him.]

Sheesh. I wasn't gone that long. [And in case that's not enough-] It wasn't even my fault, and I came right back.

[stilldontgotit]

[Wait, what? Riku's eyes widen for a moment. The way he's talking, it's almost like he thinks he lives here. That's... strange.

Well, might as well keep it cool. Not like it's the weirdest thing to happen.]

And you weren't kidnapped or anything? Just want to make sure.

26th let's rock

[tinytrader]

[Silver might have come to check on Shikamaru if he could remember who Shikamaru is. Unfortunately, Shikamaru's not the only one who's shrunk down a couple of feet, and Silver wouldn't have considered approaching him were it not for the fact that he happened to be on the same path he's taking and also looks pretty strange. What's he holding? Who does their hair like that? Weirdos, that's who.

But he's feeling pretty confident with Feraligatr and Weavile (who are reluctantly- or not so reluctantly, in Weavile's case- carrying around a whole lot of food they... relocated from the convenience store) behind him, so he stops right before he's about to pass him to try and look at whatever's in his hands without being too obvious about it.

But he's curious. And he's also sizing Shikamaru up and down. He doesn't look too big or tough. He's probably Blue's age...]

26th heck yeah

[middlegames]

[Wow wow you're one to talk, Silver, have you ever had a haircut.

More focused on what's in his hands - and here he lifts up one hand to peek - Shikamaru very nearly bumps into their gang without looking. He manages to catch sight of Feraligatr at the last second though and stops.]

Whoops. Sorry. [Where Feraligatr and Weavile are though, he expects Silver and so looks for him. Aaaaand finds a much shorter version.] Oh hey. You're a kid now too?

[tinytrader]

[He's a kid now too... Well, that confirms his suspicions. He... Kind of remembers being her once? For a few days. And now he's back again. So this must be a "shift", right?]

You're not usually a kid either? [It shouldn't last more than a couple of days. He has his Pokémon from before. He'll be okay.]

22nd

[niceguypose]

[It's a quiet part of the day. Whenever Shikamaru dares to climb up a tree, he will find he is not alone. Atop an adjacent tree, a young man's bushy-browed head peeks out from the branches. He looks towards the child curiously!]

22nd

[middlegames]

[It's his birthday, and he gets to do whatever he wants. Shikamaru is going to make a freaking fort up here - and there is in fact a blanket tied over his shoulders like a bag, full of things he will need for this. It's going to be great.

And then there's LEE. It's like seeing a giant hawk stalking you, or walking in on your mother and a teacher discussing your grades. The sudden appearance is surprising, and so he misses the next branch he was reaching for!]

Oh crap-!

[He drops a foot, but manages to hold on tight to the next branch down to stop his fall.]

22nd

[niceguypose]

[A hawk with a bowlcut is very legit. And once the boy is falling, Lee is leaping across to land on a nearby branch.]

Do you require assistance? [He tries to get a good look at the kid at the same time. Could it be...?] Shikamaru-kun?