022 -- [Action || Voice]

[endgames]

[Filtered to Konoha Shinobi and Temari || 100% Unhackable]

Meeting tonight, at sundown. [What about goes without saying - most of them should know already.] Fourth floor's kitchen. Try not to pull a Kakashi.

[And thus starts off the long to-do-list of Shikamaru's day. The filter goes up in the morning, giving - hopefully - everyone time to see it.

He's decided he needs to talk to Naruto before then. On his way out the building he'll stop by his apartment, or send another filter off to him if he's not around. With everything going on he would be surprised. After he's tracked him down, it's off to the other side of the village to find Tony Stark at his casa, to hand over a project he's been working on for the last several nights. Playing delivery boy again, ugh. No notice this time, though. He's acting like a functional human being again, but he's not up for the sarcastic banter. Once he's done there, it's over to the school to find Katara in the thirty minute window he has after classes let out. Apologies are an order.

Specific things attended to... wow, without Masaomi around this week, he has a lot of time on his hands, huh. Well okay. He goes off to the forest with a bag of coconuts of all things and lines them up at head level when he finds a good spot to sit them for tanto practice - or more precisely: strength training. He's never used his short sword much. The one time he did, he wasn't strong enough with it to do as he intended, so he should work on that now.

And okay, surely by then the sun will be going down... or okay, nope. With a few hours to kill, somehow he winds up at the Seventh Heaven restaurant. In part because he figures it could be a good place to drop off some of the coconuts, and also because he realizes on the way over he hasn't actually eaten yet. Or done much of anything this past week, besides getting Asuma up to speed about Luceti, or working on various projects.

Sooo. Might be nodding off there at the restaurant. Might be napping after he eats, if he doesn't get kicked out for it. SITTING DOWN WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA. Fine, he'll pose a random pointless question to the masses, maybe that'll keep him occupied.]

[Voice]

Wonder why they call this place Luceti. Seems like a dumb name. Does it even mean anything? 

Comments

[ action ]

[endgames]

[ > BE THERE AT 2:29

He's aware of her supposedly non-existent schedule, yes. So he'll be waiting there when school lets out, hoping to at least catch her on her way to the clinic.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[Look, having responsibilities doesn't mean she has a SCHEDULE, all right? Eesh.]

Oh. [...] Hey, Shikamaru.

[ action ]

[endgames]

Hey. [Headtilt.] Get any good naps in there?

[See look, he's capable of sentences and joking now. It's been a productive week.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[She's not impressed, really. Smoothing things over like nothing happened just feels like it's adding insult to injury to Katara. So she just ignores the question.]

Is everything okay?

[Because he'd make small talk too, and just as easily, if he needed something that wasn't urgent. And she kind of has somewhere to be.]

[ action ]

[endgames]

[Lying is troublesome.]

For the moment. [Headscratch.] Can I walk with you? I want to apologize.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[She is both surprised and not entirely sure she believes him.]

Okay...

[And she starts walking. Maybe he just wanted to get farther away from the school before he decided to tell her what was really up - she didn't think he'd honestly come to see her in this small space of time to have an emotional conversation. Unless, of course, he wanted the time limit, and unless, of course... heh, that was the extent of his apology.]

[ action ]

[endgames]

[Well, doing this away from an audience is ideal, yes. Plus he didn't want to hold her up. It doesn't bother him enough to draw it out, though - he came here for a reason, so there's no hesitation on his part.]

Last week... what happened was troublesome. [His hands get shoved into his pockets... one's emptier than it usually is. But somehow it makes him smile. He makes sure to keep his eyes off the path and look at her now, as they walk.]

I know you were trying to help me, and I just acted like an ass. I'm sorry. I had a lot on my mind, and I let that get in the way.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[She sighs a little.]

I wasn't trying to help you. I knew that there wasn't anything I could do to help. I was just... trying to be a friend.

[ action ]

[endgames]

It's the same thing, to me.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[You talked to me like I was a stranger.]

...it's okay. I came out there for you, not for me. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to help.

[ action ]

[endgames]

[I'm supposed to be the one apologizing.]

You did.

[And it's there, fiercely open before he can take it back (doesn't really want to) or say it better.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

Oh.

[A small smile and most of the tension leaves her shoulders.]

Good.

[ action ]

[endgames]

[There's a pause before he lets out a quiet breath. That went better than he thought it would, even if it was a slip-up.]

So thank you. For being my friend.

[He owes her that too.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[She gives him a bit of a strange look.]

You don't have to thank me for that

[Since you're her friend too.]

[ action ]

[endgames]

I know. But I want to.

[ action ] 1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Heh.]

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

I consider myself thanked.

[Thank you.]

[ action ]

[endgames]

[There. That was the hard part. He smiles, a little more genuinely, before blinking as if remembering something.]

Oh, right. I brought your blanket too. [He reaches to flick the latch of one of his vest's front, slender pockets with his thumb, and a scroll comes sliding out.] Cleaned it. If you don't have time to stop by your house, I can run it over for you.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

[She looked at the scroll askance.]

You brought my blanket and you put it in there. How am I supposed to get it out?

[ action ]

[endgames]

I kinda planned on opening it.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

And giving me a blanket to carry around for the rest of the day?

[ action ]

[endgames]

That's why I said I could take it, if you don't have time to drop it off yourself.

[ action ]

[markofthebrave]

You know I don't. [It was your back-up plan for a quick escape, surely. In case she started asking questions again. Which she was about to.]

So is everything all right? Are you okay?

[ action ] 1/2

[endgames]

[Actually, this time no. He was busy all throughout the morning, and by the time she gets back from the clinic, he'll be in a meeting with his friends. And about ready to get some much needed rest. Without having Masaomi around to train this week, he plans to sleep until noon.

This was the only time he had for his apology, and he didn't want to put it off any longer.

This week has been very troublesome...]

[ action ]

[endgames]

Eh... Things could be better, but I'm managing.

[He has no choice, really. With Madara here, he has to have his head in the game. He measures his words carefully.]

...some troublesome things have come up. I can't talk about it to you right now, because I need to speak with the rest of my comrades first. But I'll let you know soon.