You only have eyes for that blue, blue sky

[heavenly_earth]

Where: Konoha's Jounin Standby Station
When: January 16th
Notes: Open! to Konoha's elite ;) Chuunin could maybe visit too? idk

The panoramic view of the village through the Jounin lounge was better than even an all-encompassing view through the Byakugan, only because it was rendered in full color. Sure, the plain stone of the Hokage mountain made up the rear view, but the rest was a sight to see. It really reminded them why they were Jounin with such a carefully laid out village before them, watching shadows flit about the rooftops.

It was incredibly relaxing just to sit there and take in the view, then occasionally refocus to subtly watch the reflections of other Jounin moving about in the glass. With soft, circular seating that ringed the room, hardy plants centered in the middle, and a small kitchen with tables for food or games, it certainly lived up to its name. Cloaked in a casual atmosphere that was rarely perturbed these days, Neji found he could easily slip into meditation if he so chose.

And he normally would, but today.. Today he had an agenda.

It involved opening one of the wide windows and climbing out, as well as pointedly ignoring the strange looks thrown at him from inside. He wouldn't normally draw so much attention to himself, particularly as the youngest Jounin in Konoha, but there was just one thing that would make the lounge better. It had taken the better part of a month to convince himself to do it.

And as Neji affixed a contraption to the side of the building, positioned just above the windows, he sensed someone approaching. With a huff, the young Jounin tried to think of the best way to explain his reasoning behind attaching a bird feeder to the station.

"I'm fine," he reported instead, unsure if said Jounin was checking on him or laughing at him. Either way, though. "But if you're looking to make yourself useful.."

Comments

[culinarydreams]

Natsumi was one of the younger jounin around and tended not to worry about being serious unless the situation demanded it. She peered through the window with open amusement playing across her features.

"Fortunately for you, I'm in the mood to be helpful today," she said with a playful smile. "As opposed to in the mood to take mildly embarrassing pictures."

[heavenly_earth]

He didn't recognize the voice and couldn't see through the lip of the roof, but he grimaced in response to the reminder of his.. vaguely undignified position. She sounded young though, and there weren't that many young Jounin.

"How fortunate."

Assured the frame was secure, Neji crouched down to come face-to-face with what he instantly recognized as an Uchiha, then held out the glass tube in his hand.

"There's a bag of bird seed on the cushion there," he told her, gesturing vaguely inside where she was currently blocking his way in.

[culinarydreams]

She retrieved the bird seed, opening the bag tidily so it could be resealed easily. She was tempted to ask the Hyuuga what had prompted him to install a bird feeder, but that was a question probably best asked once he wasn't in such a precarious position.

"Here, tilt the tube this way," she said, motioning a little toward herself, so she could pour some of the contents of the bag in without spilling.

[heavenly_earth]

He appreciated her sense of tact, though he knew the question was in most eyes that watched him. And while he'd only needed her to get the bag for him, the extra bit of help was a gesture he could gracefully accept.

Neji tipped the tube toward the Uchiha and held it steady with both hands while he kept a careful balance on the windowsill. Her name was escaping him, though he was sure he'd seen her around and heard her addressed before.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san."

[culinarydreams]

Natsumi poured the seeds in until the tube was just a half-inch shy of being completely full. While refilling the bird feeder was something any jounin could manage - even accounting for the location outside the window - it still was at an awkward enough place that not everyone would trouble themselves to refill it. After all, it was being installed by a young jounin, rather than being placed there by the Hokage's orders. It was best if it was filled up as much as possible, if the Hyuuga really wanted to attract birds to the jounin standby station.

"You're welcome. It's Neji-san, right?"

She wasn't completely sure. He wasn't in her class, and she was positive she was older than him, if only by a year or two. Natsumi had a good memory for faces, and she knew she'd seen him around in the school yard at least some point during her time at the Academy.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji glanced up and nodded with a brief smile.

"Unfortunately, your name escapes me. I believe it starts with 'na', but the only name that comes to mind is Nanami, and I'm almost certain that's incorrect."

But he's sure it was close, with maybe a different middle syllable. He hummed a short, considering note, then stood to slot the tube into place in the feeder. Neji tapped the glass and assured it was working properly, then satisfied, crouched back down again, ready to move inside once the Uchiha shifted enough from the window to let him.

"That should be set up properly now."

[culinarydreams]

"You're very close, actually," Natsumi replied. "The only part that was wrong was the middle."

She watched him work on the bird feeder, then stepped aside to let him head back inside the jounin lounge.

"My name is Natsumi. So...I take it you like bird-watching?"

It was the most logical explanation for going to the trouble of setting up a bird feeder there. Natsumi liked people watching from the rooftops sometimes, even though she was sociable and liked striking up conversations with people. Sometimes, it was just interesting to watch people go about their days when they didn't realize they were being watched.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji nodded, stepping back inside, and glanced up at his handiwork to assure it looked right. Then he turned his attention back to the girl in front of him.

"Natsumi-san, then. Nice to meet you." As for the bird feeder, Neji floundered for a good way to explain his reasoning.

"I like seeing them," he said eventually, wincing internally as the words fell flat. He cleared his throat. "Or more accurately, I thought they were missing from the view."

That didn't really sound too much better, but he'd settle for it.

[culinarydreams]

"In other words, you like bird-watching," said Natsumi with a playful wink.

Natsumi had her flaws, but she was fairly good at balancing her responsibilities with letting herself have fun now and then. Missions and duties needed to be taken seriously. Most other things did not. If that meant a little harmless teasing? So be it.

"It's okay, Neji-san. Your secret is safe with me."

[heavenly_earth]

Neji huffed a brief note, then shrugged and took a seat. It likely wasn't much of a secret. He was sure everyone would notice the addition. If the Jounin lounge was ever empty, he would have fixed it up then, but shinobi never all slept at the same time.

"Well I appreciate you assisting me with it, then," he said mildly, glancing back up at her. "You're free to let me know if you ever need a small favor."

[culinarydreams]

"Well, I do like coming up with brand new recipes now and then, so I'll keep that in mind if I ever need someone to test it out on."

Granted, she tended not to have any shortage of people in the Uchiha clan willing to try her cooking now that she was older and had plenty of practice. Natsumi wanted a broader range of perspectives, though. If she was going to successfully open a restaurant one day, she'd need to make food that appealed to many people in the village.

[heavenly_earth]

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow, wondering about these new recipes, but shrugged and decided that was a mild enough favor he could accept.

"Fair enough. However, I should warn you I don't typically handle spicy foods well. I'll freely try anything else, and grant you an honest opinion."

[culinarydreams]

"I'll be sure not to offer you any of my hundredth power curry special, then," said Natsumi with a little grin.

It had been an invention in response to a challenge from a cousin to make the spiciest thing she could manage. While she did make sure it was still tasty and had some savoury flavour, it truly was spicy. Spicier than even she found comfortable most of the time.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji grimaced and repressed a shudder. That type of dish sounded like a health hazard if he'd ever heard of one.

"I can offer for you to try anything like that on Lee, however. He's very fond of spicy food, though I'm not certain he tastes much as a result. He'd be very happy to help you out, I'm sure."

Lee was earnest and well-intentioned like that, and would probably leap at the opportunity to try extra spicy curry.

[culinarydreams]

"If he's fond of spicy food, then I'm sure he'll like it. I've had experienced fire jutsu users compare it favourably to breathing fire."

Granted, the experienced fire jutsu users in question were also all fans of spicy food. She was pleased she hadn't disappointed, but it was probably going to require some kind of special warning if she put it on a menu. Perhaps she should mark things from a spice level ranging from one to seven. She imagined most items on her menu would probably wind up in the one to five range, which just would cement that this was not an item for vulnerable stomachs.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji gave a polite smile, trying not to think about his own reaction to something that hot.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the challenge. I'll let him know you might be interested in having him sample a few things in the future."

[culinarydreams]

"Then I'll be sure to save my best spicy recipes for him...and some considerably milder ones for you, Neji-san."

Given Neji's earlier grimace and him openly telling her that he didn't handle spicy foods well, Natsumi suspected he'd probably had some absolutely miserable experiences with it at some point. After all, Hyuuga were more prone to understating things rather than hyperbole.

"So, what sort of things do you like to eat?"

;D

[fastermindf_ck]

Shisui had been sitting in a corner of the room, sipping tea and tapping nonsense rhythms out on the windowsill. When someone had opened the window and stepped out, though, Shisui couldn't help but investigate.

"Yeah?" Shisui responded, tea in his left hand as he surveyed Neji. He didn't think any ninja would be Jounin and stupid enough to hang themselves off the Jounin lounge window, but maybe the standards were lower these days. Or he'd suffered brain damage coming back from a mission...

Peering at the Hyuuga, Shisui decided that wasn't the case. "...Sure, just don't fall out."

sorry for how long this took!

[heavenly_earth]

Neji kept his balance well, not terribly concerned about falling when his chakra control was near perfect. But with Natsumi's help, he successfully ignored the other unhelpful Jounin until he was back in the room.

Then he was of a mind to get himself some tea as well, and glanced over, recognizing another Uchiha.

"You Uchiha are everywhere," he observed mildly with a sip of tea. "Even our Hokage."