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008 -- [Voice || Action]
[Voice]
Oi. What's easy to make for dinner, besides sandwiches and microwave dinners?
[Let's face it - Shikamaru can cook for himself if need be, but Chouji's the food lover. Unfortunately there comes a point where one gets bored of the dishes they know how to make - particularly when those dishes are sandwiches and instant food.
Speaking of instant food - he'll just beat Naruto to the punch on this one. 8|] ...Or ramen.
[/end voice]
[Fortunately he has some time to take suggestions. Once he's finished his regular daily regimen of training for the day (something he's been keeping up on since Chouji was taken), he can be found in a clearing not too far from the path to town, next to the river. There's a shogi board with him, set on a turn table, and it likely looks like he's playing himself.
Of course, if you're more familiar with Tsinku, or just paying closer attention to the rumble of thunder in the background that rolls when Shikamaru switches to playing the opposite side, you might guess differently. Apparently, as he learned the other day in a conversation with Law, the filial spirits have some interest in games. And surprisingly when it comes to shogi, Tsinku's turning out to a challenging opponent.
He hasn't known the spirit long enough to learn from him just yet, but he pays attention to him all the same. The sooner he can build up a relationship with Tsinku, the faster he can learn from him. And any skill he can pick up is a useful one. Especially here.
...This past week has been a rough one. Aside from Shino, Luceti's officially screwed with everyone he cares about now - and there's next to nothing he can do about it. It may prove to be futile, but he's going to be prepared for when it happens again.
In any case, it's the reason he's out here on a day like today. And he'll be out here until it starts to snow again or gets dark, whichever comes first.]
Oi. What's easy to make for dinner, besides sandwiches and microwave dinners?
[Let's face it - Shikamaru can cook for himself if need be, but Chouji's the food lover. Unfortunately there comes a point where one gets bored of the dishes they know how to make - particularly when those dishes are sandwiches and instant food.
Speaking of instant food - he'll just beat Naruto to the punch on this one. 8|] ...Or ramen.
[/end voice]
[Fortunately he has some time to take suggestions. Once he's finished his regular daily regimen of training for the day (something he's been keeping up on since Chouji was taken), he can be found in a clearing not too far from the path to town, next to the river. There's a shogi board with him, set on a turn table, and it likely looks like he's playing himself.
Of course, if you're more familiar with Tsinku, or just paying closer attention to the rumble of thunder in the background that rolls when Shikamaru switches to playing the opposite side, you might guess differently. Apparently, as he learned the other day in a conversation with Law, the filial spirits have some interest in games. And surprisingly when it comes to shogi, Tsinku's turning out to a challenging opponent.
He hasn't known the spirit long enough to learn from him just yet, but he pays attention to him all the same. The sooner he can build up a relationship with Tsinku, the faster he can learn from him. And any skill he can pick up is a useful one. Especially here.
...This past week has been a rough one. Aside from Shino, Luceti's officially screwed with everyone he cares about now - and there's next to nothing he can do about it. It may prove to be futile, but he's going to be prepared for when it happens again.
In any case, it's the reason he's out here on a day like today. And he'll be out here until it starts to snow again or gets dark, whichever comes first.]
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After a few more turns, the thunder cracks a little louder, almost scolding. Shikamaru continues the game with a muttered apology.]
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He takes his turns more quickly, and they don't quite suffer for it. Even so, it will be more obvious soon that the match has taken a turn towards it's conclusion.
It's been a good game, and if he ends this sooner rather than later there can be other ones. Especially as Tsinku seems to enjoy winning.]
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With this much of a concentrated use of them, however, they will fade back to black almost immediately when the match is through. It's still strange, not having the usual amount of stamina, which hadn't been the best before.]
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His grin fades, and he starts to collect the shogi tiles.]
...a shogi game seems like a troublesome thing to waste energy on.
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[And perhaps he'd be in trouble if he ended up having to fight someone this evening, but hopefully there wouldn't be any need for him to today of all days.
He continues to listen as Shikamaru packs up, remaining where he is.]
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[He's not really expecting an answer.]
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[He moves now, stepping forward in order to sit down across from Shikamaru.]
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How about asking what it is that you want.
You saw nothing.
...If I knew the answer to that I'd share it with you.
Pfft. It actually took me a second to figure out what it is that I didn't see.
[Common sense dictates he should be less sarcastic.]
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[There's a creak from the turn table, as he turns it around so he won't have to reach across it for the remaining pieces.] Why bother with any of us? Luceti doesn't change the fact that we should be enemies, just that there's no reason to act on it.
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...Have you seen my brother recently?
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I haven't heard from him since Hal- [No, that's not right. It's been more recent than that. It's just difficult to keep your dates straight when the memory feels ten years old.]
Not since I saw him at the bar - that would've been over a month ago.
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He is no longer here.
[He'd know if he was. And this after he'd told the boy he'd do his best to keep him there.]
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But there was the experiment. Shikamaru looked back over his journal after he'd returned to his proper age again and had seen the message 'Sasuke' had sent to him and the other Konoha-nin. He and Itachi had switched bodies. Theoretically, Itachi would know where to find Sasuke after that.]
You sure he didn't just move?
[Plausible or not, Shikamaru's running on the information that Sasuke still hates his brother. He killed him, didn't he? He might have little respect for him, but why stick around when your location has been compromised.]
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[Even if he had, Itachi is a magnificent stalker.
He places the piece back on the board.]
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All right. I'll take your word for it. [...except not quite. He'll have to do some investigating of his own later. The absence of Uchiha Sasuke isn't something he should count on just because someone told him so.]
So much tl;dr, I'm sorry. >.>
And if he is to take Itachi's behavior throughout this into question - his statements at face value - that's what he would call it. Somber.
...which all things considered is baffling. He's tempted to ask what happened between the two of them recently, but they've already determined for the day that those kinds of questions would be pointless. Also, he doesn't have a death wish. Something like that is a bit personal to ask of a deadly missing-nin.
After a moment, the silence is broken as he resumes picking up the shogi tiles.]
And not that I'm ungrateful - [If it's true.] - but why tell me?
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If he returns, the likelihood of him purposefully contacting anyone is small. But, if he does, I'm sure it won't be me he goes to first.
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Chances are, he'd know pretty soon if Sasuke returned but, well... he has his own reasons for this.]
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Shikamaru waits until he's gone, grumbling to himself when Itachi's out of earshot. Then he finishes packing up his shogi board and the turn table and goes home.]