[It's an antsy day, in an antsy week. Every time he gets back from a mission, lately, it feels like that. He's had a project in the mountains the last several days, and with the news from CJ last night, Shikamaru can think of a lot of other things he'd rather be doing. But with Korra on a mission, he'd feel bad for ducking out of work. At least he wasn't here for the experiment, or worse: his birthday.

So he can be found at the convenience store until late afternoon, messing around with a digital camera. He got it last December as a Christmas present from Precis, but he actually hasn't practiced with it any until now. Sorry if you are SUDDENLY BLINDED by the flash feature he didn't know was there, he didn't mean it.

Unless you're Naruto or Masaomi. If you're Naruto or Masaomi, he's doing it on purpose because he's an ass and this is what true friendship is built on.

Later in the day, before work gets out, he'll crack open his journal to make a post. He's been thinking about this for the last week, reading up and practicing how to make asphalt. It's not as difficult as he would've though, and he thinks he has it down now.]

[Voice]

Hey, Luceti. It's kind of late in the year for it, but the weather's been dry enough... So let's pave the roads. Anyone up for it?

[This might be ill-timed what with recent news, but hey. It doesn't hurt to gauge interest. There are a lot of other things he needs to take care of today, however, so he starts setting up some filters too.]

( [Filtered to Cilan | Private] )

( [Filtered to Makie | Private] )

( [Filtered to Gai Tsutsugami | Private] )

( [Filtered to Haruno Sakura | Private] )


(ooc: if enough people are interested in the road project, I'll make an ooc post organizing things for it after the House of M plot is done. right now this is testing the waters. 8|a)

[Video]

[The feed kicks on to a counter in the convenience store, height adjusting a split second after as if the person holding the journal realized he needs to hold it higher if anyone is going to see what's on the counter.

Correction made, the journal reveals a SLURPEE MACHINE, clean and ready to go with cups stacked to the side. The labels of the four flavors it offers are clearly displayed, from left to right: Mountain Dew, Blue Raspberry, Orange, and Dr. Pepper.

After holding it there for a good thirty seconds, Shikamaru turns his journal back to himself, straight-faced as he checks to make sure he got all the important bits shown. When it's confirmed, he focuses back on the feed itself with a grin.]

You're welcome.

[/end video]

( Action for the convenience store, and later the bar )

[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] )

( Several hours later, a ninja walks into a bar. )

( Next Day Action for CH1 )