open tl

[ino]

WHO: Ino & YOU!
WHAT: New Years, bath time, joint training & earthquake response
WHERE: All around Neo Tokyo
WHEN: First week of January
WARNINGS: None yet, will update if necessary

 

▶002 - LONELY NEW YEAR

[ It feels a bit strange to not celebrate the New Year, though she isn't particularly pleased about spending it here instead of Konoha. But, she supposes, it wouldn't be the first time I've had to spend a holiday or a festival on a mission. 

It's strange, nonetheless, to make her way to a temple without Shikamaru and Chouji. She's not doing a terribly great job of hiding it -- it feels lonely to be here without them, and her expression is a bit somber if someone manages to walk by without her knowing or recognizing them. She's got a cheaper purple kimono and coat on, hair done up nicely, and yet she doesn't seem all that thrilled to be there. 

She's not one to really linger in misery for too long, though, so she'll also spend some time looking around for folks who are familiar to her. If she happens to spot you in the crowd as the clock ticks down to midnight, she'll rush over, waving as she calls out. ]
 
Hey! You're here for the celebration, too? 

▶003 - NOTHING LIKE A HOT BATH

[ One thing Ino is quite thankful for is that there's a marked similarity between Neo Tokyo and Konoha in a lot of ways. It would have made the transition much harder if not for the little things -- the architecture and style of more classic buildings seem to resemble it quite a bit, the customs and attitude deemed quite similar, and there was just something barely familiar about the way people behaved and went about their day. 

That said, it didn't mean her days becoming accustomed to some of the more advanced technology available here wasn't stressful. It was best to think of it the same way she would a mission -- adapt, improvise, and be an efficient tool in order to go home. 

And, of course, take adequate breaks so as to not overstrain herself, if possible. She had always been a fan of the post-mission hot spring bath, but given the situation, she had a feeling that satisfying bath was a long ways away. So she would take what she could get in that regard ... and she'd take it pretty often, too, given how chilly it had been on base lately. 

It would be fairly easy to find her in the women's public bath many evenings that week, her long hair tied up in a loop atop her head. It would also be pretty easy to bump into her at the entrance of the bath before it separates, a small basket in tow with an array of somewhat expensive-looking bath products. 

What? A girl can't fight kaiju unmoisturized. And she might even be persuaded to share, given the effect of the water at this particular establishment .... ]

▶004 - WANNA SIMULATE? TEXT↠ACTION.

[ If there's anything Ino's had driven into her during her time as a kunoichi, it's that teamwork -- and not just any teamwork, but good teamwork is absolutely crucial. She'd had plenty of missions become far more of a pain than she'd have liked simply because someone refused to cooperate with her, or because the unit just wasn't jiving the way they ought to. 

Now that they've had some time to settle in, it feels appropriate to start making sure each and every one of her teammates can work well with her and with each other. They were going to need that sort of cohesion if they wanted to go home as quickly as possible.

So, as soon as the celebrations for New Years have been wrapped up, and people can reasonably be expected to have recovered from any hangover or lack of sleep they might have had from the holiday, she reaches out via a text message to the network, hoping for takers from Everlight especially, but also others she'd met from the other teams so far. ] 

hey there! is anyone interested in running the current simulation together? i think it'd be good to really start working on how to best combine our abilities in those types of situations!

▶005 - EMERGENCY HEALING

[ She supposes it was only a matter of time before their services were required, wasn't it? 

After doing what she can to immediately respond to the disaster as it occurs, Ino takes it upon herself to take point at a makeshift clinic that's serving as a halfway point for those who can't quite make it to the hospital for whatever reason. 

005A | Maybe you've come across a civilian who's in immediate need of support before transporting them to the hospital for further care? She'll be quick to usher you inside to place the person in question on a cot to further investigate their injuries. 

005B | Or maybe you're a fellow healer? She sure wouldn't mind a little bit of assistance on this most recent addition to the current roster of victims -- her healing works well, but she can't do it all alone. 

005C | Or maybe YOU'RE the injured one? Everlight team members especially would have likely been instructed to find her if they needed help, even if it wasn't life-threatening. Lert her give you some first aid!

Or, as always, feel free to come up with some other reason to catch her in the clinic -- she just might be a little stressed and tired :) ]

▶WILDCARD

Feel free to come up with your own prompt as well, if you'd like! Give me a PM if you've got questions! ♥

Comments

[ino]

Explain it better!

How did you leave?! What happened when you went back? How long were you there? When's the last time you had a haircut?!

[ There is no such thing as peace and solitude when you're around Ino, sorry Sasuke. ]

[eyeforaneye]

[ Itachi would've accepted this without more questions...,, ]

I don't know how I left. I had no memory of this place while I was gone, and it was for a period of over two years. When I returned here, I recalled that I'd been here before.

If that on its own isn't sufficient, I cut my own hair when I feel it's needed.

[ino]

...

[ She's frowning, but at least you've quieted her down? ]

So? Did they let you out of prison?

[eyeforaneye]

[ Finally there's a pause, a beat as the crowds rush around them and his expression remains as inscrutable as ever. ]

... so you knew I'd been locked away.

Step to the side, here, and keep your voice lowered. [ So he says as he steps back, receding into the shadow of the rock wall lining the path up to the shrine. Private? No, but more private. ]

[ino]

Of course I knew. It was all anyone was talking about back home.

[ She lifts an eyebrow, confused as to why they'd need to be discreet about it -- was he worried about the crowds around them would become concerned if he explained?

... Was he about to tell her that he broke out of prison and kept causing problems? Was she going to have to slap his beautiful, in-need-of-a-haircut face? ]

... Fine.

[ She follows, though she watches him warily. ]

[eyeforaneye]

[ And yet still she'd lectured him for wanting to take steps that took him further away from Naruto and Sakura, and hadn't corrected him on his ability to do so. It would irk if he were closer to it, and if he were a little less in control of his emotions than he is now. Instead, shoulders press to stone in a soft lean and he offers her a quick up-down assessment. ]

Yes.

They let me out. I did what I said I would do, though I didn't choose to meet you here just to discuss trivia like that. I sought you out to discuss this place, and get your read on it.

[ino]

Trivia?

[ She definitely looks more annoyed now. He did exactly what she warned him not to do. Of course he did. Why would he listen to her? Her irritation about this makes her briefly forget that he mentioned he remembered nothing about this place while he was back home. ]

You are so -- ughhh!

[ Frustrated, she blows a puff of air up at her bangs. ]

What do you mean, my read on it? You don't remember what you found last time?

[eyeforaneye]

[ He is so ugh, and judging by his expression he knows it. And has heard it many many times. And has no plans to stop being ugh.

However– ]

You're misunderstanding me. I remember what I discovered before.

I'm asking you for your insights.

[ino]

You're asking me what I think?

[ It becomes clear very quickly that she didn't exactly misunderstand him -- more that she doesn't seem to believe he could actually care about her opinion. Not that she's ever particularly shy about giving it anyways, but she repeats what he's said nonetheless to make sure he knows what he's asking for. ]

Is this your overdue check-in?

[eyeforaneye]

Call it what you will. For me it's more than overdue.

[ And while there's hardly anything soft around the edges about Uchiha Sasuke, it feels metaphorical. As if there's a hell of a lot more than a check-in that he's overdue for with her, with anyone in his life. ]

We're in a situation now where it doesn't make sense for us to avoid one another. You, me, Kakashi... and Itachi.

[ino]

[ She's considering what he's said, surprised to see this peace offering coming from him -- what the hell had happened while he had been home? -- when she seems to fully register the end of the last sentence. ]

Wait. What? Itachi?!

[ She had heard that people who were dead could come back here, but for it to be him, of all people ... ]